THE WORLD IS BEAUTIFUL

by **Paul** Fri 12 Jan 2024, 8:08 am

Kiss a Ginger Day
Red hair is slowly disappearing around the world, so kiss a ginger while you still can!

Red hair has always been unique and striking to all of us. While many redheads are unfortunately subject to jokes and mockery, we all love their fiery tresses. January 12 is Kiss A Ginger Day and it’s the perfect opportunity to show them our love. At some point, we all wish we had red hair ourselves, but as it occurs in only 2% of the population, we go for hair dyes to get the color. Many believe red hair is and has always been an Irish, British, and European trait, but that isn’t the case. Ancient accounts and archaeological discoveries indicate red hair existed in Greece and Asia. Today the trait is most prevalent in north western Europe. Red hair is slowly disappearing around the world, so kiss a ginger while you still can!

WHEN IS KISS A GINGER DAY 2024?

Redheads around the world are celebrated on Kiss A Ginger Day on January 12 every year.

HISTORY OF KISS A GINGER DAY

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Vivid reds have always represented power, passion, and high energy, just like lovable redheads around the world. On Kiss A Ginger Day, we express our appreciation for redheads, who pull off the color so well and have a personality to match! So, find your favorite ginger and give them a kiss.

In the olden days, red hair had a bad reputation. Associated with witches and the ability to overpower the senses of others, redheads were often shunned from society, or worse. Thankfully, this myth went away with time, and we can’t get enough of enchanting redheads today. It is quite trendy to sport red hair today, with more and more people dying their hair in striking hues of red.

Even though redheads are no longer considered to be practitioners of witchcraft, a holiday exists that isn’t the kindest towards them. To counter it, Kiss A Ginger Day was started by Derek Forgie in 2009 on a Facebook group, and it went viral.

The red hair gene requires a duplicate for it to materialize. Even then, there is no guarantee that it will. There is a one in four chance of your child being redheaded if both parents have the gene. Blue-eyed gingers are the rarest, making up only 1% of the world’s total population. So really, if you know a redhead or are one, consider yourself lucky.

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REDHEADS BY THE NUMBERS

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<1,000,000 — the number of people having rare combinations of red hair and blue or green eyes.
90,000 — the number of hair strands a redhead has.
20% — the percentage more of anesthesia that redheads require for medical procedures.
6 — the number of shades of red commonly occurring.
16th Century — the time period when women with red hair were accused of witchcraft.
30% — the percentage of people who dye their hair red.
6-18 million — the number of redheads in the U.S.
13% — the percentage of redheads living in Scotland, the highest ever.

1 in 10 — the number of Irish people who have red hair.

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KISS A GINGER DAY ACTIVITIES

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Kiss a ginger! (Duh.)

If you are lucky enough to have a special someone in your life who rocks red locks – give ‘em a kiss! Or two. Or more, just don’t get chapped lips. And please, make sure you have consent before smooching. Hell hath no fury like a ginger kissed without consent.

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Do something nice for a red-head you love

You can do so much more than just give a kiss (get your head out of the gutter!) and there may be redheads in your life you don’t particularly want to kiss in the first place (sorry family members). Make a point to do something nice for them. It can be a simple as sending flowers or cooking them a meal. It can be a big surprise like a weekend trip or some jewelry. Whatever you choose to do, make sure you let them know how much they mean to you!

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Enjoy movies and music by famous gingers

So many of the celebrities and artists we love are gingers. Take the time to enjoy their works on National Sticker day! Listen to the music of Ed Sheeran or Florence Welch of Florence & The Machine. Watch a movie or TV show featuring your favorite redhead, such as Lindsay Lohan, Amy Adams, or Christina Hendricks. Enjoy the the films, music, and art that gingers have blessed us with!

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5 REASONS WHY REDHEADS ARE THE BEST

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It’s extremely rare

Only 1% of the people in the world are redheaded.

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They don’t go gray

Redheads don’t go gray!

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The color spectrum

The range of colors redheads have spans from burgundy to bright copper.

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Red hair dates back to the Vikings

Red hair is a layover from the period of the Vikings.

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The strands are thick

Each strand of red hair is thicker than other color strands.

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WHY WE LOVE KISS A GINGER DAY

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Redheads don’t go grey!

Gingers, you lucky ducks! Red hair holds it’s pigment longer than other shades. When it does fade, it becomes a silvery-white, not grey or dull. So redheads, if you ever find yourself wishing you had different colored tresses, remember that not only are you envied for your hair now, but that jealousy will only continue to grow as we all get older and your hair still looks amazing!

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They’re rare

Redheads seem to be far less common than blonde, brunette, and black hair. That’s because the gene which causes fiery locks is recessive, meaning you would need the gene from both parents for a child to have red hair. Today, people travel more than ever. We marry outside out local communities and move all over the world. This means gingers have become rarer than ever before and the percentage of people with red hair continues to decrease. Redheads are unique and we admire their striking hair, as it continues to stand out more and more.

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They inspire great art and fun stories

The striking color of red hair is something artists can’t resist. Gingers can be seen in works of art such as Sandro Botticelli’s, “The Birth of Venus”, Edvard Munch’s, “Lady From The Sea”, Mary Cassatt’s, “Maternal Kiss”, and Gustav Klimt’s, “Danae”. Don’t forget the redheads from our childhood! Ariel, Merida, Annie – all gingers with fun stories. We send a big thank you to all gingers for inspiring the art and films we love so much!

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