Ye Olde Talk Like a Pirate Day Guide
By Amber Lena
Talk Like a Pirate Day started as a fun joke between friends that grew into an unofficial International holiday. Around the world, people dress up, grab their grog and let their jolly roger flags fly every year on September 19th. Whether this is your first year celebrating or you’ve been participating from the beginning, we’ve broken down a list of musts for your piratey day. Arrrr.
Monkier: No pirate be complete without a fearsome title! Pirates rarely used their birth names in order ter protect the family honor. Ter get into the spirit, cast aside yer landlubber name and get a new one worthy of a pirate.
Here be a helpful site to help you don your new title.
Lingo: The most important part of ye olde Talk Like a Pirate Day is the lingo. While ye can ‘arr’ and ‘avast’ yerself straight ter Davey Jones’ locker, thar be much more to talkin’ like a pirate. Today be the day ter skip the fancy grammar and say ‘me’ in place of ‘my’ and ‘be’ instead of ‘are’. Remember, pirates weren’t landlubbers – ye’ll be findin’ lots of sailin’ terms in pirate talk.
Pirates weren’t afraid of tall tales, laddie. Go ahead and exaggerate; share yer story of that great kraken or other sea beastie ye saw while sailing the seven seas. Loudly. An’ no need to annunciate!
Here be a helpful guide or two for yer pirate talk.
Clothes: Now that ye be talkin’ the part, ye need to look it! No need for fancy britches – anything that be well-worn and comfy will do. Stripes, bandanas, dark trousers and boots are all ye need. And of course, if you be a captain, ye’ll be needing a hat worthy of a captain.
Booty: Every pirate needs treasure. Carry around yer (costume) gems and jewels ter show them landlubbers what a mighty pirate you be! Don’t forget to bring some extra dubloons—chocolate dubloons.
Grog: In the words of olde Cap’n Jack, why is the rum always gone? Why, because ye drank it, of course! Pirates love their drink as much as they love their booty. Whether you drink yer rum straight or give it a grog-y twist with lemon juice and cinnamon, be sure ter never let yer bottle from yer sight! By which we mean, please drink responsibly and use designated drivers/sailors.
For the wee little pirates, try this kid-friendly grog recipe or ye old root beer.
Jolly Roger: Gather ye laddies and lassies and create yer own Jolly Roger. A great project for the wee little ones, all ye’ll be needin’ is some paper of the construction variety, scissors, glue an’ some drawing items for the laddies to make thar very own pirate flag. Hoist the colors!
Ye Olde Piratey Films: Today is the day ter watch all ye piratey films. Here be our top choices.
Pirates of the Caribbean – That Cap’n Jack Sparrow be one mighty fine pirate, and yer older crew members will be sure ter enjoy his shenanigans.
Peter Pan – A classic tale fer all yer crew. It may favor that Peter Pan over the scurvy dog Cap'n Hook, but it's still a mighty fine film.
Hook - And here be the film that focuses more on our pirate friend. Arrr! This be about that scurvy dog Peter Pan when he be all growed up. Yer crew will appreciate this silly film.
The Princess Bride - That Dread Pirate Roberts be one fearsome scurvy dog! While this may not be a pirate-only film, it be one fine tale for all to enjoy.
Treasure Island - This here be a classic tale from that scallywag Robert Louis Stevenson. Thar be many a film with this title, the most recent of which has that Elijah Wood fellow.
Treasure Planet - If you be one of those fancy new space pirates, then this be the film for you! A twist on that Stevenson tale for all the little laddies and lassies.
Veggie Tales: The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything – For the littlest of sailors, a piratey tale appropriate for the whole crew.
Sing a Shanty: What’s a pirate’s life without a little shanty to pass the time swabbing the poop deck? Gather yer crew and raise yer voices with one of these fine tunes.
