January 4
Holidays and Observances

Welcome to January 4, 2027, to a highly diverse day on the calendar highlighting vital global accessibility, massive classic comfort foods, and fascinating state heritages! Today's daily guide brings together unique modern lifestyle markers like National Can Do Day, quirky name day trends like National Clara Day, and the fun political history of Dimpled Chad Day. Dive into our complete directory below to check the regional public holiday rules and fun winter traditions happening today!

 Holidays and Observances
(Alphabetical Order)

2027 Daily Holidays that fall on January 4, include:

• January 4: Dimpled Chad Day

• January 4, 2027: Divorce Monday (Observed the first Monday of the year)

• January 4: Free Flower Basket Day

• January 4, 2027: Handsel Day (Observed the first Monday in January)

• January 4: National Can Do Day

• January 4: National Clara Day

• January 4: National Missouri Day

• January 4: National Rachel Day

• January 4: National Spaghetti Day

• January 4, 2027: National Thank God It's Monday Day (Observed the first Monday in January and June)

• January 4: National Trivia Day

• January 4, 2027: National Weigh-In Day (Observed the first Monday after New Year's)

• January 4, 2027: New Year's Day Substitute (New Zealand)

• January 4: Pop Music Chart Day

• January 4: Tom Thumb Day

• January 4: Utah Admission Day (Utah was officially admitted to the Union as the 45th U.S. state on January 4, 1896)

• January 4: World Braille Day (Also referred to as International Braille Day)

• January 4: World Hypnotism Day

2027 Weekly Holidays that include January 4, are:

• January 1-7: Celebration of Life Week 

• December 14, 2026 - January 5, 2027: Christmas Bird Count Week 

• January 1-7: Diet Resolution Week 

• Evening of January 4, 2027, to Evening of January 5, 2027: Isra and Mi'raj (Muslim Holiday)

• January 3-9, 2027: National Law Enforcement Training Week (First Full Week of January)

• January 3-9, 2027: National Lose Weight - Feel Great Week (First Full Week of January Starting with Sunday)

• January 3-9, 2027: National Thank Your Customers Week (First Full Week of January)

• January 1-7: National Time Consciousness Week (Philippines)

• January 1-8:  New Years' Resolution Week

• January 1-7: Silent Record Week

• January 2-8: Someday We'll Laugh About This Week

2027 Monthly Holidays that include January 4, are:

There are too many monthly holidays to include here, so please check out my January Holidays page to see all of the holidays that are celebrated the entire month of January.

NOTE: If a date is a movable holiday, that is different every year, I'll include the year as well as the date rule above. Otherwise, the holiday falls on the same date each year.

Looking for more than a list?
Click here to read our detailed guide: Explore the January Monthly Holidays & Awareness Causes Guide

World Festivals and Events
(Date Order)

• December 21, 2026 - February 21, 2027: Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival: Usually starts annually on January 5, and typically runs for a month or more, in Harbin, China and is the largest ice and snow festival in the world! 2026/2027 dates are a soft opening on December 21, 2026, with the Official Grand Opening on January 5 to the closing of the park on February 21. 

• January 1-5, 2027: The World Series of Beer Pong (Held in the Las Vegas, Nevada area)

Astrological Sign

The Astrological Sign for January 4 is a Capricorn.

Birth Flower of the Month

The Birth Flower(s) for the Month for January are:

• Carnation - The Carnation is the Birth Flower for January. The symbolization of the Carnation means love, pride, beauty, purity, distinction, fascination, and loyal.
• Snowdrop is a white flower with three small petals in the middle surrounded by three larger petals on the outside. The symbolization of the snowdrop means love, fascination, and purity.

See our GARDEN HOLIDAYS page for all the special days celebrating things of the garden!

Birthstone

The Birthstone for January is Garnet, which comes in a rainbow of colors. It is considered a great gift to symbolize friendship and trust.

Famous Birthdays

• 1785 - Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm, Germany, folklorist and editor of the famous "Grimm's Fairy Tales" (d. 1863)
• 1809 -Louis Braille, Coupvray France, was the developer of the Braille reading system for the blind. World Braille Day is celebrated today!

Famous Deaths

• 1965 - T.S. Eliot, American-English poet, playwright, essayist, awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948. (b. 1888)
• 1998 - Mae Questel, was an American actress and vocal artist who was best known for providing the voices for the animated characters of Betty Boop, and Olive Oyl.
• 2023 - Rosi Mittermaier, German alpine skier and Olympic champion who won two gold medals at the 1976 Olympics

Famous Weddings and Divorces

• 1926 - Irving Berlin, Composer marries heiress Ellin Mackay
• 1997 - Dick Smothers, actor and singer (Smothers Brothers), marries Denby Franklin
• 2012 - Bryan Ferry, singer (Roxy Music) marries PR executive Amanda Sheppard

Quote of the Day

Don't be afraid to Dream!! Work towards the direction of your dreams! Dream BIG! My sister Kerry is always telling me that I dream too big, and to dream smaller. Why not dream big? There is no harm to it, and I feel like why limit the possibilities! It is easy to cut back on your dreams along the way or adjust them as needed. 

Healthy Diet Habit Tip of the Day 
or a Recipe of the Day

Since this day is National Spaghetti Day, here is a great Healthy Spaghetti Recipe from Kerry, at Healthy Diet Habits! (link goes to her website)

• See our FOOD HOLIDAYS page for all the special days celebrating food!
• See our Holiday Food page for tips on healthy holiday food traditions in general, and for some sample meal plan ideas for some of the most popular holidays.

Season

January 4th falls within the Winter Season in the Northern Hemisphere.

Winter is one of the four seasons. It follows the Fall Season, and is before the Spring Season. It is the coldest and darkest season in the Northern Hemisphere. It also starts in one year, and ends in the next, so it straddles two different years. 

Check out our Winter Season page for information about Winter, Winter Dates, Major Winter Holidays and Observances, Major Winter Festivals, Fun Facts About Winter, Winter Food Tips, Winter Gardening, Winter Preparation, Winter Quotes, and Winter Weather Information.

Kerry has put together some great information and tips on winter foods: 

• Winter Foods
• Winter Weight Gain
• Winter Weight Loss Tips

If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, this day falls in the Summer Season. 

• Summer
• Summer Cooking 
• Summer Weight Loss Tips 

This Day in History

• 1717 - Netherlands, England & France sign Triple Alliance.
• 1762 - Great Britain declares war on Spain and Naples.
• 1847 - Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the US government.
• 1896 - Utah is admitted as the 45th US State.
• 1958 - Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from its orbit, and burns up.
• 1974 - US President Richard Nixon refuses to hand over tapes subpoenaed by Watergate Committee.
• 1982 - Golden Gate Bridge, in San Francisco closed for the 3rd time due to a storm.
• 1989 - US F-14s Tomcats shoot down 2 Libyan jet fighters during an air to air confrontation.
  
• 2004 - Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, lands successfully on Mars.
• 2010 - The Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building is officially opened in Dubai.  160 floors and 2,717 feet tall.
• 2018 - A passenger train in Free State, South Africa collides with a truck. The accident kills 20 and injures 260.

And of course, because there is a New Tallest Building in the World, it should be no surprise that the day after the opening, two base jumpers set a World Record by jumping from the top! Wow!! This is a must watch!

This Day in Music

• 1936 - Billboard magazine publishes its 1st music hit parade which ranks songs based on sales and airplay. The first #1: "Stop! Look! Listen!" by Joe Venuti & his Orchestra.
• 1960 - Marty Robbins' El Paso hits #1
• 1964 - Bobby Vinton's There! I've Said It Again hits #1
• 1967 - The Beatles recorded Penny Lane.
• 1970 - The Beatles recorded Let It Be.
  
• 1975 - Elton John's Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds hits #1

Our Dad was born in El Paso, Texas in 1929, and grew up there. We lived there for a year growing up while our Dad did his first tour in Vietnam, so  my song pick of the day is Marty Robbins' El Paso! 

This Day in Sports

• 1999 - Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura is sworn in as governor of Minnesota.

Word of the Day from Wiktionary

Wishing You a Great Day!