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"your celebrated friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes" [NAVA] 


January 6th is here and that marks the date on which we traditionally celebrate Sherlock Holmes's birthday.

We say "traditionally," because there is no definitive statement of his actual date of birth in the Canon, but beginning with Christopher Morley, the date of January 6th has become the de facto accepted date for Holmes' birthday. Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons.

Of all of the quotes in the Canon, William Shakespeare was the most oft-quoted author. There is but one Shakespearean play that Holmes quotes twice: Twelfth Night. In The Sign of the Four, Holmes concludes, "All is well that ends well." This is from from Act IV, Scene 4. And in "The Empty House," Holmes states "'Journeys end in lovers meetings,' as the old play says," from Act II, Scene 3.

The reason the date was chosen is that in Christianity, January 6th is the Feast of the Epiphany, or officially the twelfth day of Christmas. I suppose if we were being truly technical about it, the twelfth night of Christmas would fall on January 5th...

In addition, William S. Baring-Gould in his The Annotated Sherlock Holmes, posited that because Holmes was a little cranky on the morning of January 7th - the date on which The Valley of Fear began - he had a hangover, induced by birthday celebrations the evening prior.

And why 163? Scholars have fixed the year of Sherlock Holmes's birth to 1854 by virtue of a line in "His Last Bow" when he was described as "a tall gaunt man of sixty."


Opportunity

If you happen to be in New York City this weekend, you can participate in some of the BSI Weekend activity, in which Sherlockians from around the world gather to hold various events where they connect and pay homage to the great detective. 

So, by all means, share the news that today is Sherlock Holmes's birthday. But whatever you do, don't try to throw him a surprise party. It's an exercise in futility.



Of course, right now, Sherlockians from around the world are gathering to celebrate his birthday in style during the BSI Weekend. Check the official site for details and feel free to follow the activities of various attendees online via the #BSIWeekend hashtag.

We hope you'll take a moment and wish Sherlock Holmes a happy birthday in your own way. If you'd like to join in here, please feel free to leave a birthday comment below.

Image credit: Kitchen Overlord

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