SA expat’s seven-year-old invents new international holiday

People all over the world say they will be celebrating Wolfenoot, a dog-lover's festival invented by a child that has gone viral.


When Jax Goss, a South African now based in New Zealand, posted about a holiday her 7-year-old had invented called Wolfenoot, she didn’t expect her post to go viral or for anyone to actually consider celebrating the holiday.

But the holiday, which honours the “spirit of the wolf” and is aimed at dog owners and lovers, looks set to be celebrated globally and has been featured in articles on Time, Buzzfeed, and Boing Boing.

And, there is already a Facebook page attempting to cash in on the holiday that Goss has distanced herself from.

“My son has invented a holiday called Wolfenoot. It is when the Spirit of the Wolf brings and hides small gifts around the house for everyone. People who have, have had, or are kind to dogs get better gifts than anyone else.

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“You eat roast meat (because wolves eat meat) and cake decorated like a full moon.

“A holiday to the spirit of wolves that celebrates people who are kind to dogs? I can 100% get behind this. So we will be celebrating Wolfenoot. It’s on the 23rd November if anyone else is moved to celebrate it. If you do, send me pics, so I can show my kid his idea spread,” the original post read.

Those posting about Wolfenoot have been asked to use the hashtag #wolfenoot.

The holiday also has its own website, and its own Facebook invite, with over 6,000 people saying they will “attend”.

In the website’s FAQs, which are well worth a read, Goss addresses many questions that anyone interested in the celebrating the holiday may have.

https://www.facebook.com/belgatherial/posts/10160737345600570

Goss has since taken to Facebook to express the ways in which being the mom of the viral holiday’s creator has changed her life.

“A week ago my life decisions were things like “muesli or toast for breakfast”. Now it’s ‘Do I do that radio interview in the morning?'” she wrote.

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