by Shelly Barclay

Created on: June 12, 2009

National Magic Day and National Magic Week have been celebrated around the world for roughly 70 years. The original purpose of National Magic Day was to honor the memory of a world renowned magician, the late Harry Houdini. That purpose has expanded and today National Magic Day is not only a day to commemorate the work of Harry Houdini. It has also become a week during which professional magicians share their craft for the entertainment of others.

National Magic Day occurs every year on October 31, the same day as Halloween. This day is the anniversary of Harry's death in 1926. Magicians began honoring Houdini with Magic Day soon after his death, but at first it wasn't a national holiday. Mrs. Houdini and the Society of American Magicians sanctioned the holiday in 1938. On July 20 of the same year, Mrs. Houdini participated in the first radio broadcast advertising the holiday. The broadcast was made out of a station called KQW.

The name of Harry Houdini is familiar to both magicians and non magicians alike. Harry Houdini's talent as a magician is undeniable. More than eighty years after his death people still remember him as one of the greatest magicians the world has ever produced. His fame and talent coupled with National Magic Day are part of the reason magic is so popular today.

Ever since the holiday's inception magicians have given performances every year to honor the life and work of Harry Houdini. In fact the day became so popular that magicians were celebrating for the entire week before National Magic Day. So in 1966, the week leading up to Halloween was officially declared National Magic Week by the Society of American Magicians and was quickly adopted as such all around the world.

Many of the events of Magic Week are charitable. The publicity that National Magic Week generates enables magicians to showcase how helpful and their work can be. It's also a great way to get more people interested in magic and in turn really continue the work that Harry Houdini did for most of his life.

National Magic Day and National Magic Week were begun for the purpose of honoring a hard working and dedicated man's life by sharing some of his work and ambition with others. You can celebrate National Magic Day even if you are not a magician. Just find a show or a performance and allow yourself to be entertained by people who, like Houdini, live to entertain others.

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