What if you could just make a day disappear? And I’m talking without the use of TARDIS or the aid of Dr. Who. Well, for the people of Samoa, it’s a reality coming soon to a calendar near them. December 30, 2011 is the day that will never be.
At the stroke of midnight on Dec. 29, time in Samoa will leap forward to Dec. 31 — New Year’s Eve. For Samoa’s 186,000 citizens, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, will simply cease to exist.
The reason? Much of the island nation’s business is conducted with Australia and New Zealand, situated just on the other side of the international dateline. Because of the time difference, Samoa loses out on two business days each week.
“While it’s Friday here, it’s Saturday in New Zealand, and when we’re at church Sunday, they’re already conducting business in Sydney and Brisbane.”
While the Samoans don’t get to handpick the day that they erase from the calendar, just imagine the possibilities if we were each given free rein to dismiss 24 hours from our lives.
Very fun New Years fact! I can’t wait to tell my kids this!
Judy