How the Internet Celebrated 'Star Wars' Day, Glitter and All

Some days are sacred within fandom, and few are more sacred in the Star Wars fandom than May 4, otherwise known as Star Wars Day. Derived from the pun “May the 4th be with you,” stemming from “May the Force be with you,” Star Wars Day combines some of the internet’s favorite things: wacky over-enthusiasm, the Star Wars franchise, puns, and genuine affection.

And everyone celebrated differently. While Star Wars Day started off as a loosely defined fandom trend, brands eventually started getting in on the joke, and the whole thing became much more commercialized. But that doesn’t stop fans from celebrating the new-age the old fashioned way, with unencumbered enthusiasm for the Star Wars franchise.

Star Wars fans published art, mourned the tragic, unexpected loss of the galaxy’s princess, Carrie Fisher, and dressed up their dogs and cats for a time the Cantina crew would undoubtedly appreciate. Here’s how the internet celebrated Star Wars Day.

Everyone Agreed That Carrie Fisher Is Sorely Missed, and Many Wore Glitter

One of the most surprising results of May the 4th this year was a Tumblr post going viral, where one fan described her experience of being doused in glitter by Carrie Fisher at a convention. Quickly, this spread into many other fans encouraging one another to use the hashtag #GlitterforCarrie in honor of the late actresses’s work as an advocate for mental health awareness.

There were also a slew of amazing sets of fan art devoted to Carrie Fisher.

And Fan Artists Shared Some True Masterpieces

Carrie Fisher’s memory dominated much of the internet’s Star Wars love. But there was a lot of other fan art, too.

There Was Some Impressive Cosplay … Most Impressive

But mainly, people just dressed up their pets

May the 4th Be With You!