Lost and Found Day is annually celebrated on every Second Friday of December in the United States which means this year it falls on December 9th!
As the year winds down and we begin taking a mental record of everything that happened, it is important to note everything we found and lost in the last 12 months. So, roll up your sleeves and get down to business as we launch the search party for every item we have lost this year.
Lost and Found Day has been set aside to encourage us to return any items that we may have found during the past year to the people who have lost them and who may be extremely worried. Likewise, it is also a great occasion to try to find any personal belongings which we have lost and put an end to the frustration of having to go without something we need.
| Event | Lost and Found Day |
|---|---|
| Date | December 9, 2022 |
| Day | Friday |
| Significance | The day has been set aside to encourage us to return any items found over the last year to those who have lost them. |
| Observed by | United States |
Lost and Found Day History:
In Japan, the lost-and-found property system dates to a code written in the year 718. The first modern lost and found office was organized in Paris in 1805. Napoleon ordered his prefect of police to establish it as a central place "to collect all objects found in the streets of Paris", according to Jean-Michel Ingrandt, who was appointed the office's director in 2001. However, it was not until 1893 that Louis Lépine, then prefect of police, organized efforts to actively track down the owners of lost items.
In Anglo-Saxon common law, lost objects are still governed by what is colloquially referred to as "finders keepers"—property belongs to the one who possesses it, unless evidence is provided to the contrary. But, in modern France, man's uninterrupted right to his possessions, even his misplaced ones, is one of his most basic. The bureau sees as its guiding mission not only to return objects but to return them only to those who can prove their ownership.
Today, the lost and found tradition is mostly practiced in returning ancient artifacts to their places of belonging. As because of our world's colonial past it is seen that many most of the ancient artifacts from their native places had been stolen by the colonizers. But as the times are passing and the relationship is improving between all of the countries it is seen that often colonizing countries returns back stolen artifacts to their native places.
Lost and Found Day Significance:
There is innate humanity in taking care of non-living things and mourning their loss. We develop affection for the things that surround us. Oftentimes, the loss of these things can devastate us. Likewise, finding a lost item can be a source of immense serotonin. This is why we celebrate Lost and Found Day, a day dedicated to searching for the things that we have lost.
You also can think of many things in your life which are very dear to you and very personal to you! Most of the times these things includes those ones which are given to us by some of our closed and loved ones like by parents, friends, relatives or your partner! So these things become priceless for us. Other than that also there are many things which might become dear like our toys connected to our childhood , our first car, etc.
Due to the abundance of stuff around us and our love for novelty, oftentimes the misplaced stuff can truly slip our radar. Thankfully, we have an entire day dedicated to figuring out the things missing from our life with a weekend ahead to search for them. In this fast-paced world of bills and deadlines, we often forget the purpose of life and the value of things. The somber knock of a weekend reminds us to value our things and cherish the memories we have with them.
As we continue to research the origination and designation of this holiday, let us take a pledge to become better guardians of our belongings. We can all administer more caution in our lives. Checking our pockets as we exit a venue, keeping records of the things we lend, and designating individual spaces for different things, are all ways in which we can improve our custodianship of valuable items.
Lost and Found Day Activities:
There are several different ways you can go about celebrating this day. The first is to make a point of finding something you yourself have lost and have been somehow doing without since you did. There is no reason you should have to! Taking your couch apart is a good place to start looking for whatever it is that's gone missing, and chances are you'll find a few other things you've long since forgotten you had in there as well.
You can also use this opportunity to return those things which you might have borrowed from someone which you have forgotten to return or simply something which you have accidentally found by yourself so if you know to whom it originally belonged to then it is the time to act noble and return those things. But do make sure that you only return things after confirming that to whom it actually belongs until then keep it with you only and continue searching.
We do not need a reason to go thrift shopping — after all, it is good for your pocket and the environment. But since we are talking about the value of lost stuff, why not hit up our local thrift shop and stake a claim on someone else's belongings. And you don't have to worry about returning anything as you directly purchase these things from the owner itself.
Most Searched FAQs on Lost and Found Day:
1. When is Lost and Found Day celebrated?
Lost and Found Day is annually celebrated on Second Friday of December in US.
2. What is the most commonly lost item?
T.V. remotes are the most commonly lost or misplaced item, followed by cell phone and car keys.
3. What is the best way to find a lost item?
Identify the one most probable place you would have put the item. Look for it there. If you don't find it, step back and look to see if it could have fallen somewhere, slipped behind or under something, or been covered up somehow. If you still can't find it, sit down again to think.