Did you know it’s World Outlander Day? It’s the anniversary of the first novel published for the very first time. Now it’s time to celebrate that in style.
Outlander is very close to our hearts. Whether a show-first, book-first, book-only, show-only, or all things Claire and Jamie fan, you’ll know the importance of that very first book. Well, on this day 27 years ago, that first book was published for the very first time. June 1 is now known as World Outlander Day.
It could mean a few goodies from Starz today. But if not, there are still ways to celebrate the day in style. This is a chance to thank Herself once more for all her work put into building this beautiful world and the loving characters. It’s a chance to explore the stories even more. This is a day to make the whole of Outlander come to life.
Of course, you want to celebrate with all things Claire and Jamie, right? While you might not have time to throw together an amazing Outlander-inspired party, there are still plenty of others things you can do alone, with your spouse, or with all your friends on the internet who also love the Frasers just as much as you.
Here are five ways to celebrate World Outlander Day. For the most part, you won’t even need to spend a lot of extra money! Really, you can do many of these once you get home from work.
Spend the day on an Outlander binge
Was there really going to be any other way to start World Outlander Day? Of course, the first thing to do is to spend your day binge-watching the series. Okay, so you’re not going to get through all the episodes in the one day. You could, at a pinch depending on other commitments, get through a full season of the show, especially either Season 2 or Season 3 since there are only 13 episodes to them. It’ll be just over half your day, so start right now and you’ll be finished before midnight!
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If you can’t get through the full season or you only have a few hours after work, why not pick a few of your favorite episodes? Make a list of your top 5-7 episodes and then watch them in order of preference. We all know “The Wedding” is likely going to be your most favorite episode, so save that to last, so you can go to bed with a smile on your face.
You could also pick your one favorite episode from the individual seasons. For me, it would definitely be “The Wedding” for Outlander Season 1, “Faith” for Outlander Season 2, and “The Battle Joined” from Outlander Season 3. What would yours be?
Still not sure? How about picking your favorite episodes for specific characters. Pick your favorite Claire-centered episode, your favorite Jamie-centered episode, your favorite Fergus-centered episode, and so on.
Go through the Outlander deleted scenes
Your next task if you choose to accept it is to go through the deleted scenes. This is a fun way to see what was missed out, the types of conversations that didn’t quite make it, and to see the effort that can go into creating the masterpiece.
If you have the DVD boxsets, you’ll be in a lot of luck. All the deleted scenes are included on the boxsets every season. You’ll be able to watch them one by one, picking and choosing the scenes you’d like to see if you want. Those without the boxsets will have a little bit more work to do.
The good news is that most of the deleted scenes are on YouTube or Vimeo. The Season 3 videos are only on Vimeo at this time—at least from my searches—but you can find Seasons 1 and 2 on YouTube.
Deleted scenes can give you mixed feelings. In some cases, you just love the extra content of Claire and Jamie. This is a chance to explore the characters more and see more of the beautiful writing. However, you can also be left infuriated at some of the scenes missing. For example, there’s a beautiful conversation that was cut from Outlander Season 3 about Brianna and Willie that really should have been included. In Season 2, there is deleted footage from Faith that makes the end of the episode feel a little empty because it was missed.
Listen to the soundtrack
Bear McCreary’s music helps to bring the world of Outlander to life. Spend World Outlander Day immersing yourself in all the extras from the series, especially the soundtrack. Take the time to listen to the character’s theme songs and feel the tension, love, and fear from all the biggest moments in the series.
You can get the music in a variety of places. I regularly pull it up on my Spotify account, as all of Bear’s music is on there. You can also listen through YouTube or buy the soundtracks through various music sites, like Apple Music and Amazon Music.
If you’re struggling to remember when the music played—the actions going on in the scene—then pull up the clips quickly based on the title of the song. You’ll love reliving some of the moments, with a focus on the musical numbers.
You’ll be able to listen to the soundtrack at various points throughout the day. Fortunately, I work from home so am listening to it right now. But how about in the car or while at the gym? You could listen once you get home and even as you’re reading the novels!
Once you’ve finished Claire and Jamie’s soundtrack, I highly recommend God of War soundtrack, another from Bear. It’s packed with Norse styles, showing you the detail he goes into when composing music.
Read the first novel
Since it’s World Outlander Day, not having this on the list would be odd, right? Considering this day was the day that the first novel was published, it is the perfect time to revisit it. At least start the novel tonight and work your way through it over the weekend—because, let’s face it, we only need the weekend, right? There’s no way that book gets put down!
If you’re struggling to find time to read it or you want to try it in another format, I highly recommend the audiobooks. You’ll have the chance to put the tracks on while you’re doing other things. Get the washing up done while listening to Davina Porter tell the whole love story. Drive to work with Outlander being read aloud. Listen to it while you’re winding down for bed or taking a relaxing bath. There are so many options out there!
For those who don’t have the time to read and don’t like audiobooks, why not pick out some favorite snippets? Diana Gabaldon tends to celebrate big days with Daily Lines posts and often connects to older books if there is something that she’s covered. A couple of years ago, she opted for snippets from the first novel to celebrate World Outlander Day. Keep an eye out for something today!
Buy your own tartan
This is the only part of the day that you’ll need to spend a little extra money today. For the most part, you’ll have access already or will be able to get free access to the other options. However, this is a fun way to finish your day and have something to look forward to next week.
Tartan holds a place in our hearts. We loved Jamie in his kilt, adored Claire’s highland outfits, and fell in love with mentions of the tartan throughout the first novel. Our hearts broke as we remembered that tartan was outlawed and now we don’t get to see it again—well, not on a consistent basis. So, you’ll want to add a little something to your own life.
Now it’s up to you which tartan you get. You could opt for the Fraser tartan to become an honorary member of Clan Fraser. Maybe you want to be part of Clan MacKenzie instead, for your love of Rupert, Angus, Dougal, and Colum. There’s also the option of choosing your own tartan, especially if you have Scottish heritage.
You don’t have to buy a kilt. There are hats, skirts, scarves, and shawls available with tartans. You can also get booties for babies, waistcoats, and trousers made up—I know because we had all of those created for our wedding for those who didn’t want to wear kilts. It’s also possible to just get some material that you can fashion into your own creative pieces of art to bring Outlander to life in your home.
Next: Could Claire and Frank's marriage have worked without the stones in Outlander?
How are you celebrating World Outlander Day? Let us know in the comments below.
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