Perhaps May 4 was nothing more to you than just another Monday, but for fans of the world’s most epic space opera “May the fourth be with you” has become the unofficial day to celebrate being a Star Wars fan.

According to the Star Wars official website, the earliest use of “May the fourth” in popular culture was denoted by author Alan Arnold. While he was working on the chronicle for The Empire Strikes Back for Lucasfilm, Arnold wrote that the campaign party behind Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female prime minister, had taken out an advertisement space in the London Evening News.

The ad read, “May the Fourth Be With You, Maggie. Congratulations,” and was published following her winning the election. Arnold said that the reference was, “further proof of the extent of which Star Wars has influenced us all.”

As you might expect of a quasi-holiday that’s origins began with a pun, May 4 has opened the gates for all things Star Wars related.

Memes with clever puns flooded social media sites, fans dressed themselves, their families, and even their pets in Star Wars themed costumes, and some even dined on foods brought straight to them from a galaxy far, far away.

Even the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, joined in the celebration with posts to their official Twitter and Instagram accounts. Using images taken from NASA satellites, NASA representatives joined the day’s “punny” spirit with several cleverly crafted posts depicting the space wonders that used to only exist in the imaginary realm of science fiction which have recently become science facts. For instance, a planet that orbits two sun-like stars (erm… Luke’s home planet Tatooine) is now an actuality in recently discovered planet Kepler 16B.

With the support provided by the internet, Star Wars fans of all ages have been able to connect over their shared love of the franchise from places all throughout the United States. Although the internet experienced a flashflood of images and tweets showcasing the Star Wars community that took to the streets dressed as their favorite characters, some fans decided to celebrate the way they always have, by simply enjoying the movies of their childhood.

Santiago Alvarez, 36, said that he has been a Star Wars fan since he was 3, and while he has never dressed in costume, he does admit to owning various “Star-punny” tee shirts.

While he has always made it a point to watch the films at least once a year, now that the Star Wars community have created an unofficial holiday he has designated May 4 as the day he spends watching the trilogy with his family and friends.

Alvarez said, “I think it’s pretty awesome that there even is a “community” where the casual, as well as hardcore fan can interact and geek out without feeling weird about it.”

Brian Western, 23, crime and criminal justice major at Northern Arizona University, said that he celebrated this past “Fourth” the same way he always does: listening to a Star Wars song created by a fellow fan who recreates many of the film’s notable sound effects by himself.

“He’s not kidding. He listened to it, over, and over, and over again. All day,” said Western’s roommate Kat Meza, 23. Meza is also a longtime fan, commenting that she’s been a fan since she “exited her mother’s womb.”

Unfortunately, neither have been able to truly celebrate May the Fourth because since its creation in 2011, they’ve had to spend their “fourths” studying for upcoming finals.

“I think right now, [May the Fourth] doesn’t hold the same clout as other holidays yet. The other holidays are just more established. They’ve always been there. [May the Fourth] has only been around for a few years. I mean I’ve been a fan practically all my life and I only found out about it when I got to college, so it has a ways to go before it ever really becomes official,” said Western.

Alvarez and Western both agree on one thing though: following Disney’s acquisition of Lucasfilm, the Star Wars community is only going to grow from here, and with it the holiday’s popularity.

“I think it will just make it more accessible to a younger generation who might have skipped or overlooked the original trilogy due to its corny special effects,” said Alvarez, “Especially in comparison to today’s special effects. So yeah, the community is gonna’ [sic] grow. It’s going to grow exponentially.”

In the meantime, as Yoda once said, “Difficult to see. Always in motion is the future.”