Today marks the anniversary of Frank Zappa's Death, known by those who celebrate Zappadan as BummerNacht.

Zappadan is a blog festival started by Mark Hoback and others in 2006. It runs from tonight ("the last day Frank Zappa refused to die") until Frank Zappa's birthday (Day Zero) on December 21.

As the blog Paltry Sapien points out:

Zappadan doesn’t have to be for fanatics only. In his lifetime, Frank Zappa was best known for his guitar playing and provocative songwriting, which is maybe something you care about but it’s okay if you don’t because the freaks’ll easily have that end covered. ...[But] while he was alive, Frank Zappa endeavoured to live his life exactly the way he wanted to, and while it may not have been his intention to do so, he set an example for the rest of us in the process. This year and every year, this is the true meaning of Zappadan.