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Ta Da! |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738
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Today, in New Orleans, an odd tradition unfolded, known only as, "The Annual Greasing of the Poles". A tradition which should not be confused with Florida's "Greasing of the Polls" (there I go again...bad fingers...BAD!!!) But Anyhow..."the greasing of the poles" is a French Quarter tradition in New Orleans---in preparation of Carnival--whereupon, the poles which support the balconies are slathered in vaseline to prevent "monkey boy" types (no reference intended Colin) from climbing up to capture the object(s) of their enticement. Not kidding....is a ceremony of sorts, complete with tuxedoed waiters at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, carrying silver trays with a fine sampling of "intensive care".... Now, this got me curious about traditions around the world. Play armchair anthropologist with me? and tell me? Is there an odd tradition in your hometown you'd care to share? |
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Acies
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 2000-06-07
Posts 7665Twilight Zone |
TPing is all I can think of right now  I'll be back when i think of something So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this give life to thee." W.S. |
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Swamp¤Faeryie Member
since 2000-12-04
Posts 393fairyland....of course;) |
traditions in my home town? Well for one around here families have an ancient tradition of stuffing their closets so full of skeletons that when the door finally swings open the men lie and the whole town beleives. ha...do i sound bitter,lol. Actually funny as it seems we have absolutely no community traditions...however in my family we traditionally have a "kiss january goodbye" party each year,just an odd little event =] much madness is divinest sense~Emily Dickinson |
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
Ever seen the movie "American Graffiti?" That's about my hometown.  Sooooo - every year in June, or July - I forget which just now - we have Graffiti Day. It used to be a major event, but has since declined due to people taking advantage of the holiday and causing problems... violence, etc.  Still, it's a day of classic cars and 50's rock - we've had the Wolfman here more times than I can think - we've seen the Big Bopper, Jerry Lee Lewis, and dozens more of the classic rockers. People dress up like they're heading to the Sock Hop - pile into their hot rods and cruise down the main road of town, which is cordoned off for this specific reason. All-in-all, a lot of fun. C |
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doreen peri Member Elite
since 1999-05-25
Posts 3812Virginia |
let me see now.... traditions... hmmm.... i don't know of any local traditions to share, but this is a request for Nan to tell you about her friend's family tradition regarding a boat race.... hehe.... i hope she sees this.... wanna share the story with everyone, Nan? oh, and serene one- "grease the pole"? LOL... what a concept! i love it.... |
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Colin Senior Member
since 1999-06-05
Posts 596Callington, Cornwall, England |
Well, over here, we have our fireworks on November 5th to remember the gunpowder plot where some guy, Guy Fawkes to be precise tried to blow up the houses of parliament. There are also lots of local traditions which take place on november 5th. In one, at a nearby town called Okehampton, you can see people running about with barrels full of flaming tar strapped to their backs!!!! Now that's just dumb if you ask me! Colin. Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them. - Bill Vaughan [This message has been edited by Colin (edited 02-24-2001).] |
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Skyfyre Senior Member
since 1999-08-15
Posts 1906Sitting in Michael's Lap |
Most of the traditions in Miami (my birthplace) had to do with getting drunk and gorging yourself on Cuban food -- Calle Ocho, for example! *dreaming of pastelitos ... mmm* There was also Fantasy Fest in Key West ... famed for being a Halloween gathering of homosexuals, but I tell ya it's one heckuva blast no matter WHAT orientation you may ascribe to -- woohooo! Linda |
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Dopey Dope
Moderator
Member Patricius
since 2000-08-30
Posts 11132San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Well there's a town called Lares here. It's where the Grito de Lares occured. Basically......every year a bunch of people get together and make speaches about liberty and a FREE Puerto Rico against the tyranny of the United States. Tons of freedom fighters, Macheteros (PR terrorists), and random people LIKE ME looking for some fun go there. It's a place where you really don't wanna hear english hahaha.....so if you don't know Spanish, you either shut up, or ship out. Kinda dangerous sometimes I guess, but fun all together.  I was born myself, raised myself, and will continue to be myself. The world will just have to adjust. I'm in love with my shadow I admire it daily |
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bslicker
since 2000-12-04
Posts 2321state of mind |
ok serenity, i can take the bash on florida now that i live here. Besides Nov. was real busy here counting dimples. But then again I lived in LaPlace for 5 yrs.. well, don't need to get into the pole discussion then....lol But i do seem to remember the event your talking about.. And i am only a 4yr vet of the mardi gras. And isn't it Nawleans.. bernie.. Bernie Slicker |
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Severn Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-17
Posts 7704 |
Hm. We share the ever so pathetic guy fawkes... But also in Auckland we have many south pacific festivals...and a thing called round the bays which involves many stup...I mean enthusiastic people running all around the bays of Auckland to raise money for charity - that happens on a certain day. I can't remember cause I'm not a daft idiot I mean enthusiastic person so I don't run it heh. (I figure that if I want to give money for charity I WILL JUST GIVE IT WITHOUT EXHAUSTING MYSELF.) Then there is Waitangi Day which 'celebrates' the signing of the treaty between the Maori and the Crown in 1840... This is the day when a collective ritual occurs around the country. The public huddles around their tv sets at 6pm to see how the primeminister got assaulted THIS year by the Maori activists at the official celebration. Heh.  K[This message has been edited by Severn (edited 03-07-2001).] |
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Ron
Administrator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-05-19
Posts 8669Michigan, US |
Colon is home of Abbott's Magic Company and one-time home to Harry Blackstone, a very famous magician during the first half of the Twentieth Century. Every August, for more than sixty years, Colon has had a one-week Magic festival, featuring some of the most talented magicians in the world and attended by tens of thousands of locals and not-so-locals (which is a sweet trick in itself, considering the size of this little village). The festival culminates with a big show at the high school gymnasium, but throughout the week, you can find magicians practicing their craft on every street corner, in every pub, and walking from table to table in most restaurants. Lots of fun. Strangely enough, this very rural community uses the influx of visitors to sell all their "stuff" during that week. Garage sales and yard sales are almost as popular as the magicians, and far more numerous. For those interested in such things, here's the brand new web site for Abbott's: http://www.abbott-magic.com/ |
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Dusk Treader
Moderator
Senior Member
since 1999-06-18
Posts 1187St. Paul, MN |
Well, in my little Scandinavian town (Scandia, Minnesota) we have "Taco Daze" LOL, go figure.. There's a parade with firetrucks and candy and they sell tacos at the community center. Then at night everyone either has a bonfire or goes hot tubbing, LOL "And every state of mind, left to itself, every shutting up of the creature within the dungeon of its own mind - is, in the end, Hell" - C.S. Lewis |
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WhtDove Member Rara Avis
since 1999-07-22
Posts 9245Illinois |
Not just the town I'm in now, but the one I used to live in as well, people from all over gather at a place like the Dog n' Suds, or Dairy Queen, and show off their classic cars.  I love to look at those..I want to own one of those. Heck I wanna build my own.  LOL at your Florida polls Serenity. |
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Elizabeth
Moderator
Member Ascendant
since 1999-06-07
Posts 6871Minnesota |
I live just outside of St. Paul, MN, and there they have the annual Winter Carnival. In January of each year, they choose a Winter King and Queen, who are captured by the Vulcans (the people who hate winter). Of course the king and queen are always rescued, and there's a parade, a medallion hunt, etc. Sometimes they build an Ice Palace, which is pretty cool. |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
Yep, they are doing it again. So bumpety bump in honor of the occasion! |
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Nan
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-20
Posts 21191Cape Cod Massachusetts USA |
Hooray for Mardi Gras...  Katherine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful" here.. Does that count? |
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Temptress
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-06-15
Posts 7136Mobile, AL |
Umm.. Once a year in October we have "Cruisin' The Coast" You could probably guess..miles and miles of classic cars..the Casinos have old bands and singers do shows...People sit along the beach and anywhere else they can find to watch people from ALL OVER the U.S. cruise up and down showing off their cars. Its kind of cool except I'd have a lot more fun if I had one (although I have no actual interest in classic cars) to ride in and show off! LOL! Is that what ya had in mind? I think they have a Harley convention or something like that here too once a year. For all who watch.Dare you say hello? Come in and ask the questions that are on your mind, but spare me your judgement until you truly sipped of me. |
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serenity blaze Member Empyrean
since 2000-02-02
Posts 27738 |
Jenn? The Harley convention? They DO. |
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Duncan Member Ascendant
since 2001-08-07
Posts 5455 |
Nope. Though, I have a few of my own. |
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Skyfire
since 2000-12-27
Posts 3381Riding |
Cow tipping!!! LMAO!!! I live in a veddy veddy small town in BC Canada, and on those long summer nights (all 5 hours of darkness), the kids always go out to the local fields and tip over the sleeping cows. It's quite a dangerous sport, especially when there'a a bull in the herd. For some reason the cows don't like to be rudely awakened by being pushed over onto the ground. *shrugs* Other than that, all we have is the annual after-grad-weekend parties (On grad weekend we all have to sign contracts that we won't do any drinking). Sleep: The final frontier |
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PoetryIsLife
since 2001-10-27
Posts 1763...in my boxers... |
 I'm still trying to see the fun in cowtipping... But I trust you.... so it must be fun. LMAO.  The One, The Only... The Titus. |
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Mysteria
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
Well I am not sure if Vancouver, British Columbia is the only city that does this or not, but on New Year'd Day for some ungodly reason, people actually go for a "Polar Bear Swim" down at various points on the ocean, running into the freezing ocean, standing there for a few minutes (long enough to get on t.v.), while some actually swim, and then run out again  However, I have to give this one little old couple in the West End credit as these little darlings have been doing this for over 50 years, and part of the tradition here is to watch for "The Jensens" every year and hope they are still around to do the swim.We have a month long Jazz Festival with musicians everywhere! Fantastic free entertainment as well as concerts of the "best". We have a fireworks display with pyrotechicians coming from all over the world to complete (but Spain wins most of the time) and I can actually watch this from my living room window (thank goodness as downtown is jammed pack). And of course the ever popular Pacific National Exhibition taking over acres of land with rides, booths, events, car-smashing, etc., kind of like you State Fairs I guess, with more fireworks displays. Seems fireworks are a big thing here. And of course B.C. Day where everyone in British Columbia parties. And I forgot to mention the biggest thrill of all is if our hockey team wins now that is something to see, people become animals here! The older I grow, the less important the comma becomes. Let the reader catch their own breath." ~Elizabeth Clarkson Zwart~ [This message has been edited by Mysteria (02-13-2002 04:14 AM).] |
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Skyfire
since 2000-12-27
Posts 3381Riding |
Yeah people go into shock if the Canucks win. Mind you they haven't been doing all that badly this year. Lately there's been a lot of Olympic spin offs with alcohol. Whoever drinks the most and is still standing wins a chocolate which we pretend is a medal. I personally just like watching the idiots as they get more and more drunk. Quite entertaining. And Ti? Cow tipping... well, you have to be a redneck to appreciate it. |
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