Out of the Box

One of the more interesting aspects of living in other places is experiencing cultural events that are different from what I’ve grown up with. Take for example Cup Match weekend in Bermuda. This is THE holiday of the summer on the island. It’s a four-day weekend, during which a serious cricket match is played over two days (Thursday and Friday) between the St. George’s team (east end) and the Somerset team (west end).  The event itself is exciting and not just for the match. People wear an assortment of hats, refreshments flow freely, and a Crown & Anchor tent tempts people to lose their money.

Also on that weekend, families set up tents and campsites all over the island. Parties go on everywhere, stores are closed, people fly in to celebrate the summer.

On the Sunday, there is a non-mariners race, where people create unique floating devices and race them. In addition, anyone with a boat who wants to participate sails over to Mangrove Bay, anchors and ties their boat to other boats and they party. People float in the water on noodles or other floatation devices with drinks in hand, music blares from various crafts, and the atmosphere is full of fun and happiness.

We are fortunate enough to have friends who own a boat, and they invited us to join them this past weekend at the Non-Mariners. Our two sons were lucky enough to be visiting at the time and they joined us too. We had a blast! The sun shone, the water was warm,the company was great, and the drinks were cold. Is there a better way to celebrate summer?