The \"silly season\" down under

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The Yuletide holidays in Australia are known as the 'silly season', a time for crowning the Cockroach Queen, competitive sky diving and the tossing of the equivalent of a telephone pole. In the land Down Under, Christmas is a balmy summer of surf championships, yacht racing and cricket matches. To be sure, Australians celebrate the holidays with the age old traditions of caroling, Christmas tree and Santa Claus, but leave it to the saucy Aussies, to accentuate their climatic difference. In Western Australia, Boxing Day, December 26, is celebrated with cheery competitive madness where folks participate in the Cockroach Crawl, the Tinnie (can of beer) Toss and the Lemon Drop seed spit. The culmination of the day results in the annual crowning of the Cockroach Queen. Come Christmas day in the remote desert mining town of Coober Pedy, South Australians retreat underground, not to dig in their opal mines, but to escape the heat and worship in one fo the five underground churches. Finally a quaint custom that has developed in some parts of Australia over the years is that of celebrating Christmas in the middle of the year. These festivities, known as Yulesfest are a cheery manner of indulging in hot roast meals and heavy Christmas pudding during the cooler winter months. Origin: Newspaper insert, Caribou Observer, December 21, 1994.

Shared by: Sharon Stevens, Dec/94.

Submitted By SHARON STEVENS On 12-11-95

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