Lake Celebrations

History

The Lake Celebration is a Barkamsted tradition held during the hottest days of the year when the water way is too shallow for trading ship passage. All the Barkams flock to the lake not only to cool off, but to enjoy in all the river based fun the Lake Celebration promises. During the celebration, to help, all the young men and women from ages 13-25 would get in the shallow waters and help push the ships either to a dock or to deeper waters. During this time, the adults then take a moment to help guide tired sailors to their shops or lead them towards sharing their cultural heritage with the rest of the world, anything to make a good enough impression that they will return for longer periods of time next year. Eventually this became a habit of sorts, when the river levels reached a certain point the local communities declared it “Lake Celebration”. Families would then gather along the banks for a day of water based fun mixed in with the work.

Execution

While the children are goofing off, many of the adults take this as an unofficial time to try out any new or more complex dishes they might have. These can be from local history or brought from traders along the river, and they almost always include some sort of fish or seafood base. Tables are set up along the center docks where most of the fun is being had, and the food is all laid out gradually for others to graze and taste to their hearts content. The best dishes are saved until the final night where a large dinner is held after the final activities are held as both a ending celebration and a send of meal for all the merchants that had spent the week. Kids and adults between 13 and 25 can enter pushing contests in groups, where the aim is to see how big of a ship can they dislodge from the river bed the fastest. These are held all throughout the day, getting to the final boat just as the sun is setting on the last River Day of the year. The winners all get first choice at the meal table and bragging rights till the next Pushing Contest.

Primary Related Location

Barkamsted