Customs and Rituals
By Gerry Meyer
October 1999

I believe that as a resident of a multi-cultural society, it is important for us to get out and expose ourselves to other cultures and rituals in order to broaden our own horizons. Vacations are a perfect opportunity to do this, and this was the main focus of this year’s vacation.

Our adventure started close to home, in a resort on the banks of Shuswap Lake. This particular area had a pristine setting, and best of all, is almost mosquito free, except in years following a wet spring and soggy summer. This was a nostalgic trip back in time. In a day and age when many of our homes have bathrooms, “powder rooms”, ensuites, kid’s bathrooms and guest washrooms, we have lost the ritual of sharing a single bathroom with eight people, six of which are of the female persuasion. Of course, today we have the benefit of electronic day timers for scheduling everyone’s various washroom activities, so it is not quite the same as it used to be. The ol,d basic principle however remains the same: Make sure you’re the first one in and wear ear plugs so you are not distracted by the moaning on the other side of the door or the screams of the person that has the room after you..

We tried to observe many of the local customs, which can keep you busy. Each day started bright and early, (early being any time after the sun is well up in the sky), by washing yourself thoroughly and then putting on swim wear so that the maximum area of skin is exposed. You then take your morning cup of coffee and go outside to feed the skeeters. Washing is very important, since mosquitoes are very health conscious and prefer clean skin and the fragrance of deodorant.

This is followed by a thorough bath in insect repellant. Local stores advertised something called swimmer’s itch which we were not too familiar with. We found however that the rituals that accompany this really add to your swimming experience. First, you douse yourself with sun tan lotion. Unfortunately, this reduces the pleasant odor of the insect repellant. You then cover yourself in baby oil, (back to nostalgia). After swimming, you take a nice, very cold shower right on the beach, towel yourself down hard so that your skin appears sunburnt, and then make a mad dash to the cottage and stand in line for your turn at the proper shower. I don’t think the shower on the beach really helps, but is a tradition which provides pleasure to other sunbathers who enjoy watching you jump around while trying to shower and avoid the cold water all at the same time.
While this is all very well, we really did not know much more about the “itch”, so my wife and daughter, in the interest of higher learning, baited themselves on air mattresses, thereby falling easy prey for the little parasites. The effect was something which reminded me of measles although with an added measure of complaining. To our relief, we learned that the itch does not last seven years but only several days and its something you can show off to your friends long after your suntan has faded.

After a laundry break at home, our vacation moved to international frontiers. We loaded up our camper van and headed to a rendezvous with friends at Deception Pass in Washington, USA. While our van is equipped for electricity and water, we found by the second night that we really didn’t need this. There was plenty of water all around us, and lightning bolts kept our van well lit most of the night. My 13-year-old daughter and her friend, who were sleeping in the tent outside had a sudden urge to bond, and we enjoyed a sleepless night together.

The next morning we discovered that some people just don’t appreciate the great outdoors. One couple we knew packed up their tent and went home. They just couldn’t enjoy the serenity of a babbling brook. This seemed odd. I thought they really enjoyed it. Why else would they put their tent right on top of it?

Our fickle city dwellers didn’t know that they would miss what appears to be a local celebration know as the Sleeping Bag Festival. This is a popular event which seemed to attract a lot of first time tenters. Some of these rookies must have left their camping manuals at home. We saw many campsites where campers had unwittingly pitched their tents right on top of their vehicles, often upside down. The festival itself involves tenters displaying their sleeping bags by hanging them from trees, over picnic tables or draped over their cars. This added a colourful display to an otherwise dull day. It seemed that those in motorhomes do not participate.

Our international appetite was whetted, and we travelled on to Leavenworth, a Bavarian-styled village in the east Cascade Mountains of Washington. Here, the local custom is for the men to sit on benches and pretend to be bored while their wives dart in and out of shops. Each one lives in fear of hearing their wife say to them, “Honey, come in hear for a second. I want to show you something.” It was particularly satisfying to be able to buy Christmas ornaments several weeks before Costco puts on their Christmas display. And with a $1.53 exchange rate for Canadian dollars, you can pick up some real treasures!

One custom we have when we are on holidays is to go out for a nice dinner one night. We carefully scoured the town for a nice restaurant which would offer a variety of Bavarian dishes and ambience. We chose one which offered six different Bavarian dishes. We sat down and started in on our large keg of German beer and carefully inspected the menu. It would be good to eat something other than ash laden Bavarian smokies. When the time came to order, we learned that all of the Bavarian dishes, except the sausages and smokies were out of stock and had been for three days. No one had thought to note this on the menu displayed outside or mention it when we ordered our drinks. Being a Revenue Canada employee, whose sole purpose in life is to please others, I left this matter to my wife. Despite her great disappointment, she remained very calm and composed. After a brief discussion on body parts and the owner’s Darwinian heritage, we placed our less than exotic order. My daughter was unperturbed by all this. They did have her German dish, a meat and bun item which I believe was named after the residents of Hamburg. We enjoyed a quiet meal without the constant interruptions of pushy waitresses. When we received our bill without even an offer of coffee or desert, I thought perhaps that the waitress was repulsed by my wife’s bulging eyes and grotesquely protruding neck muscles, but then I realized they were probably out of coffee too.

This year’s trip was a great cultural experience. The only thing that confused me was the camping practices in Leavenworth. After setting up the girl’s tent in the 30 degree heat, we noticed a distinct difference between our setup and other tents. Theirs was missing the bright blue or orange tarp which covered our campsite. Seems too that people here don’t celebrate the Sleeping Bag Festival. I guess the sunshine would dry the bags out much too fast and cause the colours to fade.