Coastal areas all over the world enjoy certain things that are not available in areas that do not have access to a large body of water. The people who live along large lakes, rivers, and oceans are able to go swimming and fishing when they want to instead of when they are able to travel. It is also something that many people will use for business rather than simply pleasure. Therefore, it should not surprise you to know that they strive to incorporate the water into their celebrations. Would you like to know how coastal areas celebrate the holidays in a big way?
Festivals for Everyone
A lot of holidays are spent at the “beach” in many areas, especially those that are warm throughout the year. They may also create special holidays that include the water in some way. For instance, a Shrimp festival, Seafood Festival, Independent Film Festivals that are held along the beaches, and more. There are also concerts on the beaches and a kite fest where people attempt to fly their best kite for the longest amount of time. At night, the kites may even end up with lights glowing on them as they sweep and swoop in the sky.
Example Of A Halloween Boat Parade
The Biggest Holidays
Along the coastal areas, many of the most celebrated holidays are enjoyed with boating parades. For these events, people decorate their boats for the holidays. At Christmas, they may have lights all over their boat, Christmas trees, and people dressed up as Santa Clause or his Elves. For Independence Day, everyone may decorate their boats Red, White, and Blue or simply ride around as fireworks pop overhead. On Halloween, the boats take on a scarier theme in most cases. Have you ever seen a “Haunted Boat”? Not all of them are scary, some people may create large candies and cover their boat with them to show that Halloween is all about the treats. People on board may also wear costumes, such as a Willy Wonka Halloween Costume or dress up like kids who are there to go treating to see what they can get. The only restriction to what a boat can be turned into for the many parades is possibly the size of the boat and all boats show up. However, most boats do need a quiet generator to power their on board lights and decorations. There are john boats and shrimp boats at virtually all parades and all of them end up decked out in a big way.
Celebrations Both Big and Small
Often a boat parade is something that is a part of another celebration. Sometimes there may be street parades that feature decorated floats and then everyone may venture closer to the water where they can enjoy other things. In some areas, especially where people make their living off the water, you may have a weekend where boats are the most important thing. A Blessing of the Fleet celebration is designed to give shrimpers a blessing for a profitable and safe season.
The boat parade, seafood stands, shopping for shell jewelry and other creative efforts from locals, and more. The possibilities of what you will see along the shoreline of any body of water are unimaginable until you are there seeing it. Which celebrations will you enjoy watching this year?