EGAD

Smokin'

Happy Lag B'Omer, everyone. Rehovot smells like a campfire. No, really, the whole place.

See, following Pesach are the 50 days of the Omer (literally, a bushel of wheat of some Biblically-prescribed magnitude), which are a period of mourning. No weddings, no dancing, no feasts, that kind of thing. On the 33rd day of Omer -- in Hebrew, Lag B'Omer -- comes a break from the mourning. This is a day for merrymaking, which apparently means bonfires.

I like this: according to the Wikipedia entry,

In Israel, you know that Lag Ba'Omer is drawing near when you see children collecting wood boards, old doors and anything made from wood that can burn. This happens from a week to 10 days before Lag Ba'Omer. As Lag Ba'Omer approaches, the situation gets to the point where building contractors have to employ extra night watchmen to make sure that wooden planks and wooden scaffolding are not taken by the eager youngsters.

Am I the only one who thinks this would make a superb Scavhunt item? It'd save certain teams from having quite so much lumber to dispose of the Monday after, too. Might meet with some minor objections from the administrative types, though.