Bonfire of the Vanities

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No, not that kind. This kind.

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No self-respecting kid in Israel would settle for the piddly little teepee-style campfire we used to build to make s'mores or grill hot dogs on sticks. (Of course these poor deprived souls don't actually know what a s'more is, not having graham crackers here. Perhaps if they did they'd build more manageable bonfires.) To prepare for the annual Lag B'Omer bonfires (see the link above to learn more about one of Israel's stranger holidays) Israeli children spend weeks hauling wood, pallets, discarded wooden furniture, and just about anything else that will burn around town in "borrowed" grocery carts, hiding their stash somewhere their rivals won't find it.

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Then, come Lag B'Omer eve, all hell breaks loose.

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Every single vacant lot in the country is suddenly filled with two, three, four, five, even six different bonfires, with every group vying for the biggest and the best. Lest you think I'm exaggerating, I've seen teens with bonfires four, yes FOUR, stories tall. Thankfully my kids are still young enough that we require them to have adult supervision, keeping things down to the size of a small housefire or so. A few kids in Itai's class are allowed out unsupervised but his mean rotten mother told him tonight in no uncertain terms that he is not allowed to visit their fire (or anyone else's) until his father comes home to take him. I'm picky that way, I prefer my children lightly seared, not charbroiled.

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His class had their official bonfire last night (in a lot which contained four other bonfires one right next to the other). Itai is the one in the red shirt, watching their fire with a few friends. The other fires you see in the background are other classes from other schools. Vacant lots are in short supply in the city.

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Here's their bonfire as it was just getting started.

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I'd show you pictures of the main event this evening but I'm home hiding, house closed up tight and all laundry safely taken in. My long-suffering husband is out with the kids - two of mine and one other who's sleeping over so they can watch a big soccer match on tv later - with grill (because the fires are too big to actually cook over), chairs, corn on the cob, drinks and assorted salads in tow. (I forgot to buy more hotdogs. Somehow I suspect they'll manage, since in typical Israeli fashion each family is likely to bring enough food for an army.) It's not even completely dark yet and there's already a red glow in the sky and the air is filled with wood smoke. By tomorrow the entire country will smell like a four-alarm fire.

It's grand, isn't it?

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Visit Ruby Tuesday for more red shots, hopefully of things that are less of a fire hazard and which don't send this asthma-suffering blogger into hiding.
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