In Portland, we use the verb form. To festivate. Every summer, in early July, 100,000 people gather on the waterfront to festivate. Music (lots of it!), beer, food. Word gets out in the insect and animal worlds too. Mosquitoes and gnats show up to partake in their feasts. Swifts show up for theirs, then the dragonflies, then the bats. For four days straight.
Portland takes time to festivate on a number on numerous other ocaissions, but that one is the granddaddy. (Waterfront Blues Festival)
Now, sttling down to Festivus on Zoom, that's not really festivating. I will share the festivities with my hummigbirds, chickadees and English sparrows (and the neighborhood crow and jay) but the birds don't acknowledge me and the hummers are still pretty young. They take the feeders being full for granted but are just starting to figure out I am responsible and are probably years away from thanking me. (I've upped the winter-time numbers from the two I had for years to three now so that's nice. And the two males entertain me with their feeder fights and ariel cavorting.) |