[ad_1] A bizarre Christmas Day party is doing the rounds on social media after a group of New Zealanders took to a small-town roundabout for their f
[ad_1]
A bizarre Christmas Day party is doing the rounds on social media after a group of New Zealanders took to a small-town roundabout for their festivities.
Speculation has swirled after a clip by Whanganui local Ellena Rose went viral, showing a group of cars parked on the roundabout on Christmas Day.
People, deck chairs and a BBQ were strewn across the grassy intersection.
“Only in Whanganui would you have a Christmas party on the roundabout,” Ms Rose said.
Ms Rose drew some heat for the playful post, with some stating the party was actually in tribute to a crash victim at the site.
“I was informed that this family do this as a tradition for their loved one who passed away,” she later added.
“I think it’s an awesome thing to do in remembrance of them.”
Upon further digging, Christmas parties at the roundabout in the North Island coastal community appear to be a decades-long tradition.
According to a 2015 report by the Whanganui Chronicle, beers and a barbecue on the roundabout have been happening for over 30 years.
Local man Darryl Taylor, who did not mention a fatal traffic accident at the site, said: “We always get a few people who see us and just decide to join us, and they usually bring us a bottle of wine or some beer.”
“We’ve had a couple of Christmases where the weather has been cold and raining, but we just put up a gazebo and wrap up warm,” he added.
Even more bizarrely, he added the friends’ get-together continued at the Cemetery Circuit, a temporary motorcycle street racetrack in downtown Wanganui, on Boxing Day with a coffin full of beer.
“We have a life-size coffin that we fill with beer and ice and use as a chilly bin,” he said.
The roundabout has made headlines for other reasons in recent years
In 2020, it stood as a major weekly protest point for a local group rallying against the New Zealand Government’s Covid-19 restrictions.
In 2021, boxes full of cannabis were found dumped in the middle of the busy roundabout.
As for the Christmas parties, the tradition appears established and going, nowhere as per Facebook pundits.
“It’s a tradition, I remember it from back in 1994,” one said.
“Been doing it since forever, these dudes – never known them not to,” said another.
Another stated: “Yep, nothing new. I did this with friends 40 years ago when I lived in Marton (30 minutes south).”
[ad_2]
Source link
COMMENTS