If you walk through Annapolis in March, you’ll smell something that definitely isn’t cherry blossoms. It’s the scent of hundreds of sailors gathering for a literal footwear funeral that dates back to the 1970s.
Since the late 1970s, sailors at the Annapolis Maritime Museum have marked the spring equinox with a ritual called the ‘Burning of the Socks.’ It started when a local boatyard owner, Bob Turner, got so tired of the cold that he yanked off his winter socks, threw them in a metal bucket, and lit them on fire. He declared he wouldn’t wear socks again until winter. If you’re going to join the bonfire, make sure you stock up on some fresh cotton pairs for when the ritual is over.
HOWE WEIRD REACTION
Howe Weird here… and let me get this straight. You’re telling me that instead of just putting their socks in a drawer, these people host a public funeral? I’ve heard of ‘spring cleaning,’ but this feels more like a cry for help from people who have spent way too much time at sea. I can only imagine the smell. If this is what it takes to get some sunshine, I’ll stick to my slippers and a heater. Even Howe Weird couldn’t make this up.