Sunday, April 28, 2013

U is for Unsha

I don't think that Unsha can be translated because I don't think it exists in other parts of the world.

An Unsha is a celebration in which a tree has been cut down and put in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. It is decorated with absolutely anything you can find- an old bottle, some t-shirts, forks, whatever. Friends are then invited and the merry making begins. People dance around the Unsha and inebriate themselves in the street while listening to loud music until 4-5 a.m.

Reasons this would never happen in Canada

1: A noise complaint would be made resulting in the police coming to shut everybody up.

2: Everybody would be in trouble for drinking outside in the street.

3: Parents would be in trouble for letting their kids get drunk outside.

4: Obstruction of traffic- they'd be on you like the wind for blocking off an entire road without any kind of permission or legitimate excuse for doing so

5: Your neighbours would probably file a complaint and try to get you to a) move or b) kicked out of a rental in the case that you don't own the house

During Unsha season- which is after Carnaval (see my post for the letter C) - you are likely to see unshas popping up all over the place. The whole neighborhood is invited. Ample alcohol is supplied or on sale if you are not friendly with the people there, but if you don't know the people who live in the area you should bring a crate of booze yourself- it's only polite and you will make instant friends. You can even go unsha hopping if you like! The Unsha I went to had food too- they must have made soup for more than 150 people! There's also a bit of pride in it- to see who can throw the best Unsha. So, if you're in that part of the world, go crash an Unsha! :)

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