World's largest bonfire
Okay, I love my adopted country of Netherlands. However, on New Year's, all hell breaks loose. Fireworks are on sale for private use, and the country goes mad. Starting from early New Year's Eve (or a week or so before), there is a slowly growing crescendo of fireworks going off around the country. Then, by midnight it is a complete chaotic free for all!
In some neighbourhoods, it is much more chaos than others. Where I live now, it is quite pleasant and there are nice fireworks for the kids earlier in the night.
However, I did used to live in much more dangerous places. There, people would be shooting firework rockets at each other, setting cars on fire and throwing rockets in bonfires (with the effect that they shoot everywhere).
Anyway, to the point of the story. Since about 1850, the Dutch have been building a giant bonfire on the beach. It is really a funny tradition, and it is quite unbelievable. You really have to be there to see it, the video and photo doesn't really do it justice. Now, it is a competition between two beaches of who can build the biggest bonfire for the celebration. In some ways it is endearing, in others, completely insane!
Imagine the wienies one could roast...
Lol, truck sized one!