Getting to Know the Bathtub Marys of Somerville, Massachusetts

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Getting to Know the Bathtub Marys of Somerville, Massachusetts

"Somerville, Massachusetts doesn’t attract many pilgrims. Spend enough time walking its narrow streets, though, and you’re guaranteed a particular kind of religious experience. It may reveal itself proudly in a front yard, or sneak up on you in a side yard. But eventually, undoubtedly, you’ll be blessed by the presence of a Bathtub Mary: a sculpture of the Madonna, generally about waist-high, carefully sheltered in its own protective nook. Although these constructions aren’t unique to Somerville—there are plenty in the Midwest, as well as other Massachusetts towns—aficionados agree that they’ve colonized the city to an unusual degree."

November 6, 2018 4:56 pm Update

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Two American traditions they need to bring back on Election Day:

1) Election Night Bonfires
2) Booze-filled Election Cake

Between those two things, America can be Great Once Again (TM).

Hartford Election Cake – Gastro Obscura

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Hartford Election Cake
– Gastro Obscura

"On Election Day, American voters leave polling sites with colorful “I Voted” stickers. But in colonial America, voters received a much more spectacular award: a slice of a gargantuan (and often booze-filled) cake."

"Election cake, or Hartford election cake, is a breadlike pastry that was popular in the 18th century. Unlike a modern cake, it is leavened with yeast instead of baking powder or soda, and it is the direct descendant of the English Great Cake, commonly eaten during holidays. Since the Puritans of New England rejected holidays like Christmas, Easter, and May Day—due to the holidays’ pagan or “Romish” associations—they celebrated secular occasions like elections. And a holiday called for a cake."