Greasy pole
There have been various other changes to the rules of the event since its inception, including the banning of the throwing of projectiles at the frosh attempting to climb the pole by upper years, removing unsanitary contents from the pit and allowing women to participate.
Dating back to the Middle Ages, ġostra, which is derived from the Neapolitan cuccagna or cockaigne,[5] is played in late-August during the Feast of St. Julian.
The aim of the game is to run to the end of the pole and grab one of three flags: a Belgian tricolor one, a yellow Vatican one, or a blue and white one dedicated to St.
As of 19 January 2008 Egremont is home to a new greasy pole: a 30-foot-long (9 m) sculpture by Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller and collaborator Alan Kane.
The object is to reach the end by walking along the heavily greased pole, although in recent years sliding has become the preferred method.
[9] In reward for successfully mounting the pole, climbers receive prizes in the form of meats, cheeses, money, and other gifts.
[10] This tradition gained notoriety in broader media following the Philadelphia Eagles' playoff run and eventual Super Bowl championship in February 2018, when police in the city resorted to greasing light poles in an attempt to prevent fans from climbing them,[11] with local media highlighting the tradition as a reason the authorities struggled to discourage climbers.
[13] By legend, on 25 November 1783, Evacuation Day, John Van Arsdale climbed up a flagpole deliberately greased by the British as they left New York City, in order to remove the Union Jack and replace it with the Stars and Stripes.
Naval Academy freshman (plebes) climb a greased Herdon Monument to represent formal completion of their first of four years.
Dos Pueblos High School holds an annual Grease Pole contest as part of senior week activities.
In Montecchio, in the Veneto region of Italy, il palo della cuccagna, a soaped horizontal pole suspended over a lake is walked to seize a flag at the end as part of harvest festivities.
[17] This is a traditional competition in Chile, where it's known as palo ensebado, people have to climb a pole which has been lubricated with pig or whale fat (depending upon the region) and reach a bag of money or assorted goods.
In Indonesia, the game is thought to have been introduced by the Dutch and is called Panjat Pinang, where young men climb up a greased pole to collect prizes.
In Taiwan, an event called tshiúnn-koo (Taiwanese Hokkien: 搶孤; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhiúⁿ-koo) is usually held after the Ghost Festival, where multiple teams compete to aid one person climb up poles greased with tallow to reach a mounted platform.
In Chin State, Burma, Mizoram, Manipur of India and Chittagong Hill Tract of Bangladesh, the game of climbing the pole is known as a Sukpum thaltawh and is played during the Zomi feast.
[19][20][21] This metaphor was used in a well-known quote in Britain by Benjamin Disraeli after becoming the prime minister in 1868, "I have climbed to the top of the greasy pole.
