‘Sock burning' held in DC to mark the start of spring

Have you considered burning your socks to celebrate spring?

A “Burning of the Socks” event was held at The Wharf in Southwest D.C. on Tuesday evening. It’s an unusual, decades-old maritime tradition. The idea is that you burn your winter socks in celebration of the warmer days ahead.

Members of the Port of Washington Yacht Club, Capital Yacht Club and others gathered around a firepit and tossed socks into the flames.

One participant recited: “These are the same socks we put on last fall, and we never took ‘em off to wash ‘em, not at all. So we burn our socks on the equinox, in a little old fire, burning nice and hot.”

Sock-burners roasted marshmallows in the same fire pit. But don’t worry: They did so before they threw in the socks.

Organizers asked participants to bring new socks to donate to people experiencing homelessness.

How sock burning to celebrate spring began in Maryland

After the snowy winter of 1978, Annapolis sailing enthusiast Bob Turner burned his socks, Baltimore magazine reported in 2015.

“I’m not putting them on again until next winter. Period,” he recalled saying.

The tradition spread to other waterfront towns, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore joined in last year, according to WBAL.

“What’s great about today is that it’s tradition, it’s history, it’s bringing the community together. But what’s also great about it is that it’s not just a celebration of the past, it’s also a celebration of our future. So, the energy out here is so beautiful, and I needed to get rid of those socks anyway,” he said.