As the election season kicking into gear mechanism and all that electronegative magniloquence hits the airwaves , it ’s deserving remembering that politics is n’t always so nasty . And no home is that more clear than in one Delaware Ithiel Town , where politicians score the end of campaigning by literally sink the tomahawk .
It ’s part of the area ’s even Return Day jubilation , an consequence hold up two day after Election Day every two age . The festival start sometime in the late 1700s ( it ’s unclear exactly when ) for citizen to gather to learn the final result of state and home election . Now it ’s just an opportunity to hold a festival in the city of Georgetown , complete with a carriage parade and ox roast .
Georgetown — the county place of Delaware ’s Sussex County — was originally the situation where voters would gather to stray their ballot . Thus it bring home the bacon the natural place for an event two days afterwards when the town town crier would take out the election resultant . Despite plenty of reasons that the Return Day assemblage does n’t need to happen any longer — you have sex , like having separate voting districts or the cyberspace — the custom has held , with the town weeper and all .
One of the most interesting part of the festival , however , is the melodic line - clearing custom of swallow a ceremonial tomahawk . Based on the Native American tradition of burying a tomahawk to denote peace , the chairmen of the local Republican and popular party will appear together on degree and submerge a hatchet into a corner of backbone . Some campaigner have participated in the ceremonial as well — in the 2010 fete , Senate candidates Christine O’Donnell and Chris Coons ( the victor ) joined together to forget the hatchet after a specially tough race that boot out incumbent Rep. Michael Castle .
The event is preceded by a parade of horse - drawn carriages and antique motorcar , featuring local dignitaries and recent candidate ( Vice President and Delaware native Joe Biden
has
made more than a few coming into court ) . And come after the tomahawk - burying and announcement of the results , Delaware custom maintain that Return Day attendee get an ox roast sandwich off of an open - pit barbeque , although historians say that previous festivals do up rabbit and possum meat as well .
