The latest in quarantine fun
By Morgan Hannah, Life & Style Editor
The sun is just starting to set when British Columbians from all across the province get outside and onto their balconies, front steps, porches, and backyards to bang pots and pans, howl like wolves, sing loud and proud, and play musical instruments. This is your local seven o’clock noise hour, brought to you by Italy—the first country to get press coverage of citizens breaking the silence to cheer up residents in quarantine. And a special thank you to all medical workers and those on the front lines of this battle against an invisible enemy.
Thanks to the contagious COVID-19 that everyone is getting to know quite intimately, most events and outings have been cancelled or postponed—but making some noise can’t be cancelled. A virus cannot take that away from the cooped up and intrepid. Each province in Canada has its own time of day and its own way of taking part in this new-found wave of fun and entertainment during quarantine. Even the iconic Vancouver 9 o’clock gun fires at 7 now! This trend is spreading fast!
In Italy, former emerging artist from the Calgary Opera Nofar Yacobi uses her beautiful voice to liven up her neighbourhood—doing what she can to keep the positive vibes going while in isolation. This singer encourages other vocal artists and musicians to collectively create something wonderful during a time when it feels like everything is being taken away from us. “I thought why don’t we […] do something really beautiful together because all this crisis is about distancing and isolating from each other, but we actually need to be […] connected.”” said Yacobi in a Skype interview with CTV News Calgary.
We’re still gathering members for this long-distance
band, but every day I hear more and more participants playing with what they
got. There are multiple meanings behind this memorable movement; the previously
mentioned thank you to medical workers; a form of entertainment; and a
resounding fuck you to the virus that has taken away our freedom to go out.
Many
have chosen to use this time to come together—fighting for fun in a safe way
that still helps flatten the curve and keeps everyone safe. We are thinking
outside the box rather than sealing ourselves inside the box. Though we can’t
be close in our connections right now, we can still connect through the power
of making a little noise. And besides, it’s fun to have an excuse to bang some
pots and pans together.
