Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, started on Sunday. Yes, it’s now year 5,776, a pretty respectable run for a culture and a religion. It’s also the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, so congratulations ye distant ancestors.

One ritual of Rosh Hashanah involves the symbolic casting away of sins by throwing bread upon the water. Homer Jews have noted the coincidence this year of Rosh Hashanah with the 12th annual Burning Basket, “Reach: A Basket of Remembrance and Unburdening,” which happened Sunday, too. Not that the Burning Basket is a religious thing. It’s community art, sacred, yeah, but not part of any organized (or disorganized) religion.

Holy discombulation! The Burning Basket almost didn’t happen after subhumans who drag their knuckles and drool knocked Reach off her feet by yanking it away with a chain tied to a truck. The basket suffered a temporary spatial dislocation, kind of like in Star Trek when the matter transmitter disassembles Spock and Kirk and beams them down to a planet to investigate weird goopy things hanging on alien city walls. Thanks to the miracle of a squad of art ninjas who recovered Reach’s pieces, the basket got put back together and embellished in time for the sundown burn. Pfft! Take that, bubbas. If you thought something so beautiful could be destroyed so easily, you don’t know Homer.

The Betster knows we live in a marvelous place where anger and hatred give rise to peace and love. Adversity doesn’t mean giving up, but trying harder. We’re tough here and if you push us down, we get back up, maybe a little beaten, but stronger. It’s a mighty fine place to be, so Shanah Tovah, have a good year, perhaps by enjoying some of these Best Bets:

BEST MOOSING AROUND BET: If you missed “Moose: The Movie” at its showing earlier this year, there’s a special encore presentation of the way-wacky film at 7 p.m. today at the Homer Theatre.

BEST ALL ABOUT THE HALIBUT BET: It’s all halibut, all the time with the first Homer Halibut Festival, starting 9 a.m. Saturday at various locations. There’s sciencey stuff about halibut ecology and fun stuff like the Halibut Cabaret at 6 p.m. Saturday at Alice’s Champagne Palace. See the schedule and story on page 2.

BEST AND THE WINNER IS … BET: Meanwhile, we’re all waiting with bated breath (or baited breath, if you’re a caught fish) for the announcement of the winner of the Homer Jackpot Halibut Derby. The derby ended on Tuesday, with the official announcement and ceremony at 5 p.m. Monday at the Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.

BEST INNER BEAST BET: The theme this year for Wearable Arts is “Anamalia,” for costumes, masks, clothing and performance inspired by animals. Get ideas and work on your piece from 1-3 p.m. Sunday in costume labs held at Bunnell Street Arts Center.

BEST BIG PLANET BET: The great thing about Homer is we have people like Christina Whiting who travel the world, take awesome photographs and then come home to tell us about it. Hear about her latest trip to Jordan in a talk at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Homer Council on the Arts.