Welcome to the Basque region! Via Washington DC Folklife Festival. The festival showcases culture from other countries and regions so we can learn about life in other lands. Things like food, dance, crafts, songs, language, etc. There are a few interpreters but they had trouble with the language as there are 5 used in the area!
There is a wakway between the letters, see me crouching down to wave to you??
Cole did not go this day. Although it was sunny with less humidity, it was poodle-hot. We did a lot of walking around and missed the one booth handing out free bandanas.
Seems like everyone wore a Basque bandana but us...
My camera battery ran out just as the day started but Drew made some videos for you to see what the festival was like. Each one gives you a feel for a performance and you should be able to click on them to play from here. If not there is a link.
Traditional clothing was gorgeous. Even the men in berets and kerchiefs looked jaunty in their jeans.
The festival was smaller than in previous years, budget cuts I suppose.
Also showcased were sounds of California which I will do in the next post also with videos.
Wish you'd been there with me!
If you live in the vicinity the festival goes for another week.
And here's another one...a weird symbolic parade where they wear some kind of cross between bells and drums on their backs. That's why they do the odd stepping...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twdnd6ccSpY
They are a ship building people, and these two men are building a wooden boat right here at the Festival.
Quilters take note, they measured again and again, then fit the pieces carefully together
Along with ship building, they still make nets this way...carefully weaving and knotting the cords
Every year there is a kitchen tent where cooks use native ingredients to make their specialties.
These cooks have an interpreter to explain what they are making as well as big mirrors so we can watch.
This is the menu for today's demonstrations....
Next post I'll show the fine crafts with a video on spinning and one on a Buddhist dance! See you later!
What a fabulous Festival event--thanks for the looksee--glad monsieur Cole stayed inside in the coolness...hugs for him and you, too Happy 4th Julierose
looks like Basque dancing might be the things to do to dance off the birthday cake i ate last night! yup me and Miss Liberty and neil Simon celebrate the next turn of the sun of July 4!And thanks for the u tubes Drew! aloha, sonja ..... it was a chocolate dobash...is that Basque?? i wonder?
6 comments:
That's what I loved about living in DC (50 years ago), so many interesting things to do, and free!
What fun! I loved the may-pole like dance.
What a fabulous Festival event--thanks for the looksee--glad monsieur Cole stayed inside in the coolness...hugs for him and you, too Happy 4th Julierose
What a cool festival. I'm afraid I'd be a lousy Basque...I'd no doubt decapitate myself if I tried to do any dancing. 😄 Loved the costumes!
That looks like so much fun! I love the Basque costumes.
looks like Basque dancing might be the things to do to dance off the birthday cake i ate last night! yup me and Miss Liberty and neil Simon celebrate the next turn of the sun of July 4!And thanks for the u tubes Drew! aloha, sonja ..... it was a chocolate dobash...is that Basque?? i wonder?
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