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Issues of the Hill Country Sun
Many festival
participants wear traditional costumes.
Photo courtesy UTSA's Institute of Texan Cultures Folklife Festival.
Festival
celebrates diverse heritage of Texas
By Mike Tracy
Texas is a wonderful and varied mosaic of cultures. For 36 years, the
Texas Folklife Festival in San Antonio has been a special place for Texans
and visitors alike to celebrate the cultural diversity of the state.
The three-day extravaganza, June 13-15, is an opportunity for more than
40 cultural organizations to showcase their traditions. The event is sponsored
by the University of Texas-San Antonio’s Institute of Texan Cultures.
Modeled after the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., the
festival was developed to pay tribute to the colorful cultures of the
Lone Star State’s original pioneers, as well as to later contributors.
“San Antonians and Texans from near and far return year after year
to this annual celebration,” says Jo Ann Andera, festival director.
“For some, this is the only time friends and those who share the
same heritage and culture see each other. More than half of our participants
have been coming to the festival for more than 30 years. The Texas Folklife
Festival literally keeps the unique cultural traditions of Texas alive.”
Combining the spirit of a big city neighborhood gala and the international
flavor of a World’s Fair, the Folklife Festival offers a wide variety
of foods, music, dance, costumes, and crafts and other artistic traditions.
It is one of the Hill Country’s favorite cultural events, with more
than 70,000 attendees immersing themselves in the rich cultural offerings.
Besides contemporary activities and entertainment, the festival features
pioneer and Old World crafts, many in danger of disappearing.
This year attendees can see horsehair spinners, marionette creators, Battenburg
lace makers, flint knappers (ancient stone tool technology), cattle brand
makers, and toy and doll makers.Proceeds help the participating cultural
groups demonstrate their traditions.At the festival, attendees can roam
from culture to culture in an open outdoor learning environment.
Visitors are invited to engage all five senses as they partake of a smorgasbord
of ethnic foods, international music, traditional folk dances, and artistic
demonstrations and crafts. Many of the exhibits offer the chance for members
of the entire family to participate.
“Of course, you have to decide how active you want to be. We’ve
set it up so that folks can watch dances or get their feet a-movin’
too as they learn a dance; people can watch our wonderfully skilled craftspeople
or try their hand at a craft such as basket weaving,” explains Jo
Ann.
The Texas Folklife Festival can be a unique experience for everyone who
attends. Guests can choose what interests them most and explore other
experiences at their own pace.
They might spend one day listening to traditional storytellers, tasting
homemade jams, and then thumping a watermelon. The next day they can try
polka dancing, eat shishkabobs or chalupas, and watch a Chinese lion dance.
“You can think of the festival as a great outdoor cultural classroom,
where you choose the lessons you want to learn by walking right over to
them,” Jo Ann says. “Educating visitors about these varied
multi-ethnic traditions is the key mission of the festival and of the
Institute.”
FYI • UTSA’s Institute of Texan Cultures is at 801 Bowie
Street in San Antonio. Texas Folklife Festival hours are: Friday, June
13, from 5 pm to 11 pm; Saturday, June 14, from 11 am to 11 pm; and Sunday,
June 15, from noon to 7 pm. Admission is $12 for adults and $6 for kids
6 to 12. Children 5 and under get in free. Advanced tickets are available
at all San Antonio-area HEB locations.
For more information, call 210-458-2224 or visit the web site at www.texasfolklifefestival.org.
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