2. Feria de las Flores: Who, Where & When
• Who: People of Medellín &
tourists from around the
world
• Where: Medellín, Colombia
• When: beginning of
August, week-long
3. Feria de las Flores: Why
• Tribute to Colombia’s flower
industry, the second largest in
the world
• Originally there was only a
flower exposition, a parade of
silleteros, and music and dance.
– Silleteros: people who carry
possessions and people on their
back with a “chair”
4. Feria de las Flores: What
• Parade of silleteros
• Caravan of chivas (trucks)
• Plaza de Flores (center of activity for the
Feria)
• Cabalgata: giant horse parade
• Classic cars parade
• Flowers & Birds Expo
• National Trova Festival (music)
• Fireworks shows
7. Bolas de
Fuego
Who: People of Nejapa, El Salvador
What: Fireball fight between two
groups of young men.
When: August 31st
8. Bolas de Fuego
Why: In 1922, a volcano near the
town erupted. People believed
that the volcano was San
Jeronimo fighting the devil to rid
him from the town. The
celebration is now a reenactment
of this fight.
9. Fiesta Tapati: Who, Where & When
• Who: the Rapa Nui
people (native
Polynesians of
Easter Island) &
tourists
• Where: Easter
Island, Chile
• When: first two
weeks of February
10. Fiesta Tapati: Why
• Began in the 1970s
• Goal of maintaining
and promoting the
Rapa Nui culture
among islanders,
especially children
11. Fiesta Tapati: What
• Town as two clans
• Each clan chooses “queen”
• The winner gets the title
of “Queen of the Island”
for that year
• Not a beauty contest,
• Peaceful confrontation
with everyone showing
physical and artistic skills.
12. Fiesta Tapati: What
• There are various competitions including:
– Vaka Tuai: create & sail traditional
Polynesian vessel
– Takona: a body painting competition
– Riu: perform ritual songs that tell epic
stories and legends of the Rapa Nui people.
– Haka Pei: men slide on plantain trunks
(reach speeds of nearly 50 mph)
– Pora: Swimming competition on a reed
float
– Tau’a Rapa Nui: triathlon of three
traditional races: the Vaka Ama (canoeing
in small reed boats), swimming with a Pora,
and the Aka Venga (running with two
bananas clusters carried on a stick upon
their shoulders).
14. Festival del Merengue
• Who? People from the Dominican Republic and
around the world
• When? Late July, early August
• What? Large dance festival beginning with a
parade, people dancing on the streets, the beach
and in bars to famous merengue bands, art and
handicraft exhibits, food fairs and games.
• Why? The merengue originated in the Dominican
Republic and is now a very popular dance
throughout Spanish-speaking countries.
16. Festival de San Juan: Who, Where & When
• Who: Paraguayans
• Where: Paraguay
• When: June 23-24 (six
months before
Christmas because
John the Baptist was
said to have been born
six months before
Jesus, also coinciding
with the solstice)
17. Festival de San Juan: Why
• Mix of the Catholic
and the Guaraní
(indigenous)
traditions
– Celebrating Saint John
the Baptist
– Guaraní celebrations
that venerate fire,
lighting one the night
of the 23rd to give
more power to the
sun
18. Festival de San Juan: What
• The Night of the 23rd: Fire
– Jump over bonfires for good luck & to have sins forgiven
– Camba: Boys in masks dance around girls in a circle and
try to grab the girls, while the girls fend them off with
torches
– Tata ári jehasa: Fire-walking on hot coals
– El Juda: Burning of an effigy of Judas Escariot
– El toro candil: someone carries a bull’s skull with the
horns lit on fire and runs through a group of people
– Jumping through a flaming hoop
– Playing soccer with a flaming ball
– Climbing up a greased pole
• The Morning of the 24th
– Christian observation of mass/prayer sessions
20. Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha: Who, Where & When
• Who: 6,000 to 8,000
visitors from around
the country, plus more
than 4,000 horses
• Where: Tacuarembó,
Uruguay
• When: 5 days in March
21. Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha: Why
• Celebrate & teach about the Gaucho heritage and
culture in Uruguay
– the gaucho is a national symbol in Uruguay and
Argentina
– gauchos are nomadic horsemen and cowhands of the
Pampas (grasslands)
• somewhat similar to our concept of cowboys
22. Fiesta de la Patria Gaucha : What
• Parade
• Folk music & dancing
• Competitions of the “Sociedades Criollas”
(social clubs cultivating the old traditions of the
Uruguayan countryside)
– Horsemanship: rodeos with lassoing, “jineteadas”
(bareback riding), “boleadoras” (immobilizing an
animal by throwing a leather cord with stones at
their legs)
– Cooking traditional foods
– Stained glass competition
– Beauty contest to decide “la flor del pago”
– Recreate traditional dwellings (called “fogones”)
from the Colonial Period through to the 1920s
24. Las Fallas: Who, Where & When
• Who: Valencians & over 2
million visitors
• Where: Valencia, Spain
• When: March 15th – 19th
25. Las Fallas: Why
• Commemorates Saint Joseph (patron saint of
carpenters)
• Evolved from the pagan rituals celebrating the
beginning of spring and the planting season
• Lighting fires to welcome spring, plus burning
and cleansing of winter waste (especially
wood)
• Now the celebration makes satirical jabs at
different aspects of society, especially
politicians and celebrities
26. Las Fallas: What
• Display “ninots” (smaller) and “falles” (larger), huge
cardboard & paper-mache statues
– can take an entire year and thousands upon thousands
of Euros to make
• Bullfights, parades, paella contests, beauty pageants
• Flower offering: flowers brought to a statue of Our
Lady of the Forsaken
• La Cremà: March 18th - 19th
– Mascletà: coordinated fireworks display at 2pm
– ninots & falles set on fire
– one ninot is spared by popular vote
– the largest falla in front of the town hall is burned last at
midnight
Though there are few rules and regulations, there are not many injuries. The participants clothing is usually soaked in water. There are times, however, that someone does get hit in the face or their clothes do start on fire.
The success of the festival is based on the dance culture that has been popular in the nation for around 150 years. Representing both an African influence and a Latin flair, the music was once considered lower-class.
As it stands now, merengue is enjoyed by all ages, races, and social classes. The unique style has gradually become recognized and celebrated internationally.
Fun Facts
Traditional merengue bands consist of only three instruments: a guira, a melodeon, and a tambora.
Admittedly much smaller, Montreal hosts its own renowned merengue festival.
There are more Dominicans living in New York than there are in the nation’s second biggest city.
This celebration actually happens in Catholic countries all over the world.
