Results tagged “Festival” from Intelligent Travel Blog

If you're thinking of heading south of the border this summer to take advantage of low fares to Mexico, consider the upcoming Whale Shark Festival on Isla Mujeres, in the state of Quintana Roo on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. The festival runs this July 15th through the 19th.
           
The festival is billed as an ecotourism, family-friendly event featuring local cuisine, traditional dance, authentic artisanal goods for sale and, last but certainly not least, a chance to swim with migrating whale sharks in the Caribbean.
           
A little background before you take the plunge: The endangered whale shark is not a whale but a shark, despite its contradictory name. Its name stems from its massive size (up to 29,982 pounds and 40 feet in length) and because it eats krill, algae, plankton, and other tiny sea creatures. Whale sharks are filter feeders and have been known to be playful with human divers, though their tails can be a bit dangerous.

We checked in with Eyder Jahil Hoth Pérez, Director of Tourism, Isla Mujeres, Mexico, to learn more about the festival.

The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival is in full swing here in D.C. this week, with over 100 performances in 35 venues around the city. This year's festival celebrates the music of New Orleans, and has a roster of artists -- Harry Connick Jr., Buckwheat Zydeco, Trombone Shorty -- that would make any jazz-hound swoon. While the huge, talent-packed event at the Kennedy Center this coming Monday is sold out, they'll be plenty of (free!) jazz performances on The Mall this weekend, and restaurants and clubs throughout D.C. are hosting acts as part of Jazz in the Hoods. I spoke with the festival's founder, Charles Fishman, yesterday about the events, and in the spirit of jazz, he riffed a bit with me about how it's come together.

"The first year we did three concerts and had programs in 11 different clubs, this year we have over 100 performances in 35 different venues in the city. Jazz in the Hood is going into restaurants, clubs, hotels, and galleries. Some of these places do jazz, but many of them don't. It's pretty overwhelming -- people keep calling us and saying they want to be involved. Working with all these clubs, it's very encouraging to see what the response has been.

"Jazz is the one of the only original American art forms. You need to expose people to jazz: They hardly hear it on the radio, they never see it on television, and the record studios aren't doing diddly squat. These festivals are becoming a force.

"To have two full days on the National Mall for such renowned musicians from New Orleans is an amazing opportunity. I think we're the first jazz festival to dedicate our festival to another city. With the exception of our artistic advisor - everybody is from New Orleans. Essentially we're offering a virtual microcosmic cornucopia of the diversity of the musical heritage of New Orleans, which has driven American culture. But unfortunately, many immortal jazz artists are more appreciated out of this country than in this country."

Fishman encourages anyone coming into D.C. this weekend to make their way to The Mall, and be sure to check out U Street, where much of the city's jazz history is found. As our interview/jam session ended, I thanked him for his time. "That's what we do, we jazz baby," he said with a laugh.

[Duke Ellington Jazz Festival; Schedule of Events]

Photo: Duke Ellington Jazz Festival

With the beads and revelry of Mardi Gras behind us and in the throes of the Lent season, it's time to look forward to Semana Santa (Holy Week), a elaborate commemoration of the last week of Christ's life. Though I'm not a religious soul, I fell into marking Semana Santa while studying abroad in Seville, Spain.

My initiation to the reams of tradition associated with Semana Santa started our very first day in sticky Seville when my classmate asked our Spanish lit teacher why Ku Klux Klan lollipops were for sale in shops throughout the city. She gasped and launched into an explanation of Semana Santa and the Nazarenos (Nazarenes), members of local churches' cofradías (brotherhoods) who wear capirotes (peaked hats similar to those of the infamous Klan) while accompanying their Baroque wooden sculptures of Christ and the Virgin throughout the city.

Semana Santa has been celebrated in Seville in pretty much its current form since the 16th century. Over 50,000 cofradía members don traditional robes and solemnly traverse the city in over 116 pasos (passes) from Palm Sunday to Easter morning. A capella saetas (sad songs) accompany some processions, brass bands others, while some remain silent. Some pasos occur during the day while others are candlelit and border on spooky at night. During Semana Santa, the sweet smell of azahares (orange blossoms) muddled with incense and loads of candle wax permeates the city.

After the jump, get some tips on how to get the most out of Semana Santa if you're lucky enough to experience it this year, April 5 to 12.

Today, Indians will throw caution to the wind, as well as colored water and powder at one another during the Hindu celebration of Holi, the Festival of Color. Think of it as India's version of Mardi Gras, a day when social norms surrounding religion, sex, and caste are reversed for the sake of a good time.

In most places, the rambunctious, color-slinging Holi is a one-day affair, but the holiday usually begins the night before, or during the early morning hours, with the building of bonfires to honor the Hindu god Vishnu and the triumph of faith and good over evil.

Holi also is celebrated, in various forms, in Bangladesh, Guyana, Nepal, and other countries around the globe.

Photo: Amre Ghiba via Flickr