CultureThirst

12/22/2023

Feliz Navidad from Guatemala.

09/22/2022

04/18/2019

It's Easter week and in Guatemala the village has been up early building carpets of flowers, vegetables, pine needles, and brightly died sawdust. The carpets will all be trampled and destroyed within a few hours when the religious procession passes over them.

09/17/2017

Lucca, Italy and her old world charm.

02/28/2017

There was some serious marching band competition at the Proteus parade this afternoon...

02/26/2017

There are three different types of Mardi Gras floats here in New Orleans. The most prevalent is the "Bead Barge". Really nothing much more than a party vehicle, usually with little craftmanship. The middle tier are also party vehicles, also huge but they have electronic effects like LED lights and dragons that blow smoke out of their nostrils, etc. But my favorite are the old-line krewes. The ones still built on the original wooden carriages with hand made wooden wheels. They are fewer in number buy OH MY, the level of artisanship is stunning. I present a few of those...

02/24/2017

Mardi has been changing since Katrina. Less emphasis on floats, more marching groups. New Women's clubs include the Muff-A-Lottas, the Organ Grinders, the Pussyfooters, the Bearded Oysters and many more. Here are just a few marching, walking groups

02/23/2017

It's Mardi Gras week in New Orleans LA. Here are some of the hard working kids marching in the many bands. MG is their big money maker all year – sometimes they march in as many as three parades a day, the average route is six miles...

01/29/2017

Mr. President, please remember: This is a country built by refugees and immigrants, your ancestors and mine. When we bar them and vilify them, we shame our own roots. -- Nicholas Kristof, Jan. 28, 2017

01/10/2017

The age old story. I do love these guys, lining up for Guatemalan style dating. However, their future mates are already pretty busy...