Folk Life Festival

The Smithsonian has a Folk Life Festival every summer and this year it was China and Kenya. I volunteered to help with a special needs program and was able to go around to the different exhibits before the crowds got too bad.

China

The China side of the festival started with a huge bamboo "house". I actually walked by it when they were building it and I wish I had taken a picture, but alas, I did not.

It is not a small structure by any means. 

It is built with bamboo and rope.

Inside they had "chimes" made of wood and when the breeze blew just right they would play. It was really amazing.

Beautiful artwork and fabric (handmade!) was on display. It was amazing.

They had a Chinese story-teller as well. She did not speak any English and so that is the translator sitting next to her on the stage. It was really interesting to hear her stories and history. 

Beautiful, handcrafted robe.

She is weaving, by hand, the Mona Lisa. 

They had cement slabs with giant brushes and buckets of water for people to try "water calligraphy".

Some musical instruments 

Many different types of performances. 

But my favorite part of the Chinese section was the puppet show. 

From what I remember, it is a story about dragons chasing the moon, I think.

There were about 10 puppeteers controlling everything.

The dragons would rush towards the moon and it would move away from them and they 

would have to try again. 

The Musicians playing a lot of drums and cymbals. It was very noisy.

At one point, they made the dragons leap out at the crowd. It was so fun and they got really close to us. One almost took out a press photographer because he crossed the line we were suppose to stand behind.

So close!

They got it!

And the "moon" cracked open to reveal two new baby dragons

I had a lot of fun learning about Chinese culture. 

Kenya

There was a lot of art that had been carved out of wood to represent Kenyan life.

A lot of colors!

A tribe from Kenya. 

They were building a boat like they used in Kenya. That was really cool.

A traditional grass hut.

They also had story tellers. It was so fun to hear the about the culture.

A completed hut we could walk into

It was really interesting and I am looking forward to being here next summer for the next festival and to see what two countries are represented.