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  The gegants (giants) from Catalonia led a process across the National Mall. Created in 1977 by the Casa Ingenio studio, these giants represent a queen and a king named after Oliana’s patron saints, St. Andrew and the Virgin of Angels.
  Photo by Daniel Martinez Gonzalez, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Visitors danced to the folk music of Esbart Ciutat Comtal from Barcelona at the Plaça Major.
  Photo by Daniel Martinez Gonzalez, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Meanwhile across the Mall, the members of the Menq and Hrayrq dance ensembles performed at Armenia’s Aygi Stage.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Diana Hovhannisyan demonstrated one of the many steps in textile weaving for a visitor in the Armenian Carpet tent.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Armenian presenter Hratch Kosibeyokian showed off a carpet, explaining that it took one woman her entire lifetime to make it.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Instrument maker Sergi Masip, part of the Espai de So band from Tarragona, Catalonia, shows young visitors how to play his wooden castanets.
  Photo by Daniel Martinez Gonzalez, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Catalan baker Àngel Zamora seasoned butifarra sausage for his coca de recapate bread in the Hatsatoun food demonstration tent.
  Photo by Daniel Martinez Gonzalez, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Later on in the Hatsatoun, carpet weavers Ruzanna Torozyan and Armine Amaryan prepared ghapama, or stuffed pumpkin.
  Photo by Kathryn Mitchell, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Armenian needleworkers Gayane Hovsepyan and Seda Hovakimyan brightened up a gray day with their crocheted fruits and figurines.
  Photo by Kathryn Mitchell, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  The Diables d’Igualada joined in the afternoon procession to close out the afternoon.
  Photo by Daniel Martinez Gonzalez, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

Click on the photo above to view full slideshow

Welcome to the 2018 Smithsonian Folklife Festival!

Our programs opened up at the same time as the sky—despite heavy rain this morning, visitors came to enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of Armenia and Catalonia. In the Marketplace, the Crafts of African Fashion kicked off among craft and food displays and curious shoppers. The participants are eager to share their skills, songs, recipes, and dance moves over the next two weeks.

Tomorrow, the Festival will start early at 10 a.m. with pomp, circumstance, and our Opening Ceremony in the Smithsonian Arts and Industries Building. You can also attend Cultural Diplomacy with Two Ambassadors at Armenia’s Hyurasenyak Stage to hear more about the relationships built between nations. Make your own natural remedies with Catalan herbalist Eva Rosich, and enjoy some Armenian folk-jazz from Samvel Galstian and Vardan Ovsepian. If you like sweet treats, you can learn how to make pakhlava, a dessert with flaky layers of dough and chopped nuts.

Stick around for our first evening concert of the year, Yacine & The Oriental Groove and PANALÎ, presenting North African music with a Catalan twist and avant-garde folk from Armenia. The concert starts at 6:30 p.m. Bring a blanket, spread out a picnic, and enjoy summer on the National Mall!

Elisa Hough is the editor for the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and Rachel Barton is the media intern for the 2018 Folklife Festival. Together they are Team Festival Blog.