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  Armenian participants Mariam Hovhannisyan and Stepan Toroyan were—in reality—recently married. They recreated a traditional ceremony on the National Mall, with contributions from their compatriots.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Following tradition, the bride and groom are fed spoonfuls of honey, ensuring a sweet life together. The lavash flatbread placed on their shoulders is a symbol of abundance.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  As part of the mock Armenian wedding, dancers took to the floor with fistfuls of khorovats.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Espai de So blended into backdrop of the Plaça Major while sharing songs of the Ebro River Delta region.
  Photo by Pruitt Allen, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Visitors of all ages learned some traditional dance steps with Esbart Ciutat Comtal in the Catalonia Dance Workshop.
  Photo by Pruitt Allen, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  With the help of visitors and volunteers, Catalan historian Josep Maria Contel has been decorating this walkway with flowers made from recycled plastic water bottles—representing an annual street festival in the Gràcia neighborhood of Barcelona.
  Photo by Willa Friedman, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  In a cross-program cooking demonstration on bread in the Hatsatoun, Syrian Armenian chef Andranig Kilislyan made lahmajun (“Armenian pizza”), while Catalan baker Àngel Zamora made coca.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  All the Catalan giants, beasts, big heads, dancers, and procession musicians ended the day with a cercavila (parade).
  Photo by Joe Furgal, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Maria Arnal and Marcel Bagés opened the evening concert on the Rinzler Stage with traditional Catalan music inflected with modern styles.
  Photo by Pruitt Allen, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  With a fiery end to the night, the Falles del Pirineu processed down the National Mall with their flaming torches. At the end, they piled the logs on a gravel pathway, and Catalan participants and Festival staff joined in for song and dance around the bonfire.
  Photo by Kerri Redding, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

Click on the photo above to view full slideshow

What’s a typical day at the Folklife Festival like? Well, over in the Armenia program, there was a wedding celebration! The ceremony was the culmination of baking wedding gata (cake)in the Hatsatoun and practicing wedding and celebration dances—with handfuls of khorovats (barbecued meats)—at the Aygi Stage and Hyurasenyak. Then we ended the night with a Pyrenees-style fiery torch process across the National Mall!

We anticipate afternoon storms tomorrow in Washington, D.C. Please check the online schedule before your visit, as it’s likely that several daytime events will be cancelled or rescheduled. In the event of lightning, the Festival grounds will temporarily close, and visitors will be encouraged to take shelter in the museums or the Smithsonian Metro station.

The storm should clear just in time for the Friday evening concert on the Ralph Rinzler Stage, featuring the fortieth anniversary performance of Green Fields of America, an Irish American music and dance ensemble led by NEA National Heritage Fellow Mick Moloney.

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.