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• 1 / 10
  A collection of young visitors helped assemble the third catifa (flower carpet) on the National Mall, which featured the flag of Catalonia and the flag of the United States joined by hands.
  Photo by Kathryn Mitchell, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Catalan blacksmith Enric Pla Montferrer used beautiful flames to twist bands of iron.
  Photo by Vivianne Peckham, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  Foraging is a tradition shared by both Armenians and Catalans. In this collaborative cooking demonstration, Catalan herbalist Eva Rosich prepared a mushroom soup, while Armenian cook Anna Tepanosyan made lentil stew with foraged greens.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  The Hrayrq and Menq dance groups led visitors in traditional dance at the Hyurasenyak.
  Photo by Kathryn Mitchell, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  At the Aygi Stage, Grigor Davtyan demonstrated how to keep rhythm on the drum, his specialty.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  A member of the Association of Festive and Popular Bestiari of Catalonia worked on layering the papier-mâché on a beastly head.
  Photo by Vivianne Peckham, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  The castellers (human tower builders) have been practicing for the larger demonstrations on July 6, 7, and 8 (weather permitting).
  Photo by Stanley Turk, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  The Association of Festive and Popular Bestiari of Catalonia shipped over their dragon figure to participate in parades and processions.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  The Esbart Ciutat Comtal danced in the cercavila (parade) through the Festival grounds at the end of the day.
  Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
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  The Festival continues through the weekend. Come join us!
  Photo by Kathryn Mitchell, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

Click on the photo above to view full slideshow

“The Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife, actually, was an effort to put something on the Mall in Washington so American tourists could walk through America, and in their minds everything on the Mall would be American.”
—Bernice Johnson Reagon, musician, former Smithsonian staff

While the city and the nation observed Independence Day, we continued our celebration of Armenia and Catalonia—all the while showing our shared heritage and the connections between these distant regions and our home.

Tomorrow, you can start the day by learning how to use West African resist-dye methods with Ghanaian designer Cynthia Sands in the Marketplace. Create your own tiny tonir, a traditional Armenian oven, out of clay to take home. How do you celebrate? Watch and join wedding and celebration dances from Armenia at the Aygi Stage. Discuss gender and pop culture with participants from Catalonia, or witness the mosaic talents of Lívia Garreta, who works within a tradition popularized by Antoni Gaudí. At the Hatsatoun, learn how to dry greens, herbs, and fruits to capture their flavor and how to use them to make teas.

Ready to put everything you learned at the Festival to the test? At 6 p.m. in the Catalonia dining area near the Smithsonian Metro entrance, join us for Happy Hour Trivia. Entry is free, and winning teams will be rewarded with coupons for artisanal gelato!

At the end of the night, enjoy music of mixed traditions: Secret Trio presents Armenian, Turkish, and Macedonian Roma chamber music while Maria Arnal i Marcel Bagés create folk music from field recordings and record libraries in Catalonia. Stick around until after the music to see the fiery torch procession of the Falles del Pirineu.

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.