Every Day Is Special: fair

Showing posts with label fair. Show all posts

September 1 – Luxembourg City Kermesse

Posted on September 1, 2018

Kermesse means "Church Mass" - it's a French version of the Flemish word Kerkmisse. (Normally, I believe, the French translation of "church mass" is messe d'église - but this is a specific tradition of masses associated with old fairs, sometimes called fun fairs.

Luxembourg is located between France and
Germany, tucked in just south of Belgium.
The languages of the nation will not surprise
you: French, German, and Luxembourgish.

Since Luxembourg City is the largest city in Luxembourg, and the capital, of course the biggest kermesse of all is the Grand Kermesse of Luxembourg City, associated with the fun fair called Schueberfouer.

Way back in mid-August, vendors start arriving to put up their booths in the Glacis Field near the city's center. A few days before the fair's opening, big rides start arriving from nearby nations. And, by opening day, tons of restaurants start offering their fares at the fair!

If you can believe it, Schueberfouer started back in the 1300s. It was linked to the feast day of Saint Bartholomew, which is August 24, and it has always extended into September. This year's dates are August 23 to September 11.

The fair's origins were a huge market; shows and concerts and games were added in during the 1700s. In the early 1900s rides like the Ferris wheel and roller coasters were added to the fun. Now its a combination of fun, entertainment, culture, tradition, food, and of course the starting point - the all-important market with all sorts of things to see and try and buy:

Oh, by the way, Luxembourg City is worth checking out even aside from the fun fair:

Also on this date:

Writer Edgar Rice Burroughs's birthday

Anniversary of the Start of the Armed Struggles in Eritrea

Protests over Taiji's dolphin hunt

Self-University Week Begins

Anniversary of the extinction of the passenger pigeon

Independence Day in Uzbekistan

Labor Day in the Marshall Islands (first Friday of September)

Emma M. Nutt Day

Sikh Scripture First Installed in the Golden Temple

National Tailgating Day in the U.S.

(First Saturday in September)

Plan ahead:

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And here are my Pinterest boards for:

January 25 – Alasitas Fair in Bolivia

Posted on January 25, 2014

This South American fair is a celebration of the miniature. It is a festival of prosperity and abundance.

And it is a very, very old tradition!

Before Bolivia was an independent nation, before it was a Spanish colony, before it was part of the Incan Empire, it was the Tiwanakan Empire of the Aymara people. And one of the gods was Ekeko, a little man with a big belly and a pack on his back. During this festival, figures of Ekeko are on sale—statues showing the god with his mouth open and his arms spread wide, ready to spread good luck.

Also on sale are miniatures of all sorts – teeny houses and baby dolls, little replicas of clothing and food, tiny pots and pans, itsy-bitsy cars and university diplomas, and miniature replicas of almost anything you could think of!

Especially popular: mini-money! Of course there are a lot of tiny replicas of dollar bills and Bolivianos (the currency of the nation).

People buy miniatures of the real items that they want in the coming year, and they put them into Ekeko's pack! (A variation involves a statue wearing a handwoven poncho; the miniature items are pinned to the poncho.)

By the way, the name of the fair, Alasitas, is the Aymaran word for “buy from me.” It is what merchants call out to attract people to buy their miniatures, their Ekeko figurines, or their full-sized food or handicrafts. There are also lots of carnival games and rides to enjoy at the fair!

I love miniatures!

If I were ever to travel to Bolivia, I would love to go during the Alasitas Fair. It would be so fun to buy handcrafted items in miniature, don't you think? Easier to display than full-sized items, too!

Here in the U.S., most people who are into miniatures often either build and furnish dollhouses or play war games.

I have been to at least two miniature museums—a FANTASTIC one in Los Angeles that is, sadly, no longer in existence, and the amazing Old West Miniature Village and Museum in Cody, Wyoming. I make a few miniature scenes with small-scale Christmas decorations every year. So much fun!

Also on this date:

A Room of One's Own Day

Day of Serpents in Lithuania

Burn's Night in Scotland

Russian Students' Day

Plan ahead!

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And here are my boards for:

February holidays
February birthdays
Historical anniversaries in February

January 16 – Magh Mela in India

Posted on January 16, 2014

One of the most important gatherings of the Sikhs is happening this week. Called Mela Maghi, the fair honors the memory of forty Sikh warriors killed in battle in 1705.

It sounds to me more like a county fair than like a religious gathering. There are merchants hawking their wares with displays of everything from costume jewelry and knickknacks to high-end electronics and tractors. The two biggest circuses set up their tents, and there are rides for the kids. There are sideshows such as the Wall of Death, where people ride motorcycles along the vertical wall of a wooden cylinder, and perform stunts as well.

However, on this un-narrated YouTube video of the fair, I definitely heard some singing and chanting that could have been religious in nature, and I saw people putting offerings on a shrine. I wonder if the people beating shoes onto the ground were participating in a religious ceremony of some sort?

I read that 99% of all U.S. men who wear
turbans are Sikhs. But I bet most of them
are often assumed to be Muslim.

I bought my very first computer, waaaaayyyy back in the late 1970s, from a man who had a full beard and who wore a turban on his head and a small, curved blade (kirpan) in his belt. Those characteristics told me that this man practiced Sikhism, which is said to be the fifth largest religion in the world.

Kirpan

Because sikhs are required
to carry their kirpans at all times,
there have been debates about
whether or not kirpans should
be allowed in public places
where other weapons are not.

Sikhism is also one of the youngest of the major religions, since its founder lived from 1469 to 1539. Some of the core beliefs include that there is one god, that men and women are equal and have the same rights and responsibilities, and that honesty and giving to the needy are some of the most important virtues. Although Sikhism arose in India, Sikhs don't believe in the caste system (a system in which rigid social classes are determined by heredity) that was prevalent in Hindu thought.

Find out more about Sikhism here.

Also on this date: