As part of the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival program Creative Encounters: Living Religions in the U.S., the Jones Family Singers and Riyaaz Qawwali took visitors on a spiritual journey through song. This interfaith collaboration centers two distinct genres: qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional singing from South Asia, and contemporary gospel, which merges traditional Christian hymns with the musical stylings of secular Black music. As Sonny Mehta, artistic director of Riyaaz Qawwali, explains, their concert highlights how “religious music lives in America.” Since 2019, the Houston-based mus ..read more

On the last day of the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival, the clouds hang low in the sky, threatening a storm. Our production team calls off outdoor activities and arranges for activities to continue within the Arts and Industries Building and the National Museum of the American Indian. Light rain shakes from the sky and a few winds gust at the tents. But the impending storm takes its time. On the empty lawns, volunteers, staff, interns, and participants get to work breaking down tables and tents. Amid the strike, Cory Perry gets to work, too. They sit at their tent and sew a quilt with their ..read more

Chef Tim Ma took a bite of the Chinese New Year dumpling he made at the demonstration kitchen of the 2023 Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Despite the summer rainstorm, he made the tent feel homey, telling me about his family and how dumplings were a personal staple during the holiday season. An acclaimed chef who takes pride in the creative twists he gives familiar dishes he grew up with, Ma owns a group of award-winning restaurants in the D.C. region, including American Son and Lucky Danger. His first D.C. restaurant, Kyirisan, won the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand Award and held an annual spot ..read more

“Right now, with the disrespect or imbalance of so many things in the world, it’s really key to remember that we’re all connected.” Felicia Montes’s key to connection? Healing plants.  She sat grinning behind a lineup of various herbs on her cart. She was watching someone who, upon reading the words “Botanica del Barrio” painted on the side, ran off exclaiming, “I need to get my grandmother!” Montes, an East Los Angeles resident of Xicana heritage, is creator and co-founder of Mujeres de Maiz, “Womxn of the Corn.” Founded in 1997, the grassroots organization promotes holistic well-being t ..read more

For more than 5,000 years, Kazakh nomads worshipped Tengri, an all-encompassing god and a personification of the universe. In a demonstration of Tengrian traditions, textile artist Azhar Altynsaka opened the Soul of Tengri pop-up program with Aqty arnau rituals to cleanse spaces, greet spirits, and protect people and animals from disease ..read more

As I walked through the dressing room, the excitement was palpable. Around me, models tried on traditional Kazakh headpieces, colorful contemporary jackets, warm fur hats, and intricate necklaces. One designer wrapped an elaborate scarf around a model’s head, while another accessorized an outfit with stunning jewelry. New and old friends chatted, in English, Kazakh, and Russian, while helping each other with their hair and makeup. They were all getting ready for the Soul of Tengri fashion show, held on July 11 at the National Museum of Asian Art. Organized by the Smithsonian Artisan Initiative ..read more

Leer este artículo en español. En las fotos, haga clic en + para ver los subtítulos en inglés y español. Artist Verónica Castillo aims to “change the world one clay piece of art at a time,” and her Tree of Life & Ceramics Workshop on November 20 was a snapshot of that mission. As part of the 2023 Folklife Festival’s Creative Encounters: Living Religions in the U.S. program, this satellite event at Castillo’s gallery, Galería E.V.A., in San Antonio, Texas, was a celebration of the renowned Castillo Orta family’s living legacy. Joined by her mother, Doña Soledad Martha Hernández Baez—who tra ..read more

The Ozarks have been called an Evangelical Epicenter, the Buckle of the Bible Belt, and, only partially in jest, Six Flags Over Jesus. Given the numerical strength of Baptists, Pentecostals, and a plethora of nondenominational evangelical churches, the region comes by these labels honestly. Known as the Queen City of the Ozarks, Springfield, Missouri, is also the headquarters of the Assemblies of God and the home of televangelist Jerry Falwell’s alma mater. Not to be outdone, the Arkansas Ozarks boasts a sixty-five-foot-tall statue of Jesus (dubbed the Christ of the Ozarks) and the corporate h ..read more

“We start our day with rituals. We thank the spirits of this great land. We greet all the ancestral spirits and our god, Tengri.” An acclaimed textile artist and designer from Kazakhstan, Aizhan Bekkulova is passionate about reviving Kazakh cultural traditions. In 2012, she founded Kazakhstan’s Union of Artisans, with a mission to preserve and promote traditional arts and crafts—from wood and bone carving to embroidery and felting. Many Kazakh artistic and musical traditions are rooted in ancient beliefs. Prior to the arrival of Islam in the Central Asian nation, nomads worshiped Tengri, seen ..read more

On the seventh day of the seventh month of the year, taiko drums beat throughout Japan. Centered upon an ancient Japanese folktale, the Tanabata festival celebrates the story of the annual union of the sky deities Orihime, the Sky Princess, and Hikoboshi, her lover, who lives on the other side of the Milky Way. While not exclusive to the Tanabata festival, taiko performances serve important roles in ceremonial and religious practice. The drums embody a sense of spirituality that continues to resonate with people across generations, connecting ancient history into the present. As the art of tai ..read more