Traditions and Crafts
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Birch bark was used in ancient Russia since immemorial times. They made shoes, clothes, bags, and all sorts of household items from it, always unique, as always handmade
Enamel Crafts of Rostov Finift (Russia)
Rostov Finift, miniature painting in heat-resistant enamel paints on enamel, applied on copperware, is russian folk artistic handicraft existing from 17 c.
Veliky Ustyug is famous for its unique art and craft skills: birch-bark carving, filigree art, niello art, metal embossing, bead embroidering, stove tile manufacturing and others
The folklore-ethnographical theatre of the Kizhi Museum-Reserve is a regular participant of annual museum festivals held on the Kizhi Island
Koleda is an ancient Slavic feast. It specifically applies to children and teens who walk house to house greeting people, singing and receiving candy and small money in return
During parades and celebrations tourists often can be lucky to see popular Russian Folk Dances right on streets of Novgorod
In Novgorod one can get acquainted with a unique collection of Russian folk musical instruments, among which are ancient horns, gusli, harps, sopels, and many others
Torzhok Gold Embroidery (Russia)
The famous Torzhok Gold Embroidery is a unique Russian folk handicraft, which appeared as far back as the Middle Ages and has been preserved up to the present time
Vepsian dolls have an image of a married woman. It is made of scraps of worn clothing without using of scissors and needles. This doll accompanied a child from the birth
Veps - people related to the Finno-Ugric group. Vepsian museum, located in an ordinary rustic house, tells about the history and culture of the Veps
Amana Arts Guild (United States)
The Amana Arts Guild keeps up secrets and traditions of folk arts and crafts, such as basketwork, weaving, embroidery and smithcraft
Arkansas Folk Festival Mountain View (United States)
The Mountain View Folk Festival is being held annually on the third weekend of April since 1963. Oceans of folk music and sheer fun are guaranteed.
Berea Folk Center (United States)
The Russel Acton Folk Center was founded in Berea in 1980’s. Nowadays the 3500 sq ft building is available for rent for celebrations and exhibitions
Cherry Festival in Traverse City (United States)
Each July cherry lovers from all over the world gather in Traverse City, where the famous Cherry Festival is held. Fairs, parades, concerts; cherry jams, confitures, juices and pies
Ghost town Bodie (United States)
By 1880 the city was a home for about 10 thousand people. There were 65 saloons and even a China Town. Now it is entirely uninhabited. In 1962 ghost town Bodie was declared a state historic park of the United States
Hogskin Holidays, Hampton (United States)
The Hogskin Holidays are your chance to take part in lots of contests, see the vintage tractor exhibition and taste a delicious pork barbecue.
Luau, Hawaiian feast (United States)
You can’t say that you have been to Hawaii, unless you ate a kalua pig, washing it down with Hawaiian beer at a Luau, the traditional Hawaiian feast.
Marble Festival (United States)
The National Marble Museum annually organizes The West Virginia Marble Festival where you can learn about marble, see the exhibition and buy souvenirs
Mardi Gras, which takes place in New Orleans, is celebrated every February since 1800-s. This thrilling carnival lasts for 10 days
Miccosukee Indian Village (United States)
At the Miccosukee Indian Village visitors can learn about the Native American way of life. Miccosukee tribe members demonstrate traditional Indian arts and crafts
Museum of the Cherokee Indian (United States)
Household items, tools, weapons for hunting and fishing, and beautiful folk craft items are represented in the museum of the Cherokee Indian
Tamarack, Best of West Virginia (United States)
Tamarack is a large and uniquely-shaped shopping mall in West Virginia, where the one can purchase pieces of local arts, crafts and cuisine
Terra Studios, Fayetteville (United States)
Do you want to catch your personal Bluebird of Happiness? Then go to Terra Studios near Fayetteville and get the one from glass and pottery masters.
Trailing of the Sheep Festival, Ketchum (United States)
The annual Trailing of the Sheep Festival makes people from Ketchum and its nearest neighborhood come together and celebrate for three days.
Washington DC Dragon Boat Festival (United States)
The annual Dragon Boat Festival held in Washington DC is both a promo-action of 2500 years old Chinese tradition and a bright and memorable show.
World Catfish Festival, Belzoni (United States)
Each year more than 30 000 people visit the World Catfish Festival in the small town of Belzoni, bearing the title of Farm-Raised Catfish Capital of the World
Armenian music and dance can never be confused with any other. Armenian music instruments preserved since the early Middle Ages
Yerevan, souvenir market (Armenia)
The best place to buy souvenirs in Yerevan is a huge market - "the Vernisage". There are all sorts of handicraft wares of clay and stone, carpets and jewelry
Tanzania is home for more than 120 ethnic groups. All of them are very friendly and respectable to tourists
Tanzania Maasai, most colorful tribe of East Africa, preserved ancient customs and lifestyle of their ancestors. They live only by livestock, do not know agriculture and crafts
Rice Paper Manufacture, Puli (China)
Rice Paper Manufacture in Puli is famous far away from China. This handmade paper, made of rice straw and wooden bark is clean, soft and does not afraid of mold and insects
Traditions of Buddhist festival do not change for thousands of years, and today it remains a vivid manifestation of faith - an important part of Bhutanese life
The most popular national sport in Bhutan is Archery. Archery matches are always a grand event with dances, music, entertainment, strong drinks and huge crowds of public
National Institute for Zorig Chusum (Bhutan)
In the National Institute for Zorig-Chu-Sum students are trained in traditional painting on the best classical models. The school was open in 1997
Bosnia and Herzegovina, ethnography
Bosnia and Herzegovina ethnically is the most extraordinary country in Europe. The Croats, the Bosnians and the Serbs - each live on their own territory now
Almost all life in Brunei is associated with Islam, many actions are prohibited or not encouraged. But the Constitution still gives the right to full religious freedom
Bukhara, ethnography (Uzbekistan)
The present population of Bukhara - is the descendants of Islamized, mostly Indo-European peoples of Central Asia and Turkic nomads who moved into the area from the north and brought with them their language and some customs
Khiva, ethnographic (Uzbekistan)
There are four ethnically diverse peoples in Khiva: the Sarts - proper and primitive owners of this land, their neighbors - the Karakalpaks, the Uzbeks - foreign conquerors and the Turkmens, attracted here by various benefits
Holiday in Bulgaria would not be complete without spectacular and exotic ritual dances show. A special mention deserves Dancing on burning coals
The most joyous festival in Cape Verde is the February carnival, held in Praia and Mindelo and quite comparable in brilliance with world famous Brazil carnival
Scotland, festival (Great Britain)
The Edinburgh Festival is one of the most important art festivals in the country, it takes place in August and includes several events
Lefkada, Folklore Festival (Greece)
International Folklore Festival is annually held in Lefkada for almost 50 years. At the last week of August, here come folk dance groups from five continents
WOOD JEWEL is a company that manufactures wood products in Kolary, Finish Lapland. All products are hand made mainly of curly birch
Handicrafts Fair in Andreevsky Descent (Ukraine)
Andreevsky Descent is a real Mekka for creatively gifted people: folk handicraft masters very well coexist with avant-garde artists here
80% of population of Costa Rica are descendants of Spanish immigrants - the Creoles. The culture is Spanish-based with influence of North American, Indian and Afro-Caribbean traditions
Cuenca, Holidays and festivals (Spain)
Nice time to visit Cuenca is Easter, when the Religious Music Week takes place. Celebration of Cuenca’s foundation on April 10-13 is also worth seeing
Patum-de-Berga annual celebration is recognized as the Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
In 15-17 centuries the Toledo Edged Weapon Factory was a major Spanish centre of weapon production. Nowadays it produces “medieval” souvenirs.
Highland tribe Dorze, one of multinational Ethiopia tribes, consists of about 20 thousand of people. Dorze houses, resembling huge bee hives, are built of bamboo and reach a height of 12 m
The Omo Valley is home to over twenty of African tribes. Excursions to their villages are real adventure for tourists
Every August in Visby is held a grandiose historic festival "Medieval Week", that attracts in the city a great number of tourists from all over the world
Midsummer celebration (Sweden)
Swedish Midsummer Festival, that is Summer Solstice Celebration similar to the Ivan Kupala Day in Russia, traditionally is celebfated on the first Saturday after June 19th
Midsummer celebration in Dalarna (Sweden)
By the day of summer solstice thousands of Swedes from all over the country gather in the province of Dalarna, where is celebrated the main summer festival of Sweden - Midsummer
In Njarka Sami Camp, situated at lake Haggsjon in the province of Jamtland, tourists can acquaint themselves with the history, life and culture of this ancient nomadic people
Skansen Open-Air Museum, Stockholm (Sweden)
Ethnographic complex, museum, zoological garden with century history, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists every year - all this lies behind the short word "Skansen"
Most popular souvenirs to bring from the Netherlands are handmade wooden shoes - clogs
About a third part of Iran's population are nomads. At boisterous bazaars one can buy traditional gifts: famous Persian carpets, jewelry, different chess sets and caskets
Karmoy Viking Festival (Norway)
Historic performances, parades, competitions, concerts and fairs are organized during Karmoy Viking Festival. Everyone can feel oneself an ancient warrior in a Viking’s camp
The Kazakhs are Muslims, but Islam is not the major political force in the country. The traditional nomadic lifestyle does not help to centralize ecclesiastical authority
Traditional Holidays, Kazakhstan
The main traditional holidays in Kazakhstan are Ramadan - the holy fasting month of Muslims, Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bairam) - the end of Ramadan, and Nowruz – March,21st
Yurt, a traditional Kazakh’s dwelling, meets all requirements of nomadic way of life: mobile, easily dismantling and quickly installing at a new location
Kyrgyz carpet is different from other Central Asian carpets. It is made of sheep's wool and then decorated with bright embroidery, using traditional folk elements
Kyrgyz Kochu Festival (Kyrgyzstan)
Kyrgyz Kochu Festival is a show of traditional nomad moving from mountain pastures to plains for winter. All guests are involved in this performance
Wooden frame and felt coating of Kyrgyz yurta is easily disassembled and easily transported on horses or camels at a new location
The best place to study the ethnography of Lithuania is «The National Museum of Lithuania» in Vilnius. Here one can see unique archeological finds: Icons, kitchenware, jewelry, tools etc
90% of the population of Malaysia constitute the Malay, Indian and Chinese ethnic groups
Mongolia is a sparsely populated country with a centuries-old traditions of nomad. About 85% of the population - the Mongols; 15% - the Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Chinese, Russians
Among the inhabitants of Nepal there are representatives of 40 different ethnic groups, mostly belonging to the Indo-European and Tibeto-Burman linguistic groups
Unique souvenirs are made in Nepal - a variety of bronze casting - figures of Buddha, deities of Buddhist and Tantric pantheon of different size and quality
The original inhabitants of Panama are the Indians. Panamanian Indians readily show musical and dance art to tourists, sell pieces of jewelry and various handicrafts
Qatar is a multi-ethnic country. The Arabs are over 40% of the population. Culture and customs are penetrated with laws and traditions of Islam, which is the state religion
Rio Carnival is an embodiment and pride of Brazilian culture. The most joyous, bright and noisy festival, accompanied by fiery rhythms of samba, the most grandiose show on the planet
Recently the ethnic structure of Romania represented mainly by the Romanians (89. 5%), the Hungarians (6. 6%) and the Gypsy (2. 5%)
Sierra Leone remembrances – traditional African jewelry, ceremonial wooden masks, products of clay, textiles, and ivory - one can buy here at every corner
Playing musical instruments, songs and dances are closely connected with everyday life of the peoples of Sudan. In a folk dance of Sudan men dance together with women
Traditional souvenirs of Sudan - masks, tableware, sculpture, wickers, handicraft pieces of leather - are very popular among tourists
An ancient Hindy festival Thaipusam is held on a grand scale in Singapore; it is accompanied by various forms of self-inflicted wounding, which make Europeans shudder with horror
To get acquaintance with history, culture and way of life of Danish Vikings you can at Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde and at reconstructed Viking village of Lejre
Each full moon a voodoo ceremony takes place in Ouidah, and the main - Voodoo Festival - is on the 10th of January
