Fabric of Folklore
Folktales can be strange, mystical, macabre and intriguing. Join us as we explore the stories, culture and people behind the folklore. We go beyond retelling the legends, myths and fairy tales of old. We look at the story behind the lore, behind the songs and traditions to understand more about what they mean, and their importance. These stories, many originating as oral histories, inform us of what it means to be human; what it means to be an integral part of this Earth. Stories of magic and wonder bind us. They connect us through invisible strands, like the gossamer fibers of a spiders web. Folktales have the power to demonstrate how, although we live in drastically different locals, our hearts and minds beat as one human race. We are weaving the fabrics of our past and present stories, to help us better understand ourselves and to awaken us to a more compassionate and caring world community. As we explore the meaning of existence through folklore we hope to inspire future generations to lead with love and understanding.
Fabric of Folklore
Ep 72: Food, Fun & Festivals: Exploring Traditions Across the Globe with Jacob Quijas
Why Are Festivals Culturally Important? In Episode 72, we sit down with Jacob Quijas, host of the Viva La Festiva podcast, to explore the vibrant world of festivals. From the evolution of iconic events like Burning Man to the unexpected charm of the Wife Carrying Championship—a quirky tradition originating in Finland but celebrated worldwide—we cover it all. We also dive into lesser-known but fascinating festivals like The Blob fest, Krampus parades, Pickle Fest, and Renaissance Fairs, uncovering their unique cultural significance. Plus, no festival chat is complete without food! We discuss the delicious (and sometimes bizarre) dishes that define these celebrations. Whether you're a festival fanatic or just curious about the hype, this episode is your ultimate guide to the world of festivals!
Timestamps:
01:18 Today's Topic: Festivals Around the World
02:38 Ohio's Festival Scene
04:07 Food and Festivals: A Perfect Match
05:02 Jacob's Podcast Journey
05:40 The Pickle Festival Experience
09:25 Virtual Interviews and Festival Insights
11:02 The Essence of Festivals
15:57 Burning Man: A Unique Festival
33:31 The Symbolism of Burning Man
37:51 The Quirky Wife Carrying Championship
41:14 The Origins of the Festival
41:33 The Obstacle Course Challenge
41:57 Carrying Techniques and Rules
43:48 Prizes and Rewards
45:57 Festival Atmosphere and Activities
46:13 Unique Festival Foods
49:33 Exploring Other Festivals
53:35 International Festival Highlights
56:51 The Magic of Fairy Festivals
58:49 Mermaid and Krampus Festivals
01:04:06 Renaissance Festivals
01:07:06 The Joy of Festivals
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Fabric of Folklore website
Welcome folks. Folks, welcome to Fabric of Folklore. I am Vanessa Y. Rogers, your hostess, and this is the podcast where we unravel the mysteries of folklore. And folklore, folklore includes more than just stories. It includes customs, traditions, jokes, and more. Birthdays, for instance, are celebrated differently around the world. Many in the West are familiar with the importance of birthday milestones, such as The sweet 16 or the Latin tradition of Quinceañeras at the age of 15 years of age in Jewish culture. There's the bat mitzvah and the bar mitzvah for girls at 12 and boys at 13. However, in Korea, there's even a milestone celebration for infants of 100 days of being alive on the earth. This celebration is called Bacill and originated from the times previous when life was harsher when many babies didn't survive past the three month mark due to frailty of infants and childhood diseases. So today, many families have Symbolic large celebrations to congratulate the parents and families for the survival of this infant during their most vulnerable time of life. And there are many who really want to focus just on similarities across cultures, but on this podcast, I argue that the differences are just as important, especially when we Strive to understand the origins and the roots. And that is really the goal of this podcast is to explore what makes humans both different and similar so that we can understand one another at a more fundamental level. So that sounds like a podcast. You want to continue to listen to make sure you hit that subscribe button, whether you're watching on YouTube or you're listening on your favorite podcasting platform like Spotify or Apple or I heart radio. And so you get notifications when we drop our episodes most weeks. Today we have a fantastic show for you today. You'll be really excited to be listening to this one. We're going to be exploring festivals, uh, around the world, but primarily in the U. S. I think we're mostly focusing on ones that in the U. S. But we might be focused. We might be talking a little bit about some around the world. Um, burning man, wife carrying championship and exploring many others that you may or may not have heard of. Jacob. He has is a native to South Texas, Texas. Um, although he graduated from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley with a bachelor's degree in marine biology, he has found another passion for cultural anthropology with a Focus on festivals. He is the host and creator of a podcast titled Viva La Festiva podcast, which he explores festivals in the U S and occasionally around the world. And he's getting ready to start his third season of the podcast in January, 2025. And I personally am excited about this podcast because I love festivals. So thanks so much for joining us, Jacob.
Jacob Quijas:Thank you, Vanessa, for having me.
Vanessa:You know, um, I know that the most recent. I think it's gin X. They have a, a slang term for Ohio. I think it's like a derogatory term for Ohio. Like that's so Ohio. I don't really even know what it is, but, um, I lived in Ohio for a year. And one of the reasons I loved living there was because of the festivals. I don't know if you've, um, gone to any Ohio festivals, but they were like 10 every weekend in the fall. It was just, it was. It was, it was wonderful.
Jacob Quijas:Yeah, it's so funny. People could, uh, mention a state and don't, don't quiz me on that, but like most of the time people can mention a state and I could like tell them at least one festival in there. So whenever you said Ohio, I thought of Bach Fest, which I believe happens in either Cincinnati or Cleveland or, uh, Columbus, one of the seas. And yeah, that's, it's the Bach Fest and it's like a huge festival So it's
Vanessa:what is it like the music, the composer Bach?
Jacob Quijas:It's kind of no, uh, it's B O C K, and I think it's more of like a beer fest kind of, uh, festival. Yeah, but they have this really funny pageant where they crown a sausage fest queen, or a sausage queen.
Vanessa:Oh my goodness.
Jacob Quijas:so, very funny.
Vanessa:I was amazed because when we lived there, there's a strong Amish community. So there were several like kind of Amish festivals, but then there was like a marigold festival and a beer festival and a pretzel festival and a chocolate festival and like basically any side. Any type of food, they had a festival for it and I, was like, yes, I am here for this.
Jacob Quijas:Oh, definitely. I definitely think that there is a huge like combination, a huge merge whenever It comes to food and festivals. One, because people might just be super passionate about that food, but also some of these foods have traditional or, um, cultural significance in their culture. Right. So I think that's really cool. I I've debated of on the idea of starting like a segment on part of a, or a separate podcast. That's just about that relationship about food and festivals.
Vanessa:Oh, uh, Yeah.
Jacob Quijas:Yeah.
Vanessa:I would listen to that. Although I, sometimes I find myself not liking listening to food or watching food shows because I'm just hungry. It just makes me really hungry and then you're like exhausted and then you don't want to actually cook.
Jacob Quijas:Right. Especially since a lot of those festival foods are often fried and it's like, maybe I shouldn't indulge.
Vanessa:Exactly. Exactly. Um, okay. So your podcast named talk, talk to us about your podcast. What, how did you get started on this journey?
Jacob Quijas:So you know, I, I always, I discovered at an early age that I'm a big extrovert. Like I, I love crowds of people. I love going to, um, whether that's just like watching a live band perform or running in a 5k or even just going to like a sporting event, even though I'm not really big on sports, like. Being at an actual sporting event is just a lot of fun with me. And so naturally kind of festivals were included in that being, uh, being a part of festivals, exploring them. And, uh, it was one time I went to go volunteer at a pickle festival in New Hampshire. Yeah. And it's funny because some people are often, they hate pickles and some people love pickles, you know? Yeah. and so, and when
Vanessa:love. dill pickles, but I don't like sweet pickles and there's like a huge divide in our family.
Jacob Quijas:Right. Exactly. Yeah. And it's so funny. The people that hate pickles, they're like, absolutely not. Like I have a buddy of mine who, if there's a pickle on his burger, he will not even, he won't take it off and eat it. He'll just not eat the burger. And then you have people that really love pickles, like my cousin who had a pickle themed wedding. So, so yeah, so obviously, um, uh, there's, there's festivals behind that, behind that love. And I went to this pickle festival. And when I was there, there was this man, this older gentleman, and he was wearing like neon green top hat and a suit and a green cane and green shoes, just fully decked out in green. And I was so like, I was so perplexed and captivated by him. I was like, who is this man? And then I find out that he was elected as Mr. Pickle as the master of ceremonies of this festival. And so that kind of brought out this sense of. Like, Oh my gosh, I really got to get the history and the story behind not just this festival, but other festivals that have this kind of strange quirkiness to them.
Vanessa:how did you come up with your name?
Jacob Quijas:Oh, it's so funny. Uh, my wife came up with it. She was sitting right next to me on the couch And I was sitting at my laptop and I knew because I am Mexican American, I knew I wanted to have some kind of part of that of my own culture in it, you know, of Spanish speaking. And so I knew I wanted to have the word Viva cause it's. It's a very beautiful word to me is celebration and it also includes it's in Spanish, you know, and so I kind of played around with that idea. And then my wife just jokingly, she just said it like Viva la festiva. And I looked at her like, that's perfect. So, yeah,
Vanessa:is perfect. And I think I read it wrong. I don't think I said festiva. Okay. I was reading it wrong in my head, but that makes so much more sense to say it that way. Viva la festiva. Okay.
Jacob Quijas:There you go. Yeah, it's, it sounds more lively. Yeah. The more gusto you give into it.
Vanessa:Now, so you're, when I was going through your Instagram account and I saw a lot of, uh, you at different festivals. So. Do you generally do interviews at the festival or will you just bring on, um, people who help organize the festivals? How, how do you, uh, do your interviewing?
Jacob Quijas:Sure. So initially when I thought of the podcast, I thought it would be a really great idea. It'd be super fun because I want to be there and immerse myself in the festival. I, I thought like, yeah, that'd be perfect for me to attend these festivals. And for the first three episodes of my first season, I am at these festivals and. Uh, then I kind of realized because there's so many different ones, it'd be really hard to travel to all of those, but the fact that there were three, like in my immediate area, I think speaks volumes. You know, I think that's something that I want to make known to the listener is that, you know, you, may hear of these beautiful festivals or amazing quirky festivals, like a pickle festival in New Hampshire, but sometimes there's, there's really cool. Uh, festivals just in your own, your own town or your own city. So, um, So, initially I wanted to travel to these festivals and almost be like an Anthony Bourdain type character and, and interview people. Then I, uh, I started playing around with the idea of having virtual interviews. And then I realized that it became easier and I was able to develop more interesting questions. And I also feel like. Doing a live interview was very nerve wracking for me. Like I was very nervous. So being able to do it virtually and being able To edit out my little stutters and all that, it was very beneficial.
Vanessa:I'm Sure. it also, I mean, I think it's, it's hard for everybody, you know, the guests included. To just think of things on the spot, especially when there's so much distraction and simulation that's all around you, which is the case at most festivals. So, I would imagine that interviews at a festival would, would make your questions much, uh, much shorter than your, your, your method now.
Jacob Quijas:Yeah, absolutely. Especially when it came to Bach Fest, I tried to have, I tried to attend that festival and I got in contact with somebody, a point of contact, and they were just like, I think they were just like, look, I, it sounds awesome. This sounds like a really great idea, but you know, during the festival, I'm, you know, we have to coordinate so much, you know, it'd be really hard to fit an interview. And I said, I totally get that. And I, that, that, like you said, I think that might be a benefit to doing a virtual interview. So, Yeah,
Vanessa:Mm hmm. So, uh, you're on your, you're gonna start your third season in January. So what have you learned so far? What surprises, um, have come across your, uh, desk?
Jacob Quijas:sure. Yeah. So the, the big, the big find that I found, and it's such a wholesome heartwarming thing is that every guest that I bring on, whether they're part of the committee, you know, for the festival, or they're the director or the coordinator, Or even just a very passionate volunteer of the festival. I always ask him the same question at the end of the interview. And I said, like, what do you think is your favorite part out of everything that happens, like at here, here, here, here, like, what's your favorite thing about it? And they always say the people and that really just every time they say that I get chills because it, it really. Kind of conveys this idea that, you know, these festivals are for the people, you know, it's to bring people together and to have a great time. You got great food, great music, great traditions. You know, you have someone silly, like Mr. Pickle coming out, but at the same time, another big find is that these silly traditions, like a man dressed in neon green coming out and being. Named Mr. Pickle, those have a lot of similarities to often ancient or traditional festivals when they elected Mr. Pickle, it's almost like a coronation, you know, and something a little bit more ancient, you know, someone being crowned like, uh, like a May queen or something that's a little bit more symbolic. And so I think those are the two big findings is that one, these festivals are. They're for the people as much as they are for the staff and to, um, that, yeah, no, no, regardless if they're silly, kind of seasonal things or revolving around a certain food or theme or something a little bit more ancient and traditional, they have a lot of similarities that, that really, it crosses generations.
Vanessa:I think you might have just answered this question, but my next question was going to be, why do you think festivals are important? Is there anything you want to add to what you just said?
Jacob Quijas:Sure. Yeah. So, um, I, I think one thing I can add to that is just that, uh, You know, there's many benefits these festivals, you know, not only are you having a great time and not only are their staff feeling a great feeling from providing for the community, but it's also for a great way for local businesses to come out and to meet the community, you know, to promote each other and to say, you know, Uh, to realize, Hey, like you, let's say you attend this festival and you meet. Uh, a business, a local small business that's just started and they seem like really great people and they have one of your favorite dishes provided there. Boom. That's a great opportunity for networking and you gain a certain part of your community that you never thought was there. Or, you know, if this is a festival that's revolving around a really niche theme, for an example, um. Like, uh, like the Mothman Festival that happens at the Mothman Museum, you get, you get that certain person that's really into cryptids and really interested, interested in crypto zoology. And so you could, maybe you'll see your coworker there and be like, what? I didn't know you're into cryptids, you know? And so there's a great, a great relationship that is grown, you know, potential networking. So I think that's one of the big reasons why they're, they're important.
Vanessa:Do you have a favorite festival or a festival that really brought out this idea in you?
Jacob Quijas:Sure. So, um, they.
Vanessa:questions.
Jacob Quijas:Right, yeah, but I, I think I got two answers. So, the, my A recent favorite one, and I, I can't really say it's my favorite just yet because I haven't learned everything about it because this is going to be, uh, an interview that I'm going to do next season or the season coming up, but, uh, one that is really kind of like, kind of caught me smiling is the blob fest and That's exactly what it sounds like. It's a festival celebrating the movie, The Blob, and
Vanessa:Mm hmm.
Jacob Quijas:that, occurs, that occurs in Phoenix, uh, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. And the reasons why it's, it's held there is because the famous theater scene that happens in The Blob was actually filmed at that theater in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Right. And so that's like, that's something that's like really funny to be and really cool and they, they really are passionate about it. And so that's something that I really, like, I'm really excited to learn more about. And as far as like a, a more recent, uh, favorite festival. Well, I don't want you to say, uh, recent, I'd say like one that's kind of captivated my, my mind for a while now for a few, ever since I started the podcast is, is Burning Man? festival. That one's just really intrigued me.
Vanessa:And that one, obviously, is one we're going to talk about, so that's a great segue. Um, so you, you have or haven't been to Burning Man?
Jacob Quijas:I've never been to Burning Man. No.
Vanessa:Okay, but is it, it's on your bucket list?
Jacob Quijas:It's definitely on my bucket list. Yes,
Vanessa:Um, okay, So tell us about Burning Man. What is it? Where is it? What is it about? Mm
Jacob Quijas:Bernie man festival is this gargantuan festival that takes place in the Black Rock desert in Nevada, that it never stops for the entire nine days in September. and And, it's just night and day. There's always something going on. And. What I've, I've heard very, uh, various amounts of descriptions, but outside looking in, you see what might, some might say looks like Mad Max, the movie had, the movie Mad Max had a baby with Alice in Wonderland. It's just very trippy. It feels like you're in a new dimension. there's just life and colors surrounded by desolate desert. so it's a nice, it's a nice juxtaposition of the places.
Vanessa:Mm hmm. And there's a big difference between what happens in the day and what happens at the nighttime, Right.
Jacob Quijas:Right. Definitely. You know, in the daytime, from what I understand, uh, there's a lot of, uh, There's a lot of communication between people and then, uh, and just sort of like, um, there's like, for an example, this, it's like a, I believe a chapel or almost like a shrine where people are allowed to go into just mentally reflect on themselves. You know, a little bit more peaceful time and then the nighttime, that's where all the, the, uh, the lights and sounds come out, the loud music, just, it becomes a very lively time and the temperature drops significantly at that time as well. so very, even climate wise, it's, it's a very, I guess, literally night and day difference.
Vanessa:Yeah, you know, I was watching, you sent me a link for a video for Burning Man and I was seeing all these people wearing like, you know, they were wearing costumes, but I was struck with so many of them wearing swimsuits and I was like, how are they not burning and dying? Because, because I'm from Texas, so I know, you know, being exposed to just the 30 minutes You know, shade or cloud cover is excruciating. It can, like, you know, you can get a really bad sunburn. And I just was, like, really concerned for all these people that don't have skin cover, not covered up. Um But, um, anyways, that was one of my first thoughts. Maybe that's just because I'm a mom and I'm always trying to cover, cover up my children from being burned. Um, so what is, what do you think is at the heart of the, the festival? What, um, what is the purpose of Burning Man?
Jacob Quijas:So originally, you know, it was meant to, it was in 1986. It started in 1986 at Baker Beach in San Francisco. And it was meant to symbolize the summer solstice. Uh, because there was this ceremony of burning wooden structures. That was just part of it. And, uh, one of the founders. Kind of, he kind of put his, his own words. He said that it was just a radical way of self expression. And so that's kind of like the, the original, I mean, those words are kind of what is what It's based on. Um, you know, since then it moved from, from San Francisco to Nevada, to the black rock desert, and it officially became a public event in 1996. And when I say it. It's even though it's in Blackrock, uh, Desert, it bec it's so giant that it basically becomes its own city, which they've titled Blackrock city, because there's it really is that big. I believe it even gets like a temporary zip code, and there's also like, you can get mail delivered there during this time, And since then, you know, there are, there have been tons of artists, whether that's sculpture sculptors or mixed media or just musicians, it's really become a great, uh, giant festival for art expression.
Vanessa:And I was really taken aback with, um, the gifting community, right? It's not a barter community, it's a gifting community.
Jacob Quijas:Sure,
Vanessa:bit about that?
Jacob Quijas:sure. Uh, yeah. So from what I understand, a lot of, a lot of stuff is free, you know, there is no exchange of a currency or, or of money. And I think that is, that's become part of the culture. And I think that because a big part of it. Of the full, the philosophy I want to say, or the ideology behind birdie, man is from what I understand is that it's supposed to be like a utopia, you know, and a lot of times people say, well, you know, utopias don't work and utopias don't, they, they don't exist, they can't exist. And. I, some, some Bernie men, uh, people that attend Bernie man or, or also called burners, they, they might, they might agree, they might say, you know what, I think you're right, a utopian society cannot work, but. It could work here and it could work now and for this time being. and so with that, I think that utopian society, that utopia, uh, ideology comes with just giving, you know, and not, not feeling an obligation to receive for what you give.
Vanessa:hmm. Yeah, I was amazed at all the things. I think they said basically you, you have to bring money for water, right? And then, but food is free, um, services, like if your shoes break, they have like people who do shoe repair. There's all, all sorts of services are people just like put up a tent And they offer their services for free, which is just really kind of a beautiful idea.
Jacob Quijas:Right. and it, it kind of, it, another reason why it captivates me is because I would really love to pick someone's brain that has been a part of Burning Man and to ask them why, you know, like, why, why is it that. You know, what, what drives you to just fix people's shoes for free, or, you know, I'm sure you saw there were a lot of bikes because that's like one of the primary ways to get around because it's so big. Um, like what, what drives you to repairs people's bikes or to provide these services for free. And so I do think that's an interesting part of the culture there.
Vanessa:And how has the festival changed since, I mean, you, you said it moved to the desert in 1990, it became public in the desert in 1996, and surely it's gone through some evolutions. Is that, would you, would you say that's correct? Mm-hmm
Jacob Quijas:Sure. Oh, yeah, definitely. I do think that, um, even it's, it's, uh, because it's in the desert, it's definitely evolved on the survival part because that's very important. You know, we want to be sure this is, uh, it's safe as possible. So, um, it has evolved by getting trained. Yeah. Uh, more water available. They've had emergency services that are available, you know, because that's really important, especially if you're out there in the desert. Like you said, it's, it's hot. Um, there's, uh, there's, um, I'm sorry, I'm kind of drawing a blank. Oh, right? So yeah, there's, uh, there's also like these, these assigned roles. Um, there's the, the lamp letters who are these people that kind of light the way they, they light these lights every night before the nighttime comes, which is pretty interesting to me. That's one thing that has come, come, into the, as it's evolved. And then in addition, it's just grown in size, you know, they've, they've, uh, put things in place to kind of make sure to mitigate things like trash. Like I believe they, they included this fence that's supposed to. Block trash from escaping
Vanessa:because of the strong wind, right?
Jacob Quijas:right, because it's a strong wind, but also because they want to be sure they're adopting this, uh, this leave no trace principle, which again, I think that's something that has been adopted by the principle of the or has been adopted by the culture is this live, leave. no trace principle,
Vanessa:And even water, right? You're not supposed to dump your water, uh, before you leave. You're supposed to take what water, uh, you have with you, right? And, and is that because the ground just couldn't handle that amount of water or what?
Jacob Quijas:I believe so. So I yeah. The part of me believes it's because of the ecosystem, you know, even though it is a desolate desert, you might not want to provide water that might have something that could somehow ruin the ecosystem that's below below the surface or and then another part of me believes is that it's probably another part of the utopian kind of you. Uh, culture or idea that it can exist there then and for that time, but then it goes away vanishes because a lot of the structures that they burn throughout Burning Man, they, they, make sure to pick all that up and to totally get it out of here so that this amazing giant festival that pretty much becomes a city could be there exists. And then it's just gone until next year.
Vanessa:And it's like 70, 000 people is, uh, they estimate at one time, right?
Jacob Quijas:Oh yeah. 70, 000. I mean, and some of those people have been there, I'm sure have been there from the beginning and sometimes it's their first time, so it, I'm sure that number changes, but a good amount of it, uh, I'm sure is people that re recur or. Come come back to it.
Vanessa:And I, was, I, when I was researching it, I saw, um, that a lot of celebrities are now being drawn to it. Although, uh, they send people out to set up tent for them before they get there. And then they, they only could stay for like the last couple of days. So they, they're not as filthy and dirty as a lot of the other people who have been there, for a week who haven't been able to shower except for with wet wipes. Um,
Jacob Quijas:I do think that like many different people come with a different kind of plan or mindset. I have heard of people showing up with their half a million dollar RVs, you know, the or their house on wheels and pulling up and they probably take a hot shower every night. And I'm sure there's also people who just sleep in a little tent and hopefully the sandstorm doesn't blow it away. And so I, and I think that comes to what people are wanting to get out of the festival. So like you said, sometimes those celebrities, they might just want to come and enjoy the, just being there to say they've been there and to enjoy some music for a couple of days and then get out of there. And then some people want the full force of the desert against them.
Vanessa:Yeah. Which, you know, in the videos, it was kind of crazy. I mean, you think of the desert, but then you forget, I think, a lot of times that there's these sandstorms and those to be a very regular occurrence. Is that, I don't know
Jacob Quijas:sure
Vanessa:that's like a daily occurrence or I don't know. Do you know?
Jacob Quijas:No, I'm not sure about, uh, how, how many times I do know it's, it's common, but not just sandstorms, but just like if there's not sand, it could just be wind. That's that's hurt. Yeah, right. And I think even even rain last year was a problem, which you wouldn't think rain in the desert would be a problem. But yeah, sometimes that happens as well.
Vanessa:Interesting. So it rained a lot last year?
Jacob Quijas:Right. Yeah. I think some people got stranded out there because maybe they were in their vehicles and they couldn't, they couldn't get out of the mud, I suppose.
Vanessa:Yeah, I'm sure my Children, the first question they would ask is, where's the quicksand?
Jacob Quijas:Oh, yeah, I didn't think about that.
Vanessa:Um, so speaking of children, do you know, um, I, I think that they have an area that's called Kidsville. Is that something you know about?
Jacob Quijas:uh, I'm, I'm not aware of that, but I do know that because, uh, you know, cause I, I honestly, I don't think, uh, you know, personally and to each of their own, you know, I'm not a parent, so I wouldn't know, but like, I think I would, I would feel a little, a little worried if I had my child out in that, unless I had one of those half, you know, half a million dollar RVs out there or just a really. Safe space for him or him or her. So, um, when it comes to children, I I don't really think of Burning Man is a very, uh, child friendly place, but you know, if they do have a kid area that that'd be very, I'm sure because they have a medical, um, emergency services of that, that seems like a really safe place. And then I do know that because it's so big, I guess, you know, the. There could be, I don't see why not. There couldn't be an area just, you know, for safe, uh, safe area for kids and for families. So,
Vanessa:Mhm. Yeah. I mean, I didn't, I just came across it that there was a kidsville area that is specifically for families with Children. Uh, so I thought that was interesting because you, you think of burning man is just for like kind of younger adults, but evidently, you know, older people go as well. Like the people you said, burners who've been there since like the beginning, um, they've been, I mean, What is that 90 from 86 or 96? Yes, depending on when you're considering it. That's 20 years 30 years ago Oh my goodness
Jacob Quijas:Right. And I mean, some of those people that they, they return, they almost feel like it's and this is, this is true across many different cultures and many different festivals that. Some of these people that, that are returning burners, they almost feel like it's a necessity, you know, or it's therapeutic, you know, and it's almost like a mental checkup to attend this festival. So, you know, these people it's, I think maybe they are introduced to it as a young adult, but you know, I don't think it's limited to just them. I think as they get older, sometimes they could even meet more to them when they're, when they're becoming older.
Vanessa:hmm and you know, it's interesting after you know watching the video you you had sent to me and which will link up on on The show notes, uh, so people can watch it as well. I had never really considered going to burning man. Cause for me, I just thought it was like kind of like a sex and drug festival where people are just, you know, it's a free for all. And from what I've understood, yes, there are some. Uh, there's some drugs, but there are some, there are a lot of undercover cops, but they uh, so they don't, it's not going around freely, um, and people are walking around naked because it's allowed, but it's, it's a lot, there's a lot more to it than just, uh, there being free sex and not free sex, but you know, sex tense, I guess.
Jacob Quijas:very prevalent. Right. And that kind of goes back to what I said before, you know, because I think you're right. Like, there definitely is a drug culture and that's that's seen, uh, not just in Burning Man, but a lot of music festivals, at least from my experience, whenever I look up festivals, a lot of times the music ones, there is a little bit of a rave culture with it. Which includes drugs and, uh, but I think going back to what I said, that it's so big that I think that, you know, um, there's. There's ways to kind of be separate from that You know, um, like I said, during the daytime, there is like certain areas of reflection, like the, the chapel I had mentioned, or, um, just fun and games that you could do, uh, I think in that video that I sent you, there were like people bowling, there are people having like these little stick fights, you know, and stuff like that. So I do think there, there's something for everybody that. Um, to the point where it might be there, you know, this drug and sex culture, but you know, it doesn't have to be, you know, included in your experience.
Vanessa:What do you think that people need to understand about Burning Man that isn't necessarily understood by outsiders? Can
Jacob Quijas:needs to be understood is that this is something that is more than just a festival. Uh, I have a friend of mine that actually went this past year and it was her first one, and while she was there, she experienced like some ups and downs. Uh, yet at the end of it all, she knew she was going to attend next year. Like she knows for a fact she's going to go next year because regardless of those ups and downs, she, uh, I think she saw it as a rewarding experience. And I also think because, uh, she and many others go in with a sense of surrendering themselves to the elements and open mindedness. And I know that sounds a little scary at first, but, uh, if we just think about it for a bit. This is a festival where someone could come with their struggles in mind and mental turmoil and, uh, or just the complete opposite, just a complete, uh, enamor, enamor, um, admiration for life in general. And they can come out of this festival with a new. Uh, mindsight or a new love for themselves or just be a, a new, uh, invigorated person with incredible personal growth. And I think that's always a good thing.
Vanessa:talk about the name of Burning Man? Because, you know, the name is Burning Man, but I didn't realize that they did so much, like, burning of all the structures, which I, you can, you can talk about it.
Jacob Quijas:Sure. So in, in the center of black rock city, this, this, the city that. Is the, the festival, um, they have the burning man and I believe at the end of it, it, and by it's, it's not an actual man, it's a giant wooden structure that is shaped of a man, excuse me. And, um, they, at the end of it, at the end of the festival, they burn it and I've seen footage of this happen and it looks, it's, it looks like such. A manifestation of human energy. It just looked like you'd look at the crowd of people watching this burning fest, this burning man structure fall and just go up in flames and fall to the ground. And you look at everybody in the crowd and you can tell that some people they're just reflecting. And that's often something that happens throughout traditions and cultures whenever it comes to fire in general, which I think is huge symbolism. I mean, how many times do you gather around a campfire when you're going camping and you just share stories and it becomes a very, very, wholesome event? I mean, sharing stories around the campfire, that's like Right. so so I think that that's, that's the big thing of, of this Burning man is just this, this moment where thousands and thousands of people are just, you can tell there's a story behind all of them. They're all going through some kind of reflection. Some are cheering, some are crying, some are happy, you know, some are just like, just. Just enamored with this fire and it just holds a significance to each And every one of them. So I think that's, that's very, very interesting.
Vanessa:And it's different than the temple you were talking about, right? The Burning Man is not the, the temple.
Jacob Quijas:Right. The temple and I, I'm sure I have the name of it somewhere. Let me pull it up real quick. Uh, the temple, what was it? So the. The Temple of Direction, and that was a name that I had come across in the video I'd sent you, and I'm not sure if that's always the name of the temple, or if that changes throughout the year, so that's something I would want to look into. I've seen the, the friend of mine that had gone this last year, and I've seen pictures that she's shared with, of the Temple of Direction, and inside there's So many things that have so much significance to everybody. Like some people will put a picture of their loved one. Some people will write on, on notes, like, you know, whatever they're going through, whether that's just, uh, any kind of mental turmoil or anything that's significant to them, they will just write it. It's just a place where you can just get all your inner thoughts just out. You know, and just any kind of mental struggle or inner inner disturbance that you have, it's just a place that you could reflect and direct your way into a new mentality, you know, so that's, that's something that was different.
Vanessa:Yeah. I, I really found that quite beautiful because a lot of people would bring, you know, someone who, a picture of someone kind of, it reminded me, kind of, of the, um, the Mexican tradition of the, a Renda for the Day of the Dead. And it was just kind of a way to honor them. And I, and I, and, and at the end, it the whole. Temple is burned to the ground as well. Just Like all the other wooden structures in, in the, uh, burning man. And, and it's, it's just supposed to be symbolic of letting go, right. Of releasing them.
Jacob Quijas:And I think that you just brought up a great point. I mean, even in, in the Mexican culture, you know, with the ofrenda and Dia de los Muertos, like, it's just, Uh, there's similarities between these traditions, whether that's something that was started in the eighties to something that's been going on for centuries, you know so it's, it's, it's really beautiful.
Vanessa:Yeah. Well, is there anything else we need to know before we move on to our next, next
Jacob Quijas:Noah. No, I, I think we covered a good amount of it. Yeah.
Vanessa:Alright, cool. Um, alright, the next one is quite a funny one, and I've heard of this one before, but I didn't know very much about it. The Wife Carrying Championship. Uh, which sounds totally made up, but obviously it's real, so tell us about it.
Jacob Quijas:Right. So the, you know, I think that we need to establish that even though it's a championship, it is a festival, like it is a sporting event, like festival where people gather and they have a great time. But yeah, so the wife carrying championship, it arranged, so I might butcher some Finnish words here, but it originated in a, yeah, it originated in a small town called sunk, uh, sunk a Jarvee. In Finland in 1992, all, uh, well, that's, that's when the championship started in 1992 and, and it became a, it came to the, to the West in 1999, where it's also, they compete in Maine as well. Like, it's like a separate one though. It's not like, yeah, it's not the Finnish one.
Vanessa:And why, why? Why do they carry women in
Jacob Quijas:Right. Exactly. Yeah, that's, that's one of the reasons why I had to look into it as well. Yeah. So, uh, this, this, this festival is inspired by a folktale about, uh, there's person who can get the name here. And again, I'm going to, I'm going to butcher some of these, some of these words. Uh, but we have this 19th century legend of Herco Roseville, Ron Kynan, and. Or he also went by Ron Kynan, the robber,
Vanessa:Mhm.
Jacob Quijas:so, so there's been, there's been many different, uh, interpretations of why, what, what does Ron Kynan, the robber have to do with, uh, with carrying wives, you know, and, but some of the stories that I would hear that I've come across is that, you know, if you wanted to be a part of Of Ron Kynan's crew, like they thought, Oh, a great way for me to train, to be one of his robbers is instead of carrying a bunch of stuff, how about I carry my wife and just like go through a bunch of obstacles and like, that'll be a, be a great way to prove myself. Like, yeah, like I could, I could be a great robber, which is kind of strange. But, uh, then, then there's, there's another story where it was about, uh, Ron Kynan himself, where he fell in love with somebody. And, but the father didn't approve. And so he said, well, forget that I'm going to, it's going to steal her. And so, so he just takes off with, with the, the wife. And so I guess each competitor is run kind of the robber in that situation. And. And then lastly, this, this last story is kind of funny. It's almost like a tax evasion strategy that was kind of cooked up where, um, like Ron Kynan was, was trying to get away with all this stolen stuff that he had stolen some gold, silver, And just stuff that he stole and he had it in the sack and he was running away. And when the Tlax, the tax collectors found him, he was like, Oh no, this isn't, this isn't stolen stuff. This is my wife. And they were like. Okay. And he just goes off. And so that's, that's the very funny story. Those are, those are some of the, the reasons of why this festival started. Yeah. So it's either you want to be part of his crew, you want to be him, or it's just a tax evasion way. So, so they, they compete in one of these ways to,
Vanessa:And it's like an obstacle course, right?
Jacob Quijas:Yes. It's an obstacle course that I believe changes every, every year and it's, it's gotta be safe. So there, there, it looks a little like scary from what I've seen. I mean, if regardless, if you're the one carrying your wife or you're the wife being carried, uh, you're going through some muddy waters and some going under things and over obstacles. So yeah, it's an obstacle course.
Vanessa:And how, how are the wives being carried?
Jacob Quijas:So there's, there's, uh, there's different techniques, you know, like, I think like, you know, you're thinking about your traditional, I don't know what to call it, like Shaggy and Scooby Doo, like what I'm thinking of is when Shaggy's carrying Scooby Doo like that, uh, I actually found out that there's like this, this special technique that, um, that like the champion, the reoccurring champion, there's this one guy that he wins like every year over there in Finland where, yeah, it's, it's like, Yeah. You're pretty much hugging, hugging your wife upside down and running like that. And I think they're also using their legs to kind of like wrap around here So that you have your arms that are free. And so you can run, but I think
Vanessa:the wife is on the back with the legs around the neck, is that
Jacob Quijas:no, no, I think that, well, there's, there's, many different ways, but one of the, like the top winning ways is to be in the front. Yeah. So
Vanessa:Oh.
Jacob Quijas:Yeah. So I can, I can only imagine like being a wife, like just. Not annoying, being completely upside down and like hoping your husband is fast enough to run. But of course there's, there's many different ways you can do the piggyback, which I think that would be the most practical, but to each their own,
Vanessa:Uh huh. and what if you're not married? Can you still compete?
Jacob Quijas:I believe. Yes. Oh, actually, that's a good question. I, I wanted, I felt confidently about saying that you, but that might be one of the rules.
Vanessa:think, no, I think it actually, I think you're right. It is that it doesn't have to be your wife. It just has to
Jacob Quijas:Oh, a partner. Okay. There you go. Okay.
Vanessa:I don't know if they have gender rules.
Jacob Quijas:Yeah. I'm not, I'm not sure either
Vanessa:That would be, that would be interesting because that would probably come up soon.
Jacob Quijas:eventually. Right. Exactly.
Vanessa:Um, and then is there a prize? Is there a reason people are competing for this? It's just, just for like,
Jacob Quijas:So there, there is a prize. There is a monetary prize. Uh, So, um, but I, I'm convinced that I would feel funny enough and like uh, almost like a sense of honor to win just in general, like, of no prize, but there is a prize, uh, there is a monetary, there's a cash prize and it's, uh, five times your wife's weight in cash. So. Right. Yeah, exactly.
Vanessa:So in those instances, you really want your wife to weigh a lot more.
Jacob Quijas:Right. And, and there's another prize. So it's also the cash, the monetary prize, but also you get your wife's weight in beer. So,
Vanessa:Wow.
Jacob Quijas:so, yeah.
Vanessa:That's a lot of beer.
Jacob Quijas:Yeah. A lot of beer and a lot of cash. Yeah. So those are, those are, but like, like, like I said, I just think like I would just want a trophy to say like, yeah, I got first place in this wife care. That'd be enough for me, you know,
Vanessa:when I was watching a couple of videos of this, it seemed like these people were athletes. Like they didn't seem like, you know, you're like next door neighbor that is frumpy, like they are true athletes. So is there like divisions for like people who aren't necessarily like.
Jacob Quijas:Yeah, I believe so. I believe there are different leagues. I think they even have one for children where you just, the children are just racing an obstacle course race, you know, because I'd imagine if you're at this event. And you're, even if you're not, like, you could just see the joy in it and you could be like, you know what, I want to give this a shot, you know, so I could imagine anybody just wanted to be a part of it. So I'm sure they, they, they have to have some kind of separate league. That's just like, you know, have at it, you know, but you're, you're totally right. They do like some of these athletes are there in it. And that's what I think is so cool is that they're so passionate about it. You know, again, the, the great thing about festivals is that these. Or championships is that these, these people come out with this, like, that's what they train for. They really are into it.
Vanessa:Now, are there other things that are happening around the festival besides just the obstacle course? Are there, like, bands and things?
Jacob Quijas:Sure. Yep. Yep. So it does have like a lot of your milestone, uh, festival kind of stuff that happens. Um, you have the live music, the food, uh, there, there was this kind of, I don't know if it's unique to this festival or if it's. Most finish festivals or, or what, but they do have this one dessert. And again, I'm going to butcher the name and this is a really hard one. I might just have to like, send it to you, but, um, it's, it's called Moorin pole, Moorin pole gelatin. I'm not sure there's a lot of vowels in there,
Vanessa:I know. I know.
Jacob Quijas:Yeah, but from what I understand, it's like a almost like a chocolatey crepe that they have there. And like I said, I don't know if that's unique to that festival or if that's just a similar to us like we have here in the U. S. we have like, deep fried Oreos, you know, which I'm sure makes other people's heads spin.
Vanessa:Mm hmm. Yes. It's Go ahead.
Jacob Quijas:Yeah, I was, there's also, uh, an after party that happens after after the, this one in Finland, in Finland that
Vanessa:Oh, cool.
Jacob Quijas:Yeah. So it's just like a fun way to just celebrate, you know, the, almost like a closing ceremony kind of thing.
Vanessa:Uh huh. Going back to the, the festival foods, you know, I always think of funnel cakes. And, um, recently, I have an eight year old son who's in, um, elementary school. And I asked him, what did you have for breakfast? And he said, we had mini funnel cakes. And I was like, what?! You're at, you ate in the cafeteria. And I was like, you had a mini funnel cake for breakfast? And he was like, Yeah, it was really good. I was like, yeah!
Jacob Quijas:Oh yeah, for sure. I mean, all that fried stuff is, oh man. And. That's, there's even a festival, I, I'm not sure where it's at, where it's just about fried stuff. So, and it doesn't surprise me how, how, uh, fried stuff and festivals, that's another combination. That's pretty great.
Vanessa:the Texas State Festival, which I've actually don't think I've ever been to which I don't know what this is about me as a Texan, but, um, they are pretty famous for all the things that they fry, like every year, someone else comes with up with a new thing that is fried, right?
Jacob Quijas:Oh yeah, from, I've seen Snicker Bars, Oreo Cookies, Twinkies, I think I've seen like fried Butter,
Vanessa:Yes! That's one of the ones that came up recently, Fried Butter, Oh my gosh, that sounds
Jacob Quijas:oh my goodness,
Vanessa:My three year old would die and go to heaven. Last Thanksgiving, we found, like, he was at the child's table and at one point we turned and he had a whole stick of butter on a fork. And he was just eating the butter. I was like, oh my gosh!
Jacob Quijas:that's incredible,
Vanessa:Yeah, yeah, he didn't die.
Jacob Quijas:great, good,
Vanessa:I can't talk about his arteries right now, but you know.
Jacob Quijas:eh, he'll run it off,
Vanessa:Yeah, I've actually recently had fried Oreos at a sushi restaurant and I didn't know how I would like it but I thought it was really yummy because it really melts the cream inside and Man, it was really good.
Jacob Quijas:I mean, I've probably talked about fried Oreos two or three times in my, in my talking here. So I, I love Oreos already. So the fact that they're deep fried is like, Oh, yeah,
Vanessa:Yeah okay, so but it's in other places besides Finland, right you said in Maine is are there other ones around the world or do you know
Jacob Quijas:not, not that I know of, I believe. Oh, yeah. Kind of going, going back to the prizes. Uh, the, the one in Maine, if you were to win that one, I believe you actually win A ticket to compete in the Finland one So that's pretty cool.
Vanessa:wow. So the Finland one is like the top, the tippy top.
Jacob Quijas:Right. Yeah. I believe like the one in Finland is like the world. Cause it's like international. Yeah. It's the international world, uh, wife championship. So, yeah. So if you get to win in the North American one, they send you out there.
Vanessa:Man, okay, all these festivals I need to go to now. I bet when you're doing all these interviews, you're like, Okay, well that's the next festival I need to go to. That's the next festival. How are you not buying all the plane tickets?
Jacob Quijas:Yes, I, there are so many festivals that I would love to attend to just because I've heard about them from the directors, you know, even, I mean, a lot of these festivals, I don't really have like a huge passion for the theme, but just to be immersed in that culture is so interesting to me, like the blob fest, I haven't seen the blob, but I would know that I would have a great time just going There you know, I'm actually, yeah, I'm actually interviewing somebody, uh, next month for, It's called the, what the, fluff festival in, uh, Massachusetts and get it. It's a festival for the fluff, like the marshmallow fluff that's in the jar.
Vanessa:Oh,
Jacob Quijas:Yeah, it's Yeah, it's a festival celebrating that because it was created there in summer Somersville, um, Massachusetts. Yeah. And so I'm like, I don't even, I don't even really care for marshmallows, but I would love to go to that event.
Vanessa:Yeah. How fun. There was a festival I read about recently. Wow. I think it might have been Massachusetts or Maine. I don't know. One of those M states, um, my geography of the Northeast is really poor. Uh, and they they, um, had a sculpture of butter, like face sculptures. Have you heard of this?
Jacob Quijas:Yes. Oh, I know exactly what you're talking about. Oh my goodness. I've come across it
Vanessa:and they have like a refrigerated room where they keep all of the butter, uh, sculptures and they have like famous people,
Jacob Quijas:Okay. Yeah. I've definitely, I've definitely heard about that. I'm not sure if it's, if it's, yeah, you're definitely right. You're in the right region. I want to say it was in either Massachusetts or, or Indiana. One of those. Yeah. I, cause I know, cause I was in the same state, so
Vanessa:hmm. It was one of your states.
Jacob Quijas:Right. Yeah. So, um, it's, it's, what's really funny and you could try this. It's, and this is what I do whenever I research for my podcast is I pick a word.
Vanessa:Mm hmm.
Jacob Quijas:And then I add the word festival at it and I Google that, and I usually like nine out of 10 times I get something. So whether that's Butter, The Blob, I've come across a festival about a Whirly gig, which I didn't know what Whirly gigs were, but that's a, that's a thing.
Vanessa:Oh, are those those toys that like go round and round?
Jacob Quijas:from what I understand, they're almost like a, like a, like a, Um, like a, almost like a windmill type thing, like, like a wind decoration. Yeah,
Vanessa:Oh, yes.
Jacob Quijas:So that occurs in North Carolina, right? Yes. So that occurs in North Carolina. So if you ever think about something that you love, just. Put that word and the word festival next to it and boom, you might find your, your next place you need to go to.
Vanessa:Your next festival.
Jacob Quijas:Yes. Yeah. So that's, that's a lot of fun. It's, it's, it's really surprising what you could find out there.
Vanessa:how, funny. Um, so have you, what festivals from other countries have you looked at?
Jacob Quijas:Sure. So actually this past weekend was the world body painting festival, and that's a really beautiful festival that happens in Austria. And, um, that festival is about, um, artists who paint. People as their canvas. So there, and they, they use not just paint, but they also use certain, um, I guess you call them prosthetics or like just special effects to make them, to make them just use really beautiful pieces. And, uh, they, they have.
Vanessa:like how, I keep seeing all these pictures of what look like an animal. But really, they're like, They're a, a, a human who is like completely painted And, a lot of times it's like two people together like I saw chameleon and it was like it was like two People on lying on top of one another and like the way that they were painted. Is that what they're doing or is it different?
Jacob Quijas:Sure, So that's, that's definitely a part of it. And then, um, but they also add like, um, like certain almost like a, like a, I guess you'd call it like latex kind of additives, just try to think of like one of the, like a movie with a lot of practical effects, like, um, Like pans labyrinth, you know, like, like the, the special effects that they do there with the makeup. So like that, they really make these people into creatures or to certain like deities. And so, And each, each year they have a theme. And so, um, I've covered that one. Uh,
Vanessa:one?
Jacob Quijas:That one's in Austria
Vanessa:Austria Okay.
Jacob Quijas:and yeah, they just had this past weekend. They had their, their, their, uh, that, that happened this past weekend. Uh, I've done a couple in Australia. I did one over cheese, which was fun. um, the lady I spoke to it, I was, I was talking to her. And then as the interview went on, it became, I was more and more honored to speak to her because she became, first of all, she like started cheese making She like bought a cheese making factory. Just like, just like, cause she felt like it. And then she started making cheese and now she's like one of the world judges for the like global cheese contest. And I'm like wow. like I can't believe I'm talking to you right now.
Vanessa:Yeah, that's amazing.
Jacob Quijas:right. And then, uh, there was another one in Australia that I covered. It was about. Steampunk, so there's a big steampunk festival that happens in, in Australia and it happens in this small town. And when this festival occurs, those two days that the festival happens, it makes the economy there makes more money than it makes in like a whole year. So it's like a huge economical boost.
Vanessa:Mm hmm.
Jacob Quijas:international? So I've also covered the three wishes, fairy festival, which is a fairy festival in, uh, in the UK. And that one sounds like a lot of fun too. And there's, there's a big culture there when it comes to fairies as well. So there's yeah. So I really liked the international ones. they really bring an outside perspective.
Vanessa:Yeah, tell us about the Three Wishes Fairy Festival. Is it, is it like, like, fairy godmothers, or like, that's what I was thinking, because, you know, fairy godmothers like to give wishes, or I don't know what they
Jacob Quijas:Yeah. So this is, this is one of the festivals that I would personally like to go to as well. Uh, and it's, it's, it's, uh, these people, they, they really feel a connection to, to fairies, you know, and so they adopt this, this persona where they're a fairy and, uh, a lot of these fairy people, they, they adopt a certain theme. Like I know a fairy that's all about dreams. I know a fairy that's all about bubbles. And that's pretty cool too, because they often pick something that they're very passionate about and just make it their fairy persona. So that's really cool. So at these festivals or this one, the three wishes fairy festival, it's just a very magical, it's, it sounds exactly how you think, like just. Tons of people spreading cheer, you know, and I think that's a big part of fairies in general is just that they're known for being something that brings cheer, right? So
Vanessa:In today's lore. Not in old lore.
Jacob Quijas:today's lore. Yeah, very, very, very, uh, sugar coated for
Vanessa:Right. Yes.
Jacob Quijas:Yes, though, then this is one that I'd really like to go to, uh, they, the hostess, or the, the person I was, I was, um, Her name is Karen K. She's a very lovely lady. She's, uh, she's whenever you talk to her, uh, in addition, she seems like a very bubbly, just cheerful person. And so I think that's something that really appear appeals to people that are very cheerful is just this three wishes, very festival and it's award winning, like it's, it's, it wins awards over there in UK as being one of the, uh, very, a very fun festival.
Vanessa:Oh, so another one to put on the bucket list. I see. Um, talk to us about some of the other ones. You said there was a mermaid festival?
Jacob Quijas:Sure. So, yeah. Um, so. I think this kind of touches on something else that's really interesting is that whenever you think of mermaids or whenever you think of fairies, you also think of of, of mythical creatures. Similar to like, uh, like mermaids, you know, um, some other ones are like, uh, like orcs or goblins or I guess if you wanna consider a wizard, a creature, but like mythical people, these fan, uh, fantasy based creatures or people. And, um, some of the, I think humans, we feel, uh, certain. Just captivation with some of these creatures, like for an example, the, the mermaids, you know, I think some people just really love mermaids. And So they, they. They become them at this Florida mermaid festival. It happens in the, at the Weekee Wachee Springs state park in Florida. And from what I understand, just like those fairies that adopt a certain theme, like a bubbles fairy or a dreams fairy, I believe mermaids as well. They, they adopt a certain type of mermaid and it really just, I think it, it really allows them to bring out who they, what they love and who they are or who they are inside.
Vanessa:You know, there is a mermaid festival here in Texas.
Jacob Quijas:Oh, really?
Vanessa:in, um, San Marcos
Jacob Quijas:Oh, wow.
Vanessa:Yeah, because there used to be an entire, so San Marcos, for those who are not from Texas, is a small city, although it's growing, um, in between Austin and San Antonio. So Austin and San Antonio are about, from north to south, is about an hour from one another, so. It's really midway, um, and there used to be these, like, shows that they would have where, like, people dressed up as mermaids and did, like, these underwater shows with a pig. I'm I never saw it, but I heard a story about this famous pig that did, like, these water shows with these women who had, like, Um, air bubbles, They, would breathe in air somehow and do these shows. They don't do the shows anymore, I, I, believe, but they, do do a parade and they've deemed themselves like the mermaids.
Jacob Quijas:Wow.
Vanessa:And it's all in part to do with keeping the rivers clean because we have a lot of, uh, Texas rivers and, you know, with pollution, a lot of the rivers, uh, start getting polluted and so I think it's a conservation effort, um, to help keep the Texas rivers clean.
Jacob Quijas:right. So I think that's really cool that there's a Mermaid Festival in Texas and there's a Mermaid Festival in Florida. And that just goes to show doesn't matter which coast you're on. There's a community there you know,
Vanessa:Um, okay. Oh, a Krampus Festival. You, you mentioned there was a Krampus Festival, which I, I, I love this. Um, the Krampus character is so interesting.
Jacob Quijas:Yes, definitely. So yeah, the Krampus Festival occurs in, uh, the Austrian Alps, like the, the state of Tyrol in Austrian Alp. And that's, that's one that I'm trying to get. Uh, a guest or someone to be, to, to interview me when it comes to getting an international guest, uh, it's sometimes there's a communication barrier that I have to kind of, kind of lunge across, but sometimes those, those other countries or States, they have like a, a tourist department that I can kind of get in touch with. So Krampus festival, but I came across this one through Instagram, uh, through my. My, my, uh, Viva La Festiva Instagram. And I was just going through, cause my algorithm's all about festivals on that one. So I come across a lot of strange, cool ones. And I just see like a parade of these creepy characters. Like, you know, they're all going down the street
Vanessa:Well, tell us what Krampus is because some people may not know who Krampus is.
Jacob Quijas:sure. So Krampus from what I understand is like the, the evil Santa Claus, I guess is like, uh, um, A, I don't want to really say a cryptid, but like a folktale of tall tale kind of a creature that I think the parents used to kind of scare the children into behaving, you know, so maybe our equivalent of the boogeyman or something. Yeah, so, so. I guess this festival celebrates that, you know, kind of embracing the, uh, the spookiness or the, the cautiousness of, of, of Krampus.
Vanessa:And does it happen around Christmas?
Jacob Quijas:Uh, I'm not entirely sure, uh, but I would think so. I think, I think it does because from what I've seen, it's definitely winter for sure.
Vanessa:Because I think that the folktale is like he comes around Christmas time.
Jacob Quijas:that's right.
Vanessa:Um, and maybe he leaves Cole. I don't know. I'm going to have to have a guess on to talk about Krampus now because
Jacob Quijas:Yeah, definitely. know that, Yeah, that'd be a really good one for you to do.
Vanessa:huh.
Jacob Quijas:That'd be really fun.
Vanessa:Last year I did Christmas, this year Krampus. So if you, if someone has a guest, give me a shout out. I need, I need someone to come talk to
Jacob Quijas:you go.
Vanessa:Um, okay, one of the other ones that you mentioned is Wren Fairs. And I am a huge fan of, uh, renaissance festivals. And I've been to Two in Texas, uh, and then one in Pennsylvania, and one in Maryland. And those are the only ones I've been to, but I know that people, like some people, will travel around the world, around the U. S. I don't know if run festivals are a thing in the, in Europe, um, and like try and visit some of the, the better ones. So tell us, tell us about what run festivals are and
Jacob Quijas:sure. Yes, definitely. Ren fairs are really interesting to me because they're kind of like you're stepping into a new world. You know, um, you meet people that are totally enamored with the, uh, with, with the lifestyle, with the environment. I mean, that's why there's, I mean, even in movies and. Stories and every media, you do see some kind of fantasy world involved in it, whether it's video games or any other media. And so Ren Fairs are really an opportunity for you to kind of immerse yourself in that world. Uh, I spoke to the director of the Festival of Legends, which is, uh, I mean, he says it's a fairy festival that's also combined with a Ren Fair. Um, yeah, it's, it's like he says it's huge and that these people, what did he say exactly? It's like, you're stepping into a time that never has been, but it, it's, it's here now, you know, like it's, it's, this never existed, but it really should. And it's here now. And so, um, these rent fairs are just a great opportunity for people, like for the fairy community to come out, their mermaid community come out. Uh, I know people that even like the, the orcs or the goblins, even the less loved creatures, they like to dress up as that because they feel, they feel a, uh, identity with them and want to come out like that. So, so those are a lot of
Vanessa:Festival even has one weekend that is superheroes, which I have zero idea how that has anything to do with super Renaissance Festival. But like, there's a weekend that's dedicated to superheroes. So people like dress up as superheroes. And then one year I kept seeing people dressed up as a mushroom, like you know, the mushrooms that you see in. And inevitably it's like a. You know, mushroom core, there's like a whole sub category of people who just, I, I don't really understand. I, I had to, I had to look it up, but I really still didn't understand what was happening, but there were a lot of people dressed up as a mushroom.
Jacob Quijas:it's really funny that I mean, even mushrooms, there's plenty of mushroom festivals. I'm actually going to be interviewing somebody from the Santa Cruz mushroom festival pretty soon here. So there's definitely communities for everything. Like I said, just put what you love, put the next, put the word festival next to it and. There you go
Vanessa:And so why would, why would you suggest people who don't necessarily go to festivals how would you convince them that it's something that they need to try out? Okay. Okay. Okay.
Jacob Quijas:question, but you know, Christmas, we celebrate it. You know, people that celebrate Christmas, they celebrate it in their home. You know, there's no central Christmas place where you go, you know, it's not, okay, we're going to celebrate Christmas. We all go here. Some people celebrate Christmas in their own way. You know, I know somebody that would celebrate Christmas. Uh, it was their tradition to get a pizza every Christmas Eve. Like that was their tradition. So everyone has their own unique way of celebrating Christmas or a tradition or a festival. Right. So, um, it's. I would say if people are hesitant about going to a festival, you might be able to find a festival that kind of is right for you. Like I said, there's even ways for you to be a part of a festival in your own home, or just by yourself, simply with the use of social media. For an example, Pokemon Go Fest is a big festival that happens, but And there is centralized areas, but you could be a part of the festival by taking a picture, uh, with your phone, like, Oh, Hey, I'm celebrating Pokemon go fast. Like I'm outside and you could put it on social media and the, the event organizers will post you up online, you know? So you could be a part of the festival without actually being there, you know? Yeah. And so there's also tons of festivals. that are a little bit more smaller, you know, for your certain community or for your, your, your own little niche that you're, you're interested in, you know, so, um, and I think those could often be a very rewarding experience, not just with understanding your community, but getting to know local businesses and just getting some fresh air. You know, a lot of these festivals are just. Outdoors, great day. They're on the weekend for a reason, you know, so, because they want you to just go out and get some fresh air. And sometimes you could discover something that you're own, that you're passionate about.
Vanessa:Mm hmm. And you mentioned earlier that you are drawn to festivals because you're an extrovert, but I would also say that introverts can find a lot of things in festivals because you don't actually have to interact with a lot of people. I think you could sit on a bench, And watch people walk by and be very entertained, especially that's one of the things I love about. Rin festivals is that you don't have to do anything. You can just sit there and watch people walk by and you will be entertained all day long.
Jacob Quijas:Oh, very true. Very true.
Vanessa:Um, well, thank you so much for joining us. Is there anything that we didn't talk about. that you really wanted to cover?
Jacob Quijas:Uh, no, I think, I think we did a pretty good job. I think we had fun.
Vanessa:Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I, I'm, I have a love for festivals if you can't tell. So this is, this is very fun for me. Um, and you've given me a lot of festivals that now I have to add on my bucket list. Um,
Jacob Quijas:Yes. Oh, I guess, I guess one, one thing. One thing I just want your listeners to, to just really, uh, really do is make an effort to find festivals in your area. So that's something I kind of bring up in my podcast is at the end, I say, you know, check out your area. You know, sometimes just your neighborhood will have a festival you know, of some sort. It might be small, it might just be a little cookout, but a lot of those, um, or even your, your city, go to your city, um, your visitor centers. And a lot of cities. They want to have festivals because they want to grow the community, because I think they identify, they understand the benefits of having a close knit community, whether that's a city, a town or a big metropolis area. So I think I really want your listeners to just make an effort to go out and just Google festivals in my area and see what's around and you might be surprised.
Vanessa:Yeah, like we have a festival that's coming up. It's a monarch butterfly festival because we're entering into monarch butterfly season. Many people in South and Central Texas are familiar with the butterfly migration. And I think they talk a lot about like the education of, of butterflies, but also how they tag the butterflies to see how far they go. Um, and so it was kind of like a a citizen science, uh, festival, but it's very small and you know, it's, so it's, it's, it's not allowed over stimulating one. So there, there's a festival for everyone.
Jacob Quijas:Definitely.
Vanessa:And where can people find you
Jacob Quijas:Sure. So my first, or my podcast Viva La Festiva podcast can be found on all of the major platforms, I believe. So Apple podcasts, uh, Spotify, Stitcher, Pandora, any of those. Uh, so they could just search Viva La Festiva podcast on those, or you could find me on Instagram and that's Viva La Festiva podcast. Uh, that's just the, whole word, no spaces, no special characters, or if you are part of a festival or if you know of a festival, anything festival related, they could always reach out to me on email, which is viva la festiva at gmail. com.
Vanessa:Perfect. And we're going to add all of those, um, links to our show notes, uh, which will be at fabricoffolklore. com. So all of the all the things that we talked about today that you have links for, we're going to, we're going to add them up there so people can, can find their way to your website or your, your Instagram and Burning Man, you know, we'll add up the, the, the YouTube video that we were talking about as well. Um, so absolutely. Thank you so much, Jacob, for joining us.
Jacob Quijas:Thank you, Vanessa.
Vanessa:And thank you folksy folks for joining us. on this festival journey. Do you have a favorite festival that you want to talk to us about? Um, if you had an opinion about Burning Man before, has it changed? Did you learn some new things today that surprised you? Once again, all of those links will be on our website. Um, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter X, uh, and LinkedIn sometimes. Uh, we love hearing from our guests. And if you have an idea, like Jacob was saying for his podcast, I'm the same. I love getting ideas from my audience because those are oftentimes what some of my favorite, uh, episodes. And like I said before, we're a indie podcast, so subscribing is really helpful for small podcasts like ourselves. Sharing the podcast with your neighbor, with your friend, with your, your parents, that is incredibly helpful. Thanks again for unraveling the mysteries of folklore on Fabric of Folklore. I am Vanessa Y. Rogers, and until next time, keep the folk alive.
