Ep 72: Food, Fun & Festivals: Exploring Traditions Across the Globe with Jacob Quijas

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Vanessa (00:13):
Welcome folks.
Folks, welcome to Fabric ofFolklore.
I am Vanessa Y.
Rogers, your hostess, and thisis the podcast where we unravel
the mysteries of folklore.
And folklore, folklore includesmore than just stories.
It includes customs, traditions,jokes, and more.
Birthdays, for instance, arecelebrated differently around

(00:36):
the world.
Many in the West are familiarwith the importance of birthday
milestones, such as The sweet 16or the Latin tradition of
Quinceañeras at the age of 15years of age in Jewish culture.
There's the bat mitzvah and thebar mitzvah for girls at 12 and
boys at 13.
However, in Korea, there's evena milestone celebration for

(01:00):
infants of 100 days of beingalive on the earth.
This celebration is calledBacill and originated from the
times previous when life washarsher when many babies didn't
survive past the three monthmark due to frailty of infants

(01:24):
and childhood diseases.
So today, many families haveSymbolic large celebrations to
congratulate the parents andfamilies for the survival of
this infant during their mostvulnerable time of life.
And there are many who reallywant to focus just on
similarities across cultures,but on this podcast, I argue

(01:47):
that the differences are just asimportant, especially when we
Strive to understand the originsand the roots.
And that is really the goal ofthis podcast is to explore what
makes humans both different andsimilar so that we can
understand one another at a morefundamental level.

(02:09):
So that sounds like a podcast.
You want to continue to listento make sure you hit that
subscribe button, whether you'rewatching on YouTube or you're
listening on your favoritepodcasting platform like Spotify
or Apple or I heart radio.
And so you get notificationswhen we drop our episodes most
weeks.
Today we have a fantastic showfor you today.

(02:30):
You'll be really excited to belistening to this one.
We're going to be exploringfestivals, uh, around the world,
but primarily in the U.
S.
I think we're mostly focusing onones that in the U.
S.
But we might be focused.
We might be talking a little bitabout some around the world.
Um, burning man, wife carryingchampionship and exploring many

(02:50):
others that you may or may nothave heard of.
Jacob.
He has is a native to SouthTexas, Texas.
Um, although he graduated fromthe University of Texas Rio
Grande Valley with a bachelor'sdegree in marine biology, he has
found another passion forcultural anthropology with a
Focus on festivals.
He is the host and creator of apodcast titled Viva La Festiva

(03:15):
podcast, which he exploresfestivals in the U S and
occasionally around the world.
And he's getting ready to starthis third season of the podcast
in January, 2025.
And I personally am excitedabout this podcast because I
love festivals.
So thanks so much for joiningus, Jacob.

Jacob Quijas (03:33):
Thank you, Vanessa, for having me.

Vanessa (03:34):
You know, um, I know that the most recent.
I think it's gin X.
They have a, a slang term forOhio.
I think it's like a derogatoryterm for Ohio.
Like that's so Ohio.
I don't really even know what itis, but, um, I lived in Ohio for
a year.
And one of the reasons I lovedliving there was because of the
festivals.

(03:55):
I don't know if you've, um, goneto any Ohio festivals, but they
were like 10 every weekend inthe fall.
It was just, it was.
It was, it was wonderful.

Yeah, it's so funny.
People could, uh, mention astate and don't, don't quiz me
on that, but like most of thetime people can mention a state
and I could like tell them atleast one festival in there.
So whenever you said Ohio, Ithought of Bach Fest, which I
believe happens in eitherCincinnati or Cleveland or, uh,
Columbus, one of the seas.

(04:28):
And yeah, that's, it's the BachFest and it's like a huge
festival So it's

Vanessa (04:33):
what is it like the music, the composer Bach?

It's kind of no, uh, it's B O C K, and I think
it's more of like a beer festkind of, uh, festival.
Yeah, but they have this reallyfunny pageant where they crown a
sausage fest queen, or a sausagequeen.

Vanessa (04:51):
Oh my goodness.

so, very funny.

Vanessa (04:54):
I was amazed because when we lived there, there's a
strong Amish community.
So there were several like kindof Amish festivals, but then
there was like a marigoldfestival and a beer festival and
a pretzel festival and achocolate festival and like
basically any side.
Any type of food, they had afestival for it and I, was like,
yes, I am here for this.

Oh, definitely.
I definitely think that there isa huge like combination, a huge
merge whenever It comes to foodand festivals.
One, because people might justbe super passionate about that
food, but also some of thesefoods have traditional or, um,
cultural significance in theirculture.
Right.
So I think that's really cool.
I I've debated of on the idea ofstarting like a segment on part

(05:40):
of a, or a separate podcast.
That's just about thatrelationship about food and
festivals.

Vanessa (05:45):
Oh, uh, Yeah.

Yeah.

Vanessa (05:47):
I would listen to that.
Although I, sometimes I findmyself not liking listening to
food or watching food showsbecause I'm just hungry.
It just makes me really hungryand then you're like exhausted
and then you don't want toactually cook.

Right.
Especially since a lot of thosefestival foods are often fried
and it's like, maybe I shouldn'tindulge.

Vanessa (06:08):
Exactly.
Exactly.
Um, okay.
So your podcast named talk, talkto us about your podcast.
What, how did you get started onthis journey?

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, whetherthat's just like watching a live
band perform or running in a 5kor even just going to like a
sporting event, even though I'mnot really big on sports, like.
Being at an actual sportingevent is just a lot of fun with

(06:40):
me.
And so naturally kind offestivals were included in that
being, uh, being a part offestivals, exploring them.
And, uh, it was one time I wentto go volunteer at a pickle
festival in New Hampshire.
Yeah.
And it's funny because somepeople are often, they hate
pickles and some people lovepickles, you know?
Yeah.

(07:01):
and so, and when

Vanessa (07:02):
love.
dill pickles, but I don't likesweet pickles and there's like a
huge divide in our family.

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, hewon't take it off and eat it.
He'll just not eat the burger.
And then you have people thatreally love pickles, like my
cousin who had a pickle themedwedding.
So, so yeah, so obviously, um,uh, there's, there's festivals

(07:30):
behind that, behind that love.
And I went to this picklefestival.
And when I was there, there wasthis man, this older gentleman,
and he was wearing like neongreen top hat and a suit and a
green cane and green shoes, justfully decked out in green.
And I was so like, I was soperplexed and captivated by him.

(07:50):
I was like, who is this man?
And then I find out that he waselected as Mr.
Pickle as the master ofceremonies of this festival.
And so that kind of brought outthis sense of.
Like, Oh my gosh, I really gotto get the history and the story
behind not just this festival,but other festivals that have
this kind of strange quirkinessto them.

Vanessa (08:16):
how did you come up with your name?

Oh, it's so funny.
Uh, my wife came up with it.
She was sitting right next to meon the couch And I was sitting
at my laptop and I knew becauseI am Mexican American, I knew I
wanted to have some kind of partof that of my own culture in it,
you know, of Spanish speaking.
And so I knew I wanted to havethe word Viva cause it's.
It's a very beautiful word to meis celebration and it also

(08:40):
includes it's in Spanish, youknow, 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'sperfect.
So, yeah,

Vanessa (08:53):
is perfect.
And I think I read it wrong.
I don't think I said festiva.
Okay.
I was reading it wrong in myhead, but that makes so much
more sense to say it that way.
Viva la festiva.
Okay.

There you go.
Yeah, it's, it sounds morelively.
Yeah.
The more gusto you give into it.

Vanessa (09:12):
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 interviewsat the festival or will you just
bring on, um, people who helporganize the festivals?
How, how do you, uh, do yourinterviewing?

Sure.
So initially when I thought ofthe podcast, I thought it would
be a really great idea.
It'd be super fun because I wantto be there and immerse myself
in the festival.
I, I thought like, yeah, that'dbe perfect for me to attend
these festivals.
And for the first three episodesof my first season, I am at
these festivals and.
Uh, then I kind of realizedbecause there's so many

(09:56):
different ones, it'd be reallyhard to travel to all of those,
but the fact that there werethree, like in my immediate
area, I think speaks volumes.
You know, I think that'ssomething that I want to make
known to the listener is that,you know, you, may hear of these
beautiful festivals or amazingquirky festivals, like a pickle
festival in New Hampshire, butsometimes there's, there's

(10:17):
really cool.
Uh, festivals just in your own,your own town or your own city.
So, um, So, initially I wantedto travel to these festivals and
almost be like an AnthonyBourdain type character and, and
interview people.
Then I, uh, I started playingaround with the idea of having
virtual interviews.
And then I realized that itbecame easier and I was able to

(10:41):
develop more interestingquestions.
And I also feel like.
Doing a live interview was verynerve wracking for me.
Like I was very nervous.
So being able to do it virtuallyand being able To edit out my
little stutters and all that, itwas very beneficial.

Vanessa (10:57):
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 thespot, especially when there's so
much distraction and simulationthat's all around you, which is
the case at most festivals.
So, I would imagine thatinterviews at a festival would,
would make your questions much,uh, much shorter than your,

(11:23):
your, your method now.

Yeah, absolutely.
Especially when it came to BachFest, I tried to have, I tried
to attend that festival and Igot in contact with somebody, a
point of contact, and they werejust like, I think they were
just like, look, I, it soundsawesome.
This sounds like a really greatidea, but you know, during the
festival, I'm, you know, we haveto coordinate so much, you know,
it'd be really hard to fit aninterview.

(11:44):
And I said, I totally get that.
And I, that, that, like yousaid, I think that might be a
benefit to doing a virtualinterview.
So, Yeah,

Vanessa (11:52):
Mm hmm.
So, uh, you're on your, you'regonna start your third season in
January.
So what have you learned so far?
What surprises, um, have comeacross your, uh, desk?

sure.
Yeah.
So the, the big, the big findthat I found, and it's such a
wholesome heartwarming thing isthat every guest that I bring
on, whether they're part of thecommittee, you know, for the
festival, or they're thedirector or the coordinator, Or
even just a very passionatevolunteer of the festival.
I always ask him the samequestion at the end of the

(12:32):
interview.
And I said, like, what do youthink is your favorite part out
of everything that happens, likeat here, here, here, here, like,
what's your favorite thing aboutit?
And they always say the peopleand that really just every time
they say that I get chillsbecause it, it really.
Kind of conveys this idea that,you know, these festivals are
for the people, you know, it'sto bring people together and to

(12:54):
have a great time.
You got great food, great music,great traditions.
You know, you have someonesilly, like Mr.
Pickle coming out, but at thesame 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 ofsimilarities to often ancient or

(13:14):
traditional festivals when theyelected Mr.
Pickle, it's almost like acoronation, you know, and
something a little bit moreancient, you know, someone being
crowned like, uh, like a Mayqueen or something that's a
little bit more symbolic.
And so I think those are the twobig findings is that one, these
festivals are.
They're for the people as muchas they are for the staff and

(13:36):
to, um, that, yeah, no, no,regardless if they're silly,
kind of seasonal things orrevolving around a certain food
or theme or something a littlebit more ancient and
traditional, they have a lot ofsimilarities that, that really,
it crosses generations.

Vanessa (13:54):
I think you might have just answered this question, but
my next question was going tobe, why do you think festivals
are important?
Is there anything you want toadd to what you just said?

Sure.
Yeah.
So, um, I, I think one thing Ican add to that is just that,
uh, You know, there's manybenefits these festivals, you
know, not only are you having agreat time and not only are
their staff feeling a greatfeeling from providing for the
community, but it's also for agreat way for local businesses
to come out and to meet thecommunity, you know, to promote

(14:26):
each other and to say, you know,Uh, to realize, Hey, like you,
let's say you attend thisfestival and you meet.
Uh, a business, a local smallbusiness that's just started and
they seem like really greatpeople and they have one of your
favorite dishes provided there.
Boom.
That's a great opportunity fornetworking and you gain a
certain part of your communitythat you never thought was

(14:49):
there.
Or, you know, if this is afestival that's revolving around
a really niche theme, for anexample, um.
Like, uh, like the MothmanFestival that happens at the
Mothman Museum, you get, you getthat certain person that's
really into cryptids and reallyinterested, interested in crypto

(15:09):
zoology.
And so you could, maybe you'llsee your coworker there and be
like, what?
I didn't know you're intocryptids, you know?
And so there's a great, a greatrelationship that is grown, you
know, potential networking.
So I think that's one of the bigreasons why they're, they're
important.

Vanessa (15:25):
Do you have a favorite festival or a festival that
really brought out this idea inyou?

Sure.
So, um, they.

Vanessa (15:36):
questions.

Right, yeah, but I, I think I got two answers.
So, the, my A recent favoriteone, and I, I can't really say
it's my favorite just yetbecause I haven't learned
everything about it because thisis going to be, uh, an interview
that I'm going to do next seasonor the season coming up, but,
uh, one that is really kind oflike, kind of caught me smiling
is the blob fest and That'sexactly what it sounds like.

(16:00):
It's a festival celebrating themovie, The Blob, and

Vanessa (16:04):
Mm hmm.

that, occurs, that occurs in Phoenix, uh,
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.
And the reasons why it's, it'sheld there is because the famous
theater scene that happens inThe Blob was actually filmed at
that theater in Phoenixville,Pennsylvania.
Right.
And so that's like, that'ssomething that's like really
funny to be and really cool andthey, they really are passionate

(16:28):
about it.
And so that's something that Ireally, like, I'm really excited
to learn more about.
And as far as like a, a morerecent, uh, favorite festival.
Well, I don't want you to say,uh, recent, I'd say like one
that's kind of captivated my, mymind for a while now for a few,
ever since I started the podcastis, is Burning Man?

(16:49):
festival.
That one's just really intriguedme.

Vanessa (16:52):
And that one, obviously, is one we're going to
talk about, so that's a greatsegue.
Um, so you, you have or haven'tbeen to Burning Man?

I've never been to Burning Man.
No.

Vanessa (17:01):
Okay, but is it, it's on your bucket list?

It's definitely on my bucket list.
Yes,

Vanessa (17:06):
Um, okay, So tell us about Burning Man.
What is it?
Where is it?
What is it about?
Mm

Bernie man festival is this gargantuan
festival that takes place in theBlack Rock desert in Nevada,
that it never stops for theentire nine days in September.
and And, it's just night andday.
There's always something goingon.
And.
What I've, I've heard very, uh,various amounts of descriptions,
but outside looking in, you seewhat might, some might say looks

(17:37):
like Mad Max, the movie had, themovie Mad Max had a baby with
Alice in Wonderland.
It's just very trippy.
It feels like you're in a newdimension.
there's just life and colorssurrounded by desolate desert.
so it's a nice, it's a nicejuxtaposition of the places.

Vanessa (17:55):
Mm hmm.
And there's a big differencebetween what happens in the day
and what happens at thenighttime, Right.

Right.
Definitely.
You know, in the daytime, fromwhat I understand, uh, there's a
lot of, uh, There's a lot ofcommunication between people and
then, uh, and just sort of like,um, there's like, for an
example, this, it's like a, Ibelieve a chapel or almost like
a shrine where people areallowed to go into just mentally

(18:21):
reflect on themselves.
You know, a little bit morepeaceful 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 dropssignificantly at that time as
well.
so very, even climate wise,it's, it's a very, I guess,

(18:43):
literally night and daydifference.

Vanessa (18:44):
Yeah, you know, I was watching, you sent me a link for
a video for Burning Man and Iwas seeing all these people
wearing like, you know, theywere wearing costumes, but I was
struck with so many of themwearing swimsuits and I was
like, how are they not burningand dying?
Because, because I'm from Texas,so I know, you know, being

(19:06):
exposed to just the 30 minutesYou know, shade or cloud cover
is excruciating.
It can, like, you know, you canget a really bad sunburn.
And I just was, like, reallyconcerned for all these people
that don't have skin cover, notcovered up.
Um But, um, anyways, that wasone of my first thoughts.

(19:29):
Maybe that's just because I'm amom and I'm always trying to
cover, cover up my children frombeing burned.
Um, so what is, what do youthink is at the heart of the,
the festival?
What, um, what is the purpose ofBurning Man?

So originally, you know, it was meant to, it was in
1986.
It started in 1986 at BakerBeach in San Francisco.
And it was meant to symbolizethe summer solstice.
Uh, because there was thisceremony of burning wooden
structures.
That was just part of it.
And, uh, one of the founders.

(20:08):
Kind of, he kind of put his, hisown words.
He said that it was just aradical way of self expression.
And so that's kind of like the,the original, I mean, those
words are kind of what is whatIt's based on.
Um, you know, since then itmoved from, from San Francisco
to Nevada, to the black rockdesert, and it officially became

(20:31):
a public event in 1996.
And when I say it.
It's even though it's inBlackrock, uh, Desert, it bec
it's so giant that it basicallybecomes its own city, which
they've titled Blackrock city,because there's it really is
that big.
I believe it even gets like atemporary zip code, and there's
also like, you can get maildelivered there during this

(20:55):
time, And since then, you know,there are, there have been tons
of artists, whether that'ssculpture sculptors or mixed
media or just musicians, it'sreally become a great, uh, giant
festival for art expression.

Vanessa (21:14):
And I was really taken aback with, um, the gifting
community, right?
It's not a barter community,it's a gifting community.

Sure,

Vanessa (21:24):
bit about that?

sure.
Uh, yeah.
So from what I understand, a lotof, a lot of stuff is free, you
know, there is no exchange of acurrency or, or of money.
And I think that is, that'sbecome part of the culture.
And I think that because a bigpart of it.
Of the full, the philosophy Iwant to say, or the ideology
behind birdie, man is from whatI understand is that it's

(21:49):
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

(22:09):
agree, they might say, you knowwhat, I think you're right, a
utopian society cannot work,but.
It could work here and it couldwork now and for this time
being.
and so with that, I think thatutopian society, that utopia,
uh, ideology comes with justgiving, you know, and not, not
feeling an obligation to receivefor what you give.

Vanessa (22:31):
hmm.
Yeah, I was amazed at all thethings.
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 whodo shoe repair.
There's all, all sorts ofservices are people just like

(22:53):
put up a tent And they offertheir services for free, which
is just really kind of abeautiful idea.

Right.
and it, it kind of, it, anotherreason why it captivates me is
because I would really love topick someone's brain that has
been a part of Burning Man andto ask them why, you know, like,
why, why is it that.
You know, what, what drives youto just fix people's shoes for
free, or, you know, I'm sure yousaw there were a lot of bikes
because that's like one of theprimary ways to get around

(23:22):
because it's so big.
Um, like what, what drives youto repairs people's bikes or to
provide these services for free.
And so I do think that's aninteresting part of the culture
there.

Vanessa (23:35):
And how has the festival changed since, I mean,
you, you said it moved to thedesert in 1990, it became public
in the desert in 1996, andsurely it's gone through some
evolutions.
Is that, would you, would yousay that's correct?
Mm-hmm

Sure.
Oh, yeah, definitely.
I do think that, um, even it's,it's, uh, because it's in the
desert, it's definitely evolvedon the survival part because
that's very important.
You know, we want to be surethis is, uh, it's safe as
possible.
So, um, it has evolved bygetting trained.
Yeah.
Uh, more water available.

(24:12):
They've had emergency servicesthat 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'salso like these, these assigned

(24:32):
roles.
Um, there's the, the lampletters who are these people
that kind of light the way they,they light these lights every
night before the nighttimecomes, 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 justgrown in size, you know,
they've, they've, uh, put thingsin place to kind of make sure to

(24:55):
mitigate things like trash.
Like I believe they, theyincluded this fence that's
supposed to.
Block trash from escaping

Vanessa (25:02):
because of the strong wind, right?

right, because it's a strong wind, but also
because they want to be surethey're adopting this, uh, this
leave no trace principle, whichagain, I think that's something
that has been adopted by theprinciple of the or has been
adopted by the culture is thislive, leave.
no trace principle,

Vanessa (25:22):
And even water, right?
You're not supposed to dump yourwater, uh, before you leave.
You're supposed to take whatwater, uh, you have with you,
right?
And, and is that because theground just couldn't handle that
amount of water or what?

I believe so.
So I yeah.
The part of me believes it'sbecause of the ecosystem, you
know, even though it is adesolate desert, you might not
want to provide water that mighthave something that could
somehow ruin the ecosystemthat's below below the surface
or and then another part of mebelieves is that it's probably

(25:59):
another part of the utopian kindof you.
Uh, culture or idea that it canexist there then and for that
time, but then it goes awayvanishes because a lot of the
structures that they burnthroughout Burning Man, they,
they, make sure to pick all thatup and to totally get it out of
here so that this amazing giantfestival that pretty much

(26:21):
becomes a city could be thereexists.
And then it's just gone untilnext year.

Vanessa (26:26):
And it's like 70, 000 people is, uh, they estimate at
one time, right?

Oh yeah.
70, 000.
I mean, and some of those peoplehave been there, I'm sure have
been there from the beginningand sometimes it's their first
time, so it, I'm sure thatnumber changes, but a good
amount of it, uh, I'm sure ispeople that re recur or.
Come come back to it.

Vanessa (26:50):
And I, was, I, when I was researching it, I saw, um,
that a lot of celebrities arenow being drawn to it.
Although, uh, they send peopleout to set up tent for them
before they get there.
And then they, they only couldstay for like the last couple of
days.
So they, they're not as filthyand dirty as a lot of the other
people who have been there, fora week who haven't been able to

(27:11):
shower except for with wetwipes.
Um,

I do think that like many different people come
with a different kind of plan ormindset.
I have heard of people showingup with their half a million
dollar RVs, you know, the ortheir house on wheels and
pulling up and they probablytake a hot shower every night.
And I'm sure there's also peoplewho just sleep in a little tent

(27:36):
and hopefully the sandstormdoesn't blow it away.
And so I, and I think that comesto what people are wanting to
get out of the festival.
So like you said, sometimesthose celebrities, they might
just want to come and enjoy the,just being there to say they've
been there and to enjoy somemusic for a couple of days and
then get out of there.
And then some people want thefull force of the desert against

(27:57):
them.

Vanessa (27:57):
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 thesesandstorms and those to be a
very regular occurrence.
Is that, I don't know

sure

Vanessa (28:14):
that's like a daily occurrence or I don't know.
Do you know?

No, I'm not sure about, uh, how, how many times I
do know it's, it's common, butnot just sandstorms, but just
like if there's not sand, itcould just be wind.
That's that's hurt.
Yeah, right.
And I think even even rain lastyear was a problem, which you
wouldn't think rain in thedesert would be a problem.
But yeah, sometimes that happensas well.

Vanessa (28:39):
Interesting.
So it rained a lot last year?

Right.
Yeah.
I think some people got strandedout there because maybe they
were in their vehicles and theycouldn't, they couldn't get out
of the mud, I suppose.

Vanessa (28:50):
Yeah, I'm sure my Children, the first question
they would ask is, where's thequicksand?

Oh, yeah, I didn't think about that.

Vanessa (29:00):
Um, so speaking of children, do you know, um, I, I
think that they have an areathat's called Kidsville.
Is that something you knowabout?

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, personallyand to each of their own, you
know, I'm not a parent, so Iwouldn'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 hadone of those half, you know,

(29:33):
half a million dollar RVs outthere or just a really.
Safe space for him or him orher.
So, um, when it comes tochildren, 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 areathat that'd be very, I'm sure
because they have a medical, um,emergency services of that, that

(29:54):
seems like a really safe place.
And then I do know that becauseit's so big, I guess, you know,
the.
There could be, I don't see whynot.
There couldn't be an area just,you know, for safe, uh, safe
area for kids and for families.
So,

Vanessa (30:08):
Mhm.
Yeah.
I mean, I didn't, I just cameacross it that there was a
kidsville area that isspecifically for families with
Children.
Uh, so I thought that wasinteresting because you, you
think of burning man is just forlike kind of younger adults, but
evidently, you know, olderpeople go as well.
Like the people you said,burners who've been there since

(30:28):
like the beginning, um, they'vebeen, I mean, What is that 90
from 86 or 96?
Yes, depending on when you'reconsidering it.
That's 20 years 30 years ago Ohmy goodness

Right.
And I mean, some of those peoplethat they, they return, they
almost feel like it's and thisis, this is true across many
different cultures and manydifferent festivals that.
Some of these people that, thatare returning burners, they
almost feel like it's anecessity, you know, or it's
therapeutic, you know, and it'salmost like a mental checkup to

(31:03):
attend this festival.
So, you know, these people it's,I think maybe they are
introduced to it as a youngadult, 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, whenthey're becoming older.

Vanessa (31:19):
hmm and you know, it's interesting after you know
watching the video you you hadsent to me and which will link
up on on The show notes, uh, sopeople can watch it as well.
I had never really consideredgoing to burning man.
Cause for me, I just thought itwas like kind of like a sex and
drug festival where people arejust, you know, it's a free for

(31:42):
all.
And from what I've understood,yes, there are some.
Uh, there's some drugs, butthere are some, there are a lot
of undercover cops, but they uh,so they don't, it's not going
around freely, um, and peopleare walking around naked because
it's allowed, but it's, it's alot, there's a lot more to it
than just, uh, there being freesex and not free sex, but you

(32:04):
know, sex tense, I guess.

very prevalent.
Right.
And that kind of goes back towhat I said before, you know,
because I think you're right.
Like, there definitely is a drugculture and that's that's seen,
uh, not just in Burning Man, buta 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

(32:28):
culture with it.
Which includes drugs and, uh,but I think going back to what I
said, that it's so big that Ithink that, you know, um,
there's.
There's ways to kind of beseparate from that You know, um,
like I said, during the daytime,there is like certain areas of
reflection, like the, the chapelI had mentioned, or, um, just

(32:51):
fun and games that you could do,uh, I think in that video that I
sent you, there were like peoplebowling, there are people having
like these little stick fights,you know, and stuff like that.
So I do think there, there'ssomething for everybody that.
Um, to the point where it mightbe there, you know, this drug
and sex culture, but you know,it doesn't have to be, you know,

(33:12):
included in your experience.

Vanessa (33:15):
What do you think that people need to understand about
Burning Man that isn'tnecessarily understood by
outsiders?
Can

needs to be understood is that this is
something that is more than justa festival.
Uh, I have a friend of mine thatactually went this past year and
it was her first one, and whileshe 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.

(33:45):
Like she knows for a fact she'sgoing to go next year because
regardless of those ups anddowns, 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 themselvesto the elements and open
mindedness.
And I know that sounds a littlescary at first, but, uh, if we

(34:06):
just think about it for a bit.
This is a festival where someonecould 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 thisfestival with a new.

(34:29):
Uh, mindsight or a new love forthemselves or just be a, a new,
uh, invigorated person withincredible personal growth.
And I think that's always a goodthing.

Vanessa (34:40):
talk about the name of Burning Man?
Because, you know, the name isBurning 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.

Sure.
So in, in the center of blackrock city, this, this, the city
that.
Is the, the festival, um, theyhave 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 woodenstructure that is shaped of a
man, excuse me.
And, um, they, at the end of it,at the end of the festival, they

(35:18):
burn it and I've seen footage ofthis happen and it looks, it's,
it looks like such.
A manifestation of human energy.
It just looked like you'd lookat the crowd of people watching
this burning fest, this burningman structure fall and just go
up in flames and fall to theground.

(35:38):
And you look at everybody in thecrowd and you can tell that some
people they're just reflecting.
And that's often something thathappens throughout traditions
and cultures whenever it comesto fire in general, which I
think is huge symbolism.
I mean, how many times do yougather around a campfire when
you're going camping and youjust share stories and it

(36:00):
becomes a very, very, wholesomeevent?
I mean, sharing stories aroundthe 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, thismoment where thousands and
thousands of people are just,you can tell there's a story
behind all of them.
They're all going through somekind of reflection.

(36:22):
Some are cheering, some arecrying, some are happy, you
know, some are just like, just.
Just enamored with this fire andit just holds a significance to
each And every one of them.
So I think that's, that's very,very interesting.

Vanessa (36:36):
And it's different than the temple you were talking
about, right?
The Burning Man is not the, thetemple.

Right.
The temple and I, I'm sure Ihave the name of it somewhere.
Let me pull it up real quick.
Uh, the temple, what was it?
So the.
The Temple of Direction, andthat was a name that I had come
across in the video I'd sentyou, and I'm not sure if that's
always the name of the temple,or if that changes throughout

(37:03):
the year, so that's something Iwould want to look into.
I've seen the, the friend ofmine that had gone this last
year, and I've seen picturesthat she's shared with, of the
Temple of Direction, and insidethere's So many things that have
so much significance toeverybody.
Like some people will put apicture of their loved one.

(37:25):
Some people will write on, onnotes, like, you know, whatever
they're going through, whetherthat's just, uh, any kind of
mental turmoil or anythingthat's significant to them, they
will just write it.
It's just a place where you canjust get all your inner thoughts
just out.
You know, and just any kind ofmental struggle or inner inner
disturbance that you have, it'sjust a place that you could

(37:47):
reflect and direct your way intoa new mentality, you know, so
that's, that's something thatwas different.

Vanessa (37:54):
Yeah.
I, I really found that quitebeautiful 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 forthe Day of the Dead.
And it was just kind of a way tohonor them.
And I, and I, and, and at theend, it the whole.

(38:17):
Temple is burned to the groundas well.
Just Like all the other woodenstructures in, in the, uh,
burning man.
And, and it's, it's justsupposed to be symbolic of
letting go, right.
Of releasing them.

And I think that you just brought up a great
point.
I mean, even in, in the Mexicanculture, you know, with the
ofrenda and Dia de los Muertos,like, it's just, Uh, there's
similarities between thesetraditions, whether that's
something that was started inthe eighties to something that's
been going on for centuries, youknow so it's, it's, it's really
beautiful.

Vanessa (38:49):
Yeah.
Well, is there anything else weneed to know before we move on
to our next, next

Noah.
No, I, I think we covered a goodamount of it.
Yeah.

Vanessa (39:00):
Alright, cool.
Um, alright, the next one isquite a funny one, and I've
heard of this one before, but Ididn't know very much about it.
The Wife Carrying Championship.
Uh, which sounds totally madeup, but obviously it's real, so
tell us about it.

Right.
So the, you know, I think thatwe need to establish that even
though it's a championship, itis a festival, like it is a
sporting event, like festivalwhere people gather and they
have a great time.
But yeah, so the wife carryingchampionship, it arranged, so I
might butcher some Finnish wordshere, but it originated in a,

(39:35):
yeah, it originated in a smalltown called sunk, uh, sunk a
Jarvee.
In Finland in 1992, all, uh,well, that's, that's when the
championship started in 1992and, and it became a, it came to
the, to the West in 1999, whereit's also, they compete in Maine

(39:59):
as well.
Like, it's like a separate onethough.
It's not like, yeah, it's notthe Finnish one.

Vanessa (40:06):
And why, why?
Why do they carry women in

Right.
Exactly.
Yeah, that's, that's one of thereasons why I had to look into
it as well.
Yeah.
So, uh, this, this, thisfestival is inspired by a
folktale about, uh, there'sperson who can get the name
here.
And again, I'm going to, I'mgoing to butcher some of these,

(40:31):
some of these words.
Uh, but we have this 19thcentury legend of Herco
Roseville, Ron Kynan, and.
Or he also went by Ron Kynan,the robber,

Vanessa (40:45):
Mhm.

so, so there's been, there's been many
different, uh, interpretationsof why, what, what does Ron
Kynan, the robber have to dowith, uh, with carrying wives,
you know, and, but some of thestories that I would hear that
I've come across is that, youknow, if you wanted to be a part
of Of Ron Kynan's crew, likethey thought, Oh, a great way

(41:09):
for me to train, to be one ofhis robbers is instead of
carrying a bunch of stuff, howabout I carry my wife and just
like go through a bunch ofobstacles and like, that'll be
a, be a great way to provemyself.
Like, yeah, like I could, Icould 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 Kynanhimself, where he fell in love

(41:34):
with somebody.
And, but the father didn'tapprove.
And so he said, well, forgetthat I'm going to, it's going to
steal her.
And so, so he just takes offwith, with the, the wife.
And so I guess each competitoris run kind of the robber in
that situation.
And.
And then lastly, this, this laststory is kind of funny.

(41:56):
It's almost like a tax evasionstrategy that was kind of cooked
up where, um, like Ron Kynanwas, was trying to get away with
all this stolen stuff that hehad stolen some gold, silver,
And just stuff that he stole andhe had it in the sack and he was
running away.
And when the Tlax, the taxcollectors found him, he was

(42:16):
like, Oh no, this isn't, thisisn't stolen stuff.
This is my wife.
And they were like.
Okay.
And he just goes off.
And so that's, that's the veryfunny story.
Those are, those are some ofthe, the reasons of why this
festival started.
Yeah.
So it's either you want to bepart of his crew, you want to be
him, or it's just a tax evasionway.

(42:37):
So, so they, they compete in oneof these ways to,

Vanessa (42:42):
And it's like an obstacle course, right?

Yes.
It's an obstacle course that Ibelieve changes every, every
year and it's, it's gotta besafe.
So there, there, it looks alittle like scary from what I've
seen.
I mean, if regardless, if you'rethe one carrying your wife or
you're the wife being carried,uh, you're going through some
muddy waters and some goingunder things and over obstacles.
So yeah, it's an obstaclecourse.

Vanessa (43:06):
And how, how are the wives being carried?

So there's, there's, uh, there's different
techniques, you know, like, Ithink like, you know, you're
thinking about your traditional,I don't know what to call it,
like Shaggy and Scooby Doo, likewhat I'm thinking of is when
Shaggy's carrying Scooby Doolike that, uh, I actually found
out that there's like this, thisspecial technique that, um, that

(43:31):
like the champion, thereoccurring champion, there's
this one guy that he wins likeevery 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 usingtheir legs to kind of like wrap
around here So that you haveyour arms that are free.

(43:51):
And so you can run, but I think

Vanessa (43:54):
the wife is on the back with the legs around the neck,
is that

no, no, I think that, well, there's, there's,
many different ways, but one ofthe, like the top winning ways
is to be in the front.
Yeah.
So

Vanessa (44:04):
Oh.

Yeah.
So I can, I can only imaginelike being a wife, like just.
Not annoying, being completelyupside down and like hoping your
husband is fast enough to run.
But of course there's, there'smany different ways you can do
the piggyback, which I thinkthat would be the most
practical, but to each theirown,

Vanessa (44:21):
Uh huh.
and what if you're not married?
Can you still compete?

I believe.
Yes.
Oh, actually, that's a goodquestion.
I, I wanted, I felt confidentlyabout saying that you, but that
might be one of the rules.

Vanessa (44:36):
think, no, I think it actually, I think you're right.
It is that it doesn't have to beyour wife.
It just has to

Oh, a partner.
Okay.
There you go.
Okay.

Vanessa (44:46):
I don't know if they have gender rules.

Yeah.
I'm not, I'm not sure either

Vanessa (44:50):
That would be, that would be interesting because
that would probably come upsoon.

eventually.
Right.
Exactly.

Vanessa (44:57):
Um, and then is there a prize?
Is there a reason people arecompeting for this?
It's just, just for like,

So there, there is a prize.
There is a monetary prize.
Uh, So, um, but I, I'm convincedthat I would feel funny enough
and like uh, almost like a senseof honor to win just in general,
like, of no prize, but there isa prize, uh, there is a
monetary, there's a cash prizeand it's, uh, five times your

(45:26):
wife's weight in cash.
So.
Right.
Yeah, exactly.

Vanessa (45:32):
So in those instances, you really want your wife to
weigh a lot more.

Right.
And, and there's another prize.
So it's also the cash, themonetary prize, but also you get
your wife's weight in beer.
So,

Vanessa (45:44):
Wow.

so, yeah.

Vanessa (45:47):
That's a lot of beer.

Yeah.
A lot of beer and a lot of cash.
Yeah.
So those are, those are, butlike, like, like I said, I just
think like I would just want atrophy to say like, yeah, I got
first place in this wife care.
That'd be enough for me, youknow,

Vanessa (46:01):
when I was watching a couple of videos of this, it
seemed like these people wereathletes.
Like they didn't seem like, youknow, you're like next door
neighbor that is frumpy, likethey are true athletes.
So is there like divisions forlike people who aren't
necessarily like.

Yeah, I believe so.
I believe there are differentleagues.
I think they even have one forchildren where you just, the
children are just racing anobstacle course race, you know,
because I'd imagine if you're atthis event.
And you're, even if you're not,like, you could just see the joy
in it and you could be like, youknow what, I want to give this a
shot, you know, so I couldimagine anybody just wanted to

(46:41):
be a part of it.
So I'm sure they, they, theyhave to have some kind of
separate league.
That's just like, you know, haveat it, you know, but you're,
you're totally right.
They do like some of theseathletes are there in it.
And that's what I think is socool is that they're so
passionate about it.
You know, again, the, the greatthing about festivals is that
these.
Or championships is that these,these people come out with this,

(47:03):
like, that's what they trainfor.
They really are into it.

Vanessa (47:06):
Now, are there other things that are happening around
the festival besides just theobstacle course?
Are there, like, bands andthings?

Sure.
Yep.
Yep.
So it does have like a lot ofyour milestone, uh, festival
kind of stuff that happens.
Um, you have the live music, thefood, uh, there, there was this
kind of, I don't know if it'sunique to this festival or if
it's.
Most finish festivals or, orwhat, but they do have this one

(47:36):
dessert.
And again, I'm going to butcherthe name and this is a really
hard one.
I might just have to like, sendit to you, but, um, it's, it's
called Moorin pole, Moorin polegelatin.
I'm not sure there's a lot ofvowels in there,

Vanessa (47:52):
I know.
I know.

Yeah, but from what I understand, it's like a
almost like a chocolatey crepethat they have there.
And like I said, I don't know ifthat's unique to that festival
or if that's just a similar tous 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 (48:11):
Mm hmm.
Yes.
It's Go ahead.

Yeah, I was, there's also, uh, an after party
that happens after after the,this one in Finland, in Finland
that

Vanessa (48:22):
Oh, cool.

Yeah.
So it's just like a fun way tojust celebrate, you know, the,
almost like a closing ceremonykind of thing.

Vanessa (48:29):
Uh huh.
Going back to the, the festivalfoods, you know, I always think
of funnel cakes.
And, um, recently, I have aneight year old son who's in, um,
elementary school.
And I asked him, what did youhave for breakfast?
And he said, we had mini funnelcakes.
And I was like, what?! You'reat, you ate in the cafeteria.

(48:50):
And I was like, you had a minifunnel cake for breakfast?
And he was like, Yeah, it wasreally good.
I was like, yeah!

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 friedstuff.
So, and it doesn't surprise mehow, how, uh, fried stuff and
festivals, that's anothercombination.
That's pretty great.

Vanessa (49:15):
the Texas State Festival, which I've actually
don't think I've ever been towhich 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, likeevery year, someone else comes
with up with a new thing that isfried, right?

Oh yeah, from, I've seen Snicker Bars, Oreo
Cookies, Twinkies, I think I'veseen like fried Butter,

Vanessa (49:38):
Yes! That's one of the ones that came up recently,
Fried Butter, Oh my gosh, thatsounds

oh my goodness,

Vanessa (49:45):
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 turnedand he had a whole stick of
butter on a fork.
And he was just eating thebutter.
I was like, oh my gosh!

that's incredible,

Vanessa (50:05):
Yeah, yeah, he didn't die.

great, good,

Vanessa (50:10):
I can't talk about his arteries right now, but you
know.

eh, he'll run it off,

Vanessa (50:16):
Yeah, I've actually recently had fried Oreos at a
sushi restaurant and I didn'tknow how I would like it but I
thought it was really yummybecause it really melts the
cream inside and Man, it wasreally good.

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 deepfried is like, Oh, yeah,

Vanessa (50:42):
Yeah okay, so but it's in other places besides Finland,
right you said in Maine is arethere other ones around the
world or do you know

not, not that I know of, I believe.
Oh, yeah.
Kind of going, going back to theprizes.
Uh, the, the one in Maine, ifyou were to win that one, I
believe you actually win Aticket to compete in the Finland
one So that's pretty cool.

Vanessa (51:10):
wow.
So the Finland one is like thetop, the tippy top.

Right.
Yeah.
I believe like the one inFinland 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 theNorth American one, they send
you out there.

Vanessa (51:28):
Man, okay, all these festivals I need to go to now.
I bet when you're doing allthese interviews, you're like,
Okay, well that's the nextfestival I need to go to.
That's the next festival.
How are you not buying all theplane tickets?

Yes, I, there are so many festivals that I would
love to attend to just becauseI've heard about them from the
directors, you know, even, Imean, a lot of these festivals,
I don't really have like a hugepassion for the theme, but just
to be immersed in that cultureis so interesting to me, like
the blob fest, I haven't seenthe blob, but I would know that

(52:02):
I would have a great time justgoing There you know, I'm
actually, yeah, I'm actuallyinterviewing somebody, uh, next
month for, It's called the, whatthe, 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 (52:20):
Oh,

Yeah, it's Yeah, it's a festival celebrating that
because it was created there insummer Somersville, um,
Massachusetts.
Yeah.
And so I'm like, I don't even, Idon't even really care for
marshmallows, but I would loveto go to that event.

Vanessa (52:35):
Yeah.
How fun.
There was a festival I readabout recently.
Wow.
I think it might have beenMassachusetts or Maine.
I don't know.
One of those M states, um, mygeography of the Northeast is
really poor.
Uh, and they they, um, had asculpture of butter, like face

(52:55):
sculptures.
Have you heard of this?

Yes.
Oh, I know exactly what you'retalking about.
Oh my goodness.
I've come across it

Vanessa (53:05):
and they have like a refrigerated room where they
keep all of the butter, uh,sculptures and they have like
famous people,

Okay.
Yeah.
I've definitely, I've definitelyheard 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 eitherMassachusetts or, or Indiana.
One of those.
Yeah.
I, cause I know, cause I was inthe same state, so

Vanessa (53:33):
hmm.
It was one of your states.

Right.
Yeah.
So, um, it's, it's, what'sreally funny and you could try
this.
It's, and this is what I dowhenever I research for my
podcast is I pick a word.

Vanessa (53:46):
Mm hmm.

And then I add the word festival at it and I Google
that, and I usually like nineout of 10 times I get something.
So whether that's Butter, TheBlob, I've come across a
festival about a Whirly gig,which I didn't know what Whirly
gigs were, but that's a, that'sa thing.

Vanessa (54:03):
Oh, are those those toys that like go round and
round?

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 winddecoration.
Yeah,

Vanessa (54:18):
Oh, yes.

So that occurs in North Carolina, right?
Yes.
So that occurs in NorthCarolina.
So if you ever think aboutsomething that you love, just.
Put that word and the wordfestival next to it and boom,
you might find your, your nextplace you need to go to.

Vanessa (54:35):
Your next festival.

Yes.
Yeah.
So that's, that's a lot of fun.
It's, it's, it's reallysurprising what you could find
out there.

Vanessa (54:43):
how, funny.
Um, so have you, what festivalsfrom other countries have you
looked at?

Sure.
So actually this past weekendwas the world body painting
festival, and that's a reallybeautiful 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 notjust paint, but they also use

(55:10):
certain, um, I guess you callthem prosthetics or like just
special effects to make them, tomake them just use really
beautiful pieces.
And, uh, they, they have.

Vanessa (55:22):
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, alot of times it's like two
people together like I sawchameleon and it was like it was
like two People on lying on topof one another and like the way

(55:43):
that they were painted.
Is that what they're doing or isit different?

Sure, So that's, that's definitely a part of it.
And then, um, but they also addlike, um, like certain almost
like a, like a, I guess you'dcall it like latex kind of
additives, just try to think oflike one of the, like a movie
with a lot of practical effects,like, um, Like pans labyrinth,
you know, like, like the, thespecial effects that they do

(56:08):
there with the makeup.
So like that, they really makethese people into creatures or
to certain like deities.
And so, And each, each year theyhave a theme.
And so, um, I've covered thatone.
Uh,

Vanessa (56:20):
one?

That one's in Austria

Vanessa (56:23):
Austria Okay.

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 inAustralia.
I did one over cheese, which wasfun.
um, the lady I spoke to it, Iwas, I was talking to her.
And then as the interview wenton, it became, I was more and

(56:45):
more honored to speak to herbecause she became, first of
all, she like started cheesemaking She like bought a cheese
making factory.
Just like, just like, cause shefelt like it.
And then she started makingcheese and now she's like one of
the world judges for the likeglobal cheese contest.

(57:06):
And I'm like wow.
like I can't believe I'm talkingto you right now.

Vanessa (57:09):
Yeah, that's amazing.

right.
And then, uh, there was anotherone in Australia that I covered.
It was about.
Steampunk, so there's a bigsteampunk festival that happens
in, in Australia and it happensin this small town.
And when this festival occurs,those two days that the festival
happens, it makes the economythere makes more money than it

(57:33):
makes in like a whole year.
So it's like a huge economicalboost.

Vanessa (57:38):
Mm hmm.

international?
So I've also covered the threewishes, fairy festival, which is
a fairy festival in, uh, in theUK.
And that one sounds like a lotof fun too.
And there's, there's a bigculture there when it comes to
fairies as well.
So there's yeah.
So I really liked theinternational ones.
they really bring an outsideperspective.

Vanessa (58:00):
Yeah, tell us about the Three Wishes Fairy Festival.
Is it, is it like, like, fairygodmothers, or like, that's what
I was thinking, because, youknow, fairy godmothers like to
give wishes, or I don't knowwhat they

Yeah.
So this is, this is one of thefestivals that I would
personally like to go to aswell.
Uh, and it's, it's, it's, uh,these people, they, they really
feel a connection to, tofairies, you know, and so they
adopt this, this persona wherethey're a fairy and, uh, a lot
of these fairy people, they,they adopt a certain theme.

(58:33):
Like I know a fairy that's allabout dreams.
I know a fairy that's all aboutbubbles.
And that's pretty cool too,because they often pick
something that they're verypassionate about and just make
it their fairy persona.
So that's really cool.
So at these festivals or thisone, the three wishes fairy
festival, it's just a verymagical, it's, it sounds exactly
how you think, like just.
Tons of people spreading cheer,you know, and I think that's a

(58:57):
big part of fairies in generalis just that they're known for
being something that bringscheer, right?
So

Vanessa (59:03):
In today's lore.
Not in old lore.

today's lore.
Yeah, very, very, very, uh,sugar coated for

Vanessa (59:15):
Right.
Yes.

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 youtalk to her, uh, in addition,
she seems like a very bubbly,just cheerful person.
And so I think that's somethingthat really appear appeals to

(59:38):
people that are very cheerful isjust 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 ofthe, uh, very, a very fun
festival.

Vanessa (59:49):
Oh, so another one to put on the bucket list.
I see.
Um, talk to us about some of theother ones.
You said there was a mermaidfestival?

Jacob Quijas (01:00:01):
Sure.
So, yeah.
Um, so.
I think this kind of touches onsomething else that's really
interesting is that whenever youthink of mermaids or whenever
you think of fairies, you alsothink of of, of mythical
creatures.
Similar to like, uh, likemermaids, you know, um, some
other ones are like, uh, likeorcs or goblins or I guess if

(01:00:22):
you wanna consider a wizard, acreature, but like mythical
people, these fan, uh, fantasybased creatures or people.
And, um, some of the, I thinkhumans, we feel, uh, certain.
Just captivation with some ofthese creatures, like for an
example, the, the mermaids, youknow, I think some people just

(01:00:43):
really love mermaids.
And So they, they.
They become them at this Floridamermaid festival.
It happens in the, at the WeekeeWachee Springs state park in
Florida.
And from what I understand, justlike those fairies that adopt a
certain theme, like a bubblesfairy or a dreams fairy, I
believe mermaids as well.
They, they adopt a certain typeof mermaid and it really just, I

(01:01:07):
think it, it really allows themto bring out who they, what they
love and who they are or whothey are inside.

Vanessa (01:01:13):
You know, there is a mermaid festival here in Texas.

Oh, really?

Vanessa (01:01:18):
in, um, San Marcos

Oh, wow.

Vanessa (01:01:22):
Yeah, because there used to be an entire, so San
Marcos, for those who are notfrom Texas, is a small city,
although it's growing, um, inbetween Austin and San Antonio.
So Austin and San Antonio areabout, from north to south, is
about an hour from one another,so.
It's really midway, um, andthere used to be these, like,

(01:01:44):
shows that they would havewhere, like, people dressed up
as mermaids and did, like, theseunderwater shows with a pig.
I'm I never saw it, but I hearda story about this famous pig
that did, like, these watershows 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

(01:02:09):
parade and they've deemedthemselves like the mermaids.

Wow.

Vanessa (01:02:17):
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 conservationeffort, um, to help keep the
Texas rivers clean.

right.
So I think that's really coolthat there's a Mermaid Festival
in Texas and there's a MermaidFestival in Florida.
And that just goes to showdoesn't matter which coast
you're on.
There's a community there youknow,

Vanessa (01:02:48):
Um, okay.
Oh, a Krampus Festival.
You, you mentioned there was aKrampus Festival, which I, I, I
love this.
Um, the Krampus character is sointeresting.

Yes, definitely.
So yeah, the Krampus Festivaloccurs in, uh, the Austrian
Alps, like the, the state ofTyrol in Austrian Alp.
And that's, that's one that I'mtrying to get.
Uh, a guest or someone to be,to, to interview me when it
comes to getting aninternational guest, uh, it's

(01:03:20):
sometimes there's acommunication barrier that I
have to kind of, kind of lungeacross, but sometimes those,
those other countries or States,they have like a, a tourist
department that I can kind ofget in touch with.
So Krampus festival, but I cameacross this one through
Instagram, uh, through my.
My, my, uh, Viva La FestivaInstagram.

(01:03:42):
And I was just going through,cause my algorithm's all about
festivals on that one.
So I come across a lot ofstrange, cool ones.
And I just see like a parade ofthese creepy characters.
Like, you know, they're allgoing down the street

Vanessa (01:03:55):
Well, tell us what Krampus is because some people
may not know who Krampus is.

sure.
So Krampus from what Iunderstand 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 afolktale of tall tale kind of a
creature that I think theparents used to kind of scare
the children into behaving, youknow, so maybe our equivalent of

(01:04:20):
the boogeyman or something.
Yeah, so, so.
I guess this festival celebratesthat, you know, kind of
embracing the, uh, thespookiness or the, the
cautiousness of, of, of Krampus.

Vanessa (01:04:34):
And does it happen around Christmas?

Uh, I'm not entirely sure, uh, but I would
think so.
I think, I think it does becausefrom what I've seen, it's
definitely winter for sure.

Vanessa (01:04:46):
Because I think that the folktale is like he comes
around Christmas time.

that's right.

Vanessa (01:04:52):
Um, and maybe he leaves Cole.
I don't know.
I'm going to have to have aguess on to talk about Krampus
now because

Yeah, definitely.
know that, Yeah, that'd be areally good one for you to do.

Vanessa (01:05:03):
huh.

That'd be really fun.

Vanessa (01:05:06):
Last year I did Christmas, this year Krampus.
So if you, if someone has aguest, give me a shout out.
I need, I need someone to cometalk to

you go.

Vanessa (01:05:14):
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 inMaryland.
And those are the only ones I'vebeen to, but I know that people,
like some people, will travelaround the world, around the U.

(01:05:38):
S.
I don't know if run festivalsare a thing in the, in Europe,
um, and like try and visit someof the, the better ones.
So tell us, tell us about whatrun festivals are and

sure.
Yes, definitely.
Ren fairs are really interestingto me because they're kind of
like you're stepping into a newworld.
You know, um, you meet peoplethat are totally enamored with
the, uh, with, with thelifestyle, with the environment.
I mean, that's why there's, Imean, even in movies and.
Stories and every media, you dosee some kind of fantasy world

(01:06:12):
involved in it, whether it'svideo games or any other media.
And so Ren Fairs are really anopportunity for you to kind of
immerse yourself in that world.
Uh, I spoke to the director ofthe Festival of Legends, which
is, uh, I mean, he says it's afairy festival that's also

(01:06:32):
combined with a Ren Fair.
Um, yeah, it's, it's like hesays it's huge and that these
people, what did he say exactly?
It's like, you're stepping intoa time that never has been, but
it, it's, it's here now, youknow, like it's, it's, this
never existed, but it reallyshould.

(01:06:54):
And it's here now.
And so, um, these rent fairs arejust a great opportunity for
people, like for the fairycommunity to come out, their
mermaid community come out.
Uh, I know people that even likethe, 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

(01:07:16):
to come out like that.
So, so those are a lot of

Vanessa (01:07:19):
Festival even has one weekend that is superheroes,
which I have zero idea how thathas anything to do with super
Renaissance Festival.
But like, there's a weekendthat's dedicated to superheroes.
So people like dress up assuperheroes.
And then one year I kept seeingpeople dressed up as a mushroom,
like you know, the mushroomsthat you see in.

(01:07:41):
And inevitably it's like a.
You know, mushroom core, there'slike a whole sub category of
people who just, I, I don'treally understand.
I, I had to, I had to look itup, but I really still didn't
understand what was happening,but there were a lot of people
dressed up as a mushroom.

it's really funny that I mean, even mushrooms,
there's plenty of mushroomfestivals.
I'm actually going to beinterviewing somebody from the
Santa Cruz mushroom festivalpretty soon here.
So there's definitelycommunities for everything.
Like I said, just put what youlove, put the next, put the word
festival next to it and.
There you go

Vanessa (01:08:15):
And so why would, why would you suggest people who
don't necessarily go tofestivals how would you convince
them that it's something thatthey need to try out?
Okay.

(01:08:37):
Okay.
Okay.

question, but you know, Christmas, we celebrate
it.
You know, people that celebrateChristmas, they celebrate it in
their home.
You know, there's no centralChristmas place where you go,
you know, it's not, okay, we'regoing to celebrate Christmas.
We all go here.
Some people celebrate Christmasin their own way.
You know, I know somebody thatwould celebrate Christmas.
Uh, it was their tradition toget a pizza every Christmas Eve.

(01:09:19):
Like that was their tradition.
So everyone has their own uniqueway of celebrating Christmas or
a tradition or a festival.
Right.
So, um, it's.
I would say if people arehesitant about going to a
festival, you might be able tofind a festival that kind of is
right for you.

(01:09:40):
Like I said, there's even waysfor you to be a part of a
festival in your own home, orjust by yourself, simply with
the use of social media.
For an example, Pokemon Go Festis a big festival that happens,
but And there is centralizedareas, but you could be a part
of the festival by taking apicture, uh, with your phone,

(01:10:01):
like, Oh, Hey, I'm celebratingPokemon go fast.
Like I'm outside and you couldput it on social media and the,
the event organizers will postyou up online, you know?
So you could be a part of thefestival without actually being
there, you know?
Yeah.
And so there's also tons offestivals.
that are a little bit moresmaller, you know, for your

(01:10:22):
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 veryrewarding experience, not just
with understanding yourcommunity, but getting to know
local businesses and justgetting some fresh air.
You know, a lot of thesefestivals are just.
Outdoors, great day.

(01:10:43):
They're on the weekend for areason, you know, so, because
they want you to just go out andget some fresh air.
And sometimes you could discoversomething that you're own, that
you're passionate about.

Vanessa (01:10:51):
Mm hmm.
And you mentioned earlier thatyou are drawn to festivals
because you're an extrovert, butI would also say that introverts
can find a lot of things infestivals because you don't
actually have to interact with alot of people.
I think you could sit on abench, And watch people walk by
and be very entertained,especially that's one of the

(01:11:13):
things I love about.
Rin festivals is that you don'thave to do anything.
You can just sit there and watchpeople walk by and you will be
entertained all day long.

Oh, very true.
Very true.

Vanessa (01:11:28):
Um, well, thank you so much for joining us.
Is there anything that we didn'ttalk about.
that you really wanted to cover?

Uh, no, I think, I think we did a pretty good job.
I think we had fun.

Vanessa (01:11:40):
Yeah, absolutely.
I mean, I, I'm, I have a lovefor festivals if you can't tell.
So this is, this is very fun forme.
Um, and you've given me a lot offestivals that now I have to add
on my bucket list.
Um,

Yes.
Oh, I guess, I guess one, onething.
One thing I just want yourlisteners to, to just really,
uh, really do is make an effortto find festivals in your area.
So that's something I kind ofbring up in my podcast is at the
end, I say, you know, check outyour area.
You know, sometimes just yourneighborhood will have a

(01:12:14):
festival you know, of some sort.
It might be small, it might justbe a little cookout, but a lot
of those, um, or even your, yourcity, go to your city, um, your
visitor centers.
And a lot of cities.
They want to have festivalsbecause they want to grow the
community, because I think theyidentify, they understand the
benefits of having a close knitcommunity, whether that's a

(01:12:35):
city, a town or a big metropolisarea.
So I think I really want yourlisteners to just make an effort
to go out and just Googlefestivals in my area and see
what's around and you might besurprised.

Vanessa (01:12:48):
Yeah, like we have a festival that's coming up.
It's a monarch butterflyfestival because we're entering
into monarch butterfly season.
Many people in South and CentralTexas are familiar with the
butterfly migration.
And I think they talk a lotabout like the education of, of
butterflies, but also how theytag the butterflies to see how

(01:13:09):
far they go.
Um, and so it was kind of like aa citizen science, uh, festival,
but it's very small and youknow, it's, so it's, it's, it's
not allowed over stimulatingone.
So there, there's a festival foreveryone.

Definitely.

Vanessa (01:13:26):
And where can people find you

Sure.
So my first, or my podcast VivaLa Festiva podcast can be found
on all of the major platforms, Ibelieve.
So Apple podcasts, uh, Spotify,Stitcher, Pandora, any of those.
Uh, so they could just searchViva La Festiva podcast on
those, or you could find me onInstagram and that's Viva La

(01:13:50):
Festiva podcast.
Uh, that's just the, whole word,no spaces, no special
characters, or if you are partof a festival or if you know of
a festival, anything festivalrelated, they could always reach
out to me on email, which isviva la festiva at gmail.
com.

Vanessa (01:14:08):
Perfect.
And we're going to add all ofthose, um, links to our show
notes, uh, which will be atfabricoffolklore.
com.
So all of the all the thingsthat we talked about today that
you have links for, we're goingto, we're going to add them up
there so people can, can findtheir way to your website or
your, your Instagram and BurningMan, you know, we'll add up the,

(01:14:30):
the, the YouTube video that wewere talking about as well.
Um, so absolutely.
Thank you so much, Jacob, forjoining us.

Thank you, Vanessa.

Vanessa (01:14:39):
And thank you folksy folks for joining us.
on this festival journey.
Do you have a favorite festivalthat you want to talk to us
about?
Um, if you had an opinion aboutBurning Man before, has it
changed?
Did you learn some new thingstoday that surprised you?
Once again, all of those linkswill be on our website.
Um, you can also follow us onFacebook, Instagram, Twitter X,

(01:15:02):
uh, and LinkedIn sometimes.
Uh, we love hearing from ourguests.
And if you have an idea, likeJacob was saying for his
podcast, I'm the same.
I love getting ideas from myaudience because those are
oftentimes what some of myfavorite, uh, episodes.
And like I said before, we're aindie podcast, so subscribing is

(01:15:25):
really helpful for smallpodcasts like ourselves.
Sharing the podcast with yourneighbor, with your friend, with
your, your parents, that isincredibly helpful.
Thanks again for unraveling themysteries of folklore on Fabric
of Folklore.
I am Vanessa Y.
Rogers, and until next time,keep the folk alive.

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