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SmithsonianFolklife
@SmithsonianFolk
We promote greater understanding and sustainability of cultural heritage through
@Folkways
, Folklife Festival, research & education | s.si.edu/legal
Washington, D.C.folklife.si.eduJoined April 2009
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SmithsonianFolklife’s Tweets

SmithsonianFolklife
@SmithsonianFolk
“I think actually, now, if you don’t know about the Romani community, it’s a willful ignorance or a lack of interest. For so long, our story wasn’t being told in our voice.” —
@Riah_Knight
, artist-activist Read on: s.si.edu/3Mpfc8L #RomaDay
folklife.si.edu
No More Smoke and Wagons: Riah Knight and Romani Representation in Art
Knight’s work as an activist centers demystifying Travellers as a community and addressing the misrepresentation and dangerous stereotyping they face.
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SmithsonianFolklife
@SmithsonianFolk
What does it take to be a horticulturalist at
@SIGardens
? Janet Draper’s go-to tools are her cell phone, her Felco #2 clippers, and her Japanese hori hori digging knife. At the end of the day, she’s “filthy, dirty, and tired.” Read on: s.si.edu/412Y2BN #FolkloreThursday
folklife.si.edu
Take a Tour with the “Hort-Nerd” of Smithsonian’s Ripley Garden
Janet Draper is Smithsonian Gardens’ lead horticulturalist for the Mary Livingston Ripley Garden in Washington, D.C.
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SmithsonianFolklife
@SmithsonianFolk
This summer, at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, we’ll explore other creative expressions of faith and food, including with
@gefilteria
! Learn more about the “Creative Encounters: Living Religions in the U.S.” program: s.si.edu/CreativeEncoun #2023Folklife
festival.si.edu
Creative Encounters: Living Religions in the U.S.
In the United States, our religious and spiritual communities are a diverse tapestry of creative engagements and expressions.
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SmithsonianFolklife
@SmithsonianFolk
The Haggadah is the Jewish text that recounts the story of liberation from Egypt along with a guide to a traditional #Passover Seder. Originally compiled in the Middle Ages, Jews now adapt the booklet for modern times. Read on: s.si.edu/3GgmojO #CreativeEncounters
folklife.si.edu
Gluten-Free Matzah and a Handmade Haggadah: The Modern Passover Seder
This was my very first Seder, held at a group house in Washington, D.C., lovingly nicknamed “The Nest.”
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SmithsonianFolklife
@SmithsonianFolk
“I think we have to advocate for ourselves to be visible in those spaces. We have to let them know, ‘We’ve always been gamers, but y’all have ignored us.’” —
@KishonnaGray
Read more on gender equity in the world of video games: s.si.edu/3LVzQND #WomensHistoryMonth
folklife.si.edu
“We’ve Always Been Here”: Women in the Video Game Community
The word “gamer” often makes people think of a stereotypical dude playing for extensive periods of time without ever leaving his home.
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SmithsonianFolklife
@SmithsonianFolk
Catawba Valley pottery is a regional form in North Carolina defined by two techniques: the use of alkaline glazes, which combine ashes, crushed glass, and clay slip, and the use of a “groundhog kiln,” named for its underground construction. Read on: s.si.edu/3ngT4Ty 🏺
folklife.si.edu
How Burlon Craig Sparked the Catawba Valley Pottery Revival
Born in 1914, Burlon Craig did not descend from a family of potters like others in the North Carolina region.
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SmithsonianFolklife
@SmithsonianFolk
This summer, we invite you to learn more about calligraphy and poetry in Islam when the Smithsonian Folklife Festival presents “Living Religion: Creative Encounters in the U.S.” Explore the program: s.si.edu/LivingReligion #2023Folklife #LivingReligion
festival.si.edu
Creative Encounters: Living Religions in the U.S.
In the United States, our religious and spiritual communities are a diverse tapestry of creative engagements and expressions.
4
Show this thread
SmithsonianFolklife
@SmithsonianFolk
For Trinbagonians around the world, calypso music offers everyday lessons, a sense of pride and belonging, a temporary reprieve from hardship, and bursts of native wisdom—lyrics turned proverbs from the island nation of Trinidad & Tobago. Read on: s.si.edu/3nakMBo 🎶
folklife.si.edu
“Calypso Is We!” Life Lessons in the Music of Trinidad and Tobago
Calypso and steelpan (steel drum) musicians broadcast the rhythms and rhymes at the heart of Trinbagonian society.
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SmithsonianFolklife
@SmithsonianFolk
In Chinese culture, #SpringEquinox is one of 24 solar terms that mark every 15° on the sun’s path. The terms have fun, descriptive names, like Insects Awake as life comes out of winter hibernation and Clear Bright in the height of spring. Read on: s.si.edu/34lFcK8 🌷
festival.si.edu
Celebrating Spring, the Seasons, and the Sun in China
This poem by Chinese poet Xu Xuan (916-991 CE) honors the transition from winter to spring. According to the Chinese Almanac, March 21 is the first day of the season
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SmithsonianFolklife
@SmithsonianFolk
“After the Irish Rebellion in 1798, the Irish soldiers differentiated themselves from the British (who are wearing 🔴 clothing) by wearing full 🟢 uniforms. The ☘️ on their hats was a symbol of rebellion.” —James Deutsch, Folklife curator ow.ly/bzpA50NlvSI via
@VerifyThis
verifythis.com
Fact-checking 4 St. Patrick’s Day claims
Blue, not green, was the first color associated with St. Patrick’s Day — and Saint Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was not originally from the country.
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