WINTER CELEBRATIONS was a dynamic exploration, in the form of three different multi-media installations, focusing on festive events that occur over the course of the winter months in Houston. All who live in the Bayou City know that summer punishes and winter forgives. As a result, the winter months in Houston provide an extra opportunity to celebrate the season in special ways that express our diversity, our internationalism and our local heritage. These installations included presentations focused on the Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Lunar New Year and the African-American trail riders who help kick off the annual Livestock Show and Rodeo. These distinctive traditions share more than a season -- they are all public, participatory, festive events involving parade-like processional activities, music and dance, and fancy garb or costume.
Find out more about each installation below.
Celebrating the Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe
Catholics the world over venerate the Virgin of Guadalupe, but She is especially revered by Mexicans. Her feast day in Houston is celebrated with music, dance, special garb, the making and adorning of elaborate altars.
Winter Celebrations: Exploring Lunar New Year
The Chinese and Vietnamese Lunar New Year involves spectacular preparations, dynamic performances and artful displays at temples, businesses and homes throughout the city.
Winter Celebrations: Honoring Houston’s African-American Trail Riders
Every year, dozens of trail ride associations open the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo by traversing the region, unpacking the city’s rural heritage and its role in the black cowboy story.
WINTER CELEBRATIONS is a public project produced as a part of the Houston Folklife Collection. The work contained in the Houston Folklife Collection was produced by Folklorist Pat Jasper and Project Manager Angel Quesada, with assistance from a range of colleagues and the generous participation of Houstonians and citizens of surrounding communities. The creation of this website was supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts Folk and Traditional Arts Program and University of Houston Special Collections.