San Antonio - PhotoTrice

Fiesta!

Blessing of the Court - San Fernando Cathedral — Blessing of the Court – San Fernando Cathedral

San Antonio is celebrating fiesta this week. It is a ten day gala held every spring to commemorate the Battles of San Jacinto and the Alamo. Both were Pivotal events in the birth of Texas as a sovereign nation. Both are serious points of pride for many Texans.

One of the highlights of fiesta is the Battle of Flowers parade which takes place this afternoon. It is a huge community party. School children get a day off from studies and many businesses close half the day to allow everyone to join in the fun.

Festivities are capped off each year with the Fiesta Flambeau night parade which is billed as ‘Americas Largest Illuminated Night Parade’. It draws a few hundred thousand spectators downtown each year. Afterwards many thousands will join in more adult activities on the River Walk. It is not unusual to see revelers making their way home in the Sunday morning light.

Viva Fiesta!

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Dia de los Muertos celebrations in San Antonio are full of tradition. On this night near the Instituto Cultural de Mexico, a drum and dance procession from the arts group Urban 15 began performing. After a few minutes they made their way inside the building, snaking around the altars into a gallery room. The room quickly became a swirl of sound and motion. The performance in this small space was so intense that it became a visceral physical experience. It was quite extraordinary.