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International Day of Flamenco – November 16

Unesco designated Flamenco as being an “intangible cultural heritage” in 2010. The Andalusian region of Spain is considered one of the main areas for Flamenco, although the song and dance also has roots in Murcia and Extremadura. Here in Southern California, there are now dance schools in Long Beach, Burbank and in Orange County. The freedom of whipping the skirt, expressing rhythm with guitar, hand claps and heels clicking on the floor is like nothing else. In honor of this day, here are some visuals of Flamenco in SoCal – artistic director/choreographer/ dancer Maria Bermudez performing a Occidental College, Paco and Yolanda Arroyo performing in Burbank, and EnCompas Flamenco dance school director Melonie Grasty-Vasquez performing at her annual EnCompas student show.

  • Melonie Grasty-Vasquez
  • Yolanda Arroyo
  • Maria Bermudez
  • Yolanda Arroyo

for more information on learning to Flamenco dance:

En Compas Flamenco https://www.flamencoinburbank.com/

Rina Orellana Flamenco https://www.rinaorellanaflamenco.com/

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Pomegranates: Love, Fertility and Bye-Bye Evil Eye

Bright, ruby red seeds, 163 of them just like the Torah’s Commandments. The pomegranate is one of those perplexing fruits we find in the yards of our 1950’s ranchettes and wonder what to do with them. Little do we know these fruits came all the way from their native Persia, traversing the globe via India, China, the Mediterranean, over to Spain, and on the ships to the New World. A 1792 account from Mission San Buena Ventura mentions the pomegranate. Via the Spanish missionaries, the fruit spread throughout the state. Now California is the #1 grower in the nation due to our favorable climate.

Symbolically and spiritually loaded, it is important in the Sephardic Rosh Hashanah seder. To Hindus, the pomegranate symbolizes fertility and prosperity. In the Muslim Koran, the pomegranate grows in the Garden of Paradise. To Armenians, it is equated with the survival of a nation. In Greece and Turkey, you will find pomegranate shaped beads with the “eye” on them to ward off bad luck.

The pomegranate is loaded with antioxidant properties. Once you get the hang of de-seeding a pomegranate (a messy process due to the red seed juice – wear an apron) you can enjoy both the delicious flavor, as well as the spiritual and health values. Great to eat raw, juiced, included in salads, marinades and Sangria! Click here to learn how to de-seed and juice the pomegranate: https://toriavey.com/how-to/how-to-seed-a-pomegranate/

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PIRATE BOOTY CALL IN CALIFORNIA

August is International Pirate Month. Normally you think of pirates on the east coast and around the Gulf, but California had her run-in with “California’s only pirate” Hippolyte de Bouchard. De Bouchard was a French-born Argentine sailor and corsair who made his way to Monterey in 1818. He started with plundering the Presidio of Monterey, He and his pirate mateys found the pickings were quite ripe along the coastal missions. He worked is way down to Mission Santa Barbara, then Mission San Juan Capistrano. The attacks and pillaging sent panic along the missions prompting Mission San Buenaventura to move cattle and holdings inland. It’s very strange to think of a horde of pirates dropping anchor off the Santa Barbara coast and making their way up to Gaviota Ranch. De Bouchard continued to move south, on to Mexico in 1819, then to Peru where he joined the Peruvian Navy and he became an admiral. As you look down the path where de Bouchard once plundered, what would he make of the multi-million dollar properties dotting the coast now? Better booty than the missions! If you want to explore this coast, the California Coastwalk is a great resource to hike and see history. https://coastwalk.org/

Santa Cruz Island coastline, Ventura, CA
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Celebrate Mountain Day On The Ancient Chumash Trail

With a bounty of all of the reasons people come to Southern California, it’s easy to take our geography for granted. Our coastline boasts quality beaches and mountain hiking trails paralleling the the Pacific Coast Highway and the 101 freeway. It took Japan’s upcoming “Mountain Day” (August 11) to prompt my reflection. “Mountain Day” is Japan’s way of celebrating their geography and culture. In Japanese writing, the number 8 looks like the shape of a mountain. The number 11 looks like two trees. It feels fitting to enjoy this celebration too.

Here in Southern California we have several notable mountain ranges – San Gabriel, San Bernardino, Santa Ana, San Jacinto, Sierra Madre, Santa Monica and more. We see them everyday as we navigate the freeways from Ventura County all the way to Riverside County. I grew up around the Santa Monica Mountains. Originally home to the Chumash and Tongva peoples, this vast range has been inhabited for over 8,000 years. Paleocoastal archaeologists are finding evidence on the nearby Channel Islands that possibly extends the earliest inhabitants to 13,000 years ago with the earliest migrations of peoples from Asia to the Americas. It is the jeweled necklace adorning the Pacific coast from Los Angeles to Ventura County.

Of the many trails, the original Chumash and Tongva trails are guarded secrets. But one trail is thought to date back to the ancient peoples: The Chumash Trail . This trail was used to reach the Pacific Ocean, It starts at Point Mugu State Park and can be quite steep in parts. Geologists believe part of the Channel Islands are an extension of the Santa Monicas into the Pacific Ocean. The view of the Channel Islands is one of the best parts of this trail. Although a very temperate area, during the summer the heat can creep up on you. Stay hydrated and be prepared for some steep areas. The Woosley Fire of 2018 burned nearly 97,000 acres of land. Although things are starting to regenerate, it is best to check the National Parks Santa Monica Mountains website to check which trails are open before you visit. https://www.nps.gov/samo/index.htm

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Hina Matsuri – A Special Day Celebrating Girls

Hina Matsuri (Girls Day) display at the Huntington Library

Hina Matsuri is March 3 each year and marks “Girls Day” and the Japanese Doll Festival. In Heian era Japan (8th-10th century) when the tradition started, it was believed the dolls possessed the power to contain evil spirits. Today, this is a celebration of young girls and their growth and happiness. The displays of dolls can go up as early as February, but must come down immediately after March 3. Traditionally, the doll display is set up on a platform, covered in red draping. The dolls are elaborate and highly ornamental. They represent the Emperor, Empress and their attendants decked out in court dress of the Heian period. An added motif is the peach. Peaches are symbolic as they begin to flower around this time of year. There are wonderful displays of Hina Matsuri (Girls Day) throughout Los Angeles and this weekend is a great time to see them. The Huntington has a massive display in the Japanese Garden (pictured here). Other locations are the Japan Foundation LA and the Japan American Cultural and Community Center in San Pedro.

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How Can Something This Great Be Free?

Southern California has fantastic botanical gardens and museum / libraries, but the real grand dame is the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino, a tony area of Pasadena. Henry and Arabella Huntington established the garden and library. The mediterranean revival style library was designed in 1920 by architect Myron Hunt. The Huntington Art Gallery opened to the public in 1928. The gardens cover 120 acres and are themed: Japanese, Chinese, Desert, Rose, Shakespeare, Herb, Lily Ponds, Sub Tropical and more. Admission to the Huntington is a little more expensive than some of our other local gardens ($25) and membership starts at $159, but we have a work around! The Huntington does “Free Day” on the first Thursday of every month. You must reserve a ticket and these go very fast! Tickets become available on the first day of the previous month so if you want to go on the first Thursday of April (April 2), you jump on reserving it on March 1. Good luck, and happy walking. https://www.huntington.org/free-day

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Outer Space Right Here in Our Back Yard

For those interested in the stars and space exploration, there are three key institutions all geographically close by in the Pasadena area: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Caltech, and Mount Wilson Observatory. All three offer opportunities open to the public to experience talks with luminaries in the related fields and demonstrations. These include some very popular events in robotics.
Caltech will have a lecture on the legacy of the soon to be retired Spitzer Space Telescope on Jan 29, 8pm-9:30 pm

https://www.caltech.edu/campus-life-events/master-calendar/watson-lecture-202001

JPL has a great series through the year starting Feb 6 & 7 : Beyond the Pale Blue Dot: Seeing Distant Planets

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/events/lectures_archive.php?year=2020&month=2

Mount Wilson Observatory generally has events during the year: https://www.mtwilson.edu/lectures/

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All I Want For Xmas is Maxwell Smart’s Shoe Phone

Spies, high tech military gear and exotic seductresses – some things never change! That was the 1960’s pop culture of my formative years. TV provided a mirror to California’s aerospace years. Hughes, Douglas, and Lockheed employed many of our Dad’s. We lived in households where acronyms and security clearance was a way of life. Memorabilia collector John Azarian’s collection of TV artifacts provide evidence of the Hollywood TV industry’s cracked mirror reflection of this time. Imagine if Get Smart’s writers were hired by the defense industry! Azarian collected costumes, props and scripts from TV shows including Batman, I Dream of Jeannie, Wonder Woman, Star Trek, Gilligan’s Island, Bewitched, and more. Now he feels it is time to divest himself of the treasure and it will be auctioned December 17th : https://profilesinhistory.com/auctions/the-azarian-collection-auction/. What treasure it is! Batman and Robin full costumes made the news, but the excitement for me was the Get Smart “shoe phone,” (auction est. $12,000-$15,000. Skipper and Gilligan hats (est. $20,000-$30,000), The “Bat Phone” (est. $30,000-$50,000), I Dream of Jeannie harem costume (est. $45,000-$55,000) and Jeannie’s bottle (est. $30,000-$50,000). If you love Batman, the costumes for 3 of the Catwomen will be auctioned, Batgirl’s cape and belt and walkie talkie and costumes from all of the villains we know and love including Joker, Riddler and Penguin. There is a huge amount of Star Trek costumes including “Alternative Universe” Kirk, Spock and Uhura outfits. May the 60’s sitcom reality live on! Profiles in History auction, December 17, 2019.

Azarian Collection – Profiles in History Auction
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Turquoise Worth Its Weight In Gold

The crème de la crème of Native American artists and their art will be showcased this weekend (November 9 and 10) at the Autry Museum American Indian Marketplace in Griffith Park https://theautry.org/events/signature-programs/american-indian-arts-marketplace/artist-list . The annual event hosts 200 artists from over 40 Native Nations throughout the US (even includes some from Canada and Mexico). It’s a dazzling display across the arts spectrum, in both traditional and non-traditional styles. Whether you are a novice or advanced collector, this is the place to go. The Autry annual Native American art market sits alongside the very top art markets including the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Red Earth in OKC, and Santa Fe. This is where you will see up and coming artists (when you can still afford to buy a piece), as well as the established artists who create internationally known, museum quality pieces. My favorite artist, Ellouise Padilla, showcases her stone inlay mastery and innovative designs. It’s an event appropriate for children too (activities, traditional music & dancing) and a great way to learn more about our local history. Food and beverage is available. A side note on the California tribes: in 1958 Congress passed the Rancheria Act which terminated federal supervision and Indian status for 41 California Rancherias and these tribes lost their acknowledgement of tribal status. Subsequently via judicial settlements over 27 Rancherias have status restored. If you want to learn more about our California tribes, click here: http://www.native-languages.org/california.htm

Ellouise Padilla (left), jewelry artist from the Santo Domingo Pueblo, NM.

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MARIGOLDS, SUGAR SKULLS & COPAL

Dia De Los Muertos is when those of us living remember our deceased loved ones. This is actually not a “day,” it is three days and this year starts on October 31 and ends on November 2. Families create colorful, individualized altars for loved ones (including pets, yes this is SoCal). There are specific elements key to this period of remembrance which echo back to the ancient Mesoamerican times. Some of my favorites: Aztec Marigolds (Targetes Erecta) – these tall, golden flowers are sacred and used for decoration and medicine. The color and scent guides the spirits to their “ofrendas” (altars). Copal is known as the “Frankincense of the Americas.” This is a resin that comes from the Bursera Bipinnata tree. The resin is burned for religious purposes and is known as food for the deities. Calaveras de Azucar are sugar skulls. The skull symbolizes death and rebirth. In addition to Olvera Street downtown, Silver Lake will host their day on Friday November 1, Sunset Triangle.