Yucatan Living

Merida will participate in World Folklore Day with a large vaquería and exhibition of dances, traditional food and costumes from China, Germany, Spain, Korea, Argentina, the Middle East and Mexico.

The program will be in two parts, said Irving Berlin Villafaña, director of Culture Department, at a press conference held yesterday in Hall 3 of Olympus. The first will be 6 to 8:30 p.m., in the courtyard of Olympus, where the public will have the opportunity to meet cultures of the countries mentioned with a culinary and craft exhibition.

The second part will be the big vaquería, to be held at the Palacio at 9 p.m., with 400 dancers.

The program includes the participation of members of the five folkloric ballets of the City of Merida, alumni of the Municipal Dance Center, the Ballet Folklorico Kambal and more.

As is customary in the festivities, the groups, accompanied by guilds and carrying banners and religious images, will leave in procession, at 7 PM from the parks of Santiago and Santa Ana and march to the Ayuntamiento.

At 9 the dances will begin with the five ballets and Orchestra Jaranera.... with more dancing and music to follow.

Irving Berlin stressed that this will be the first time that the city of Merida performs this program, joining World Folklore Day, which UNESCO first declared in 1960.