Ellen Lindner: Art & Creativity

I really enjoy traveling to some place new, learning a little about it, and NOTICING all the interesting scenery and customs.  Such was the case on a recent trip to San Antonio.

One of the first things we noticed in this historic city was people wearing sashes loaded with pins.  What was up with this, we wondered?

Click any image for a larger view.

Eventually, we figured out that this was part of Fiesta, a 10 day city-wide party with all sorts of events and revelry.  Local businesses give away (or sell) specialty Fiesta pins each year, and it’s a point of pride for the local citizens to be covered with them.  I even managed to get a free one before our visit was over!

In addition to the pins, which were worn anywhere and everywhere, we also saw some wacky hats at one of the events.

Part of the Fiesta celebration was the decorating of homes and businesses throughout town.  Very brightly  colored paper cutouts and paper flowers were often used for this. 

We also learned about cascarones, shown below.  These are empty eggshells, which have been colored and filled with confetti.  The holes have been covered with matching tissue paper.

The cascarones are used in celebrations, especially those in the spring, such as Easter and Fiesta.  The idea is to crack one over someone’s head, which is supposed to give them good luck.  What a fun tradition!

We saw these for sale in several stores, usually for about 50 cents each.  One shopkeeper told me that the price went up to $5 each if they were cracked inside.  Who can blame her?

Lots of colorful inspiration!

Ellen Lindner