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Rio Grande Valley Celtic Festival celebrates history and tradition
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New Mexico may not have the seaside villages and rolling green hills that Ireland and Scotland are known for, but during the Rio Grande Valley Celtic Festival, you can get a taste of the nations’ heritage.
On Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4, embrace Celtic traditions in their truest form at Albuquerque’s Balloon Fiesta Park.
“We’re a traditional festival, so we have Highland dancing competitions and Irish step dancing demonstrations and Highland athletics,” said Sue Jacobi, president of the Rio Grande Valley Celtic Festival.
Traditionally, Celtic festivals include demonstrations of strength, with athletics playing an important role as a way to celebrate physical prowess. Historically, Highland athletes are paying homage to Celtic warriors.
At the festival, attendees can expect to see Scottish heavy athletics, which includes a light and heavy hammer throw, sheaf tossing and the iconic caber toss — in which athletes lug giant tree logs to see who can flip them the farthest.
Each day, the festival will open with Celtic music. When the music isn’t playing, guests can watch various dance competitions, including the Highland dance, featuring performers in kilts.
“The Highland dance was also for the soldiers,” Jacobi said. “You would dance to intimidate your enemies, so a lot of this has kind of descended into more modern times, whereas we have pretty girls and lovely young men doing Highland dancing.”
To keep the traditions rolling, Celtic food will be served at the festival. Take a bite into classic meat pie or try a taste of haggis, a savory dish made from a sheep’s heart and liver mixed with oatmeal and spices. Other food vendors include Old Norse World Cuisine, beer from Quarter Celtic Brewpub and baked goods from Le Paris Bakery.
“Because we’re in Albuquerque, we are going to have some local fare, but we also have a couple vendors who are coming and bringing haggis, which is what the poor people ate, so there is some traditional food,” Jacobi said.
For people who prefer to shop, vendors like Desert Oasis Creations, C.H.HUTCHINSON and Carbony Celtic Winds will be selling kilts, accessories and wind instruments.
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“You don’t have to be Scottish or Irish to come to this festival,” Jacobi said. “You can come and enjoy and learn about another aspect of history and enjoy the festivities, music, food and telephone poles being tossed. You don’t have to be Celtic at all, but we will make you an honorary Celt the moment you walk through the gate.”
