LOTUS BUDS THAT BIND FESTIVAL CELEBRATES ASIA-PACIFIC CULTURE.Byline: Sabrina Decker Staff Writer ECHO PARK - Thousands of Angelenos came together on Saturday to celebrate a sprawling bed of broad lily pads ablaze with one of the world's finest World's Finest may refer to:
The 24th annual Lotus Festival The Lotus World Music and Arts Festival is an annual music festival that takes place in Bloomington, Indiana every September/October. Drawing artists from every continent, the festival takes place over the course of a weekend in the downtown area. at Echo Park, expected to draw more than 200,000 celebrants by the time it ends today, celebrates Asian and Pacific Island cultures. In an event that seems part carnival and part international food and shopping bazaar, festivalgoers can watch traditional dancing from more than six countries, shop for silk brocade pants and spears, chew fresh sugar cane and drink an Indonesian brew made from brown sugar and mung beans. ``This is an opportunity for the world to come to Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. ,'' said Peter Kwong The Most Reverend Dr Peter Kong-kit Kwong (Traditional Chinese: 鄺廣傑) was the first Archbishop and Primate of Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui and Bishop of the Diocese of Hong Kong Island since 1981 (not an archdiocese at the time). , the festival's master of ceremonies. The weather couldn't have been better Saturday as people clustered around striped vendors' awnings lining both sides of the lotus field, the second-largest natural collection of such flowers in the world. Past the field, dragon boats paddled down the length of the river, and children ate striped snow cones and marveled at the Ferris wheel Ferris wheel, amusement park ride. It consists of a power-operated wheel that is about 50 ft (15 m) in diameter. It has two rims that are parallel to and equidistant from the shaft about which the wheel rotates. . ``It's beautiful,'' said City Councilman Ed Reyes Ed P. Reyes has served on the Los Angeles City Council since April 2001. A native of Northeast Los Angeles, Councilmember Reyes represents many of the neighborhoods he grew up in including Lincoln Heights and Cypress Park. , who represents part of Northeast Los Angeles. ``You can just see the cross-section and diversity of our city.'' Throughout the day, the main stage showcased costumes, dancing, and martial arts skills of countries such as China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and the Samoan Islands. Fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to set to the music of traditional Japanese drums were scheduled to conclude the day's events. ``The music and the food remind me of back home,'' said Djoni Supangkat, an Indonesian now residing in Los Angeles. The event requires a full year of planning, and is the biggest festival hosted each year by the city of Los Angeles' Recreation and Parks Department. This year's theme highlighted the 17,000 islands of Indonesia Indonesia occupies most of the Malay Archipelago and extends into western Melanesia, as well. The country has 17,508 islands officially, with about 6,000 of those inhabited. . ``Only in Los Angeles could you see so many cultures here,'' said Wilma Camacho, digging into a fresh Vietnamese coconut with a jagged piece of coconut shell. ``Sharing food, decorations, cultures, arts and crafts arts and crafts, term for that general field of applied design in which hand fabrication is dominant. The term was coined in England in the late 19th cent. as a label for the then-current movement directed toward the revivifying of the decorative arts. ... I've been coming here for the past six years.'' The Lotus Festival is held at Echo Park, and will be open from noon to 8 p.m. today. From the 101 (Hollywood) Freeway south, exit at Alvarado Street, turn left and go under the freeway. Admission and parking are free. From the 101 (Hollywood) Freeway north, exit at Glendale Boulevard and follow the signs. CAPTION(S): 4 photos Photo: (1) The lotus field boasts the second-largest natural collection of such flowers in the world. (2) A crew takes part in dragon boat races at the 24th annual Lotus Festival at Echo Park. Celebrating Asian and Pacific Island culture, the event is expected to draw more than 200,000 people by the time it ends today. (3 -- 4) White and pink-tipped lotus flowers, above, grow naturally in Echo Park Lake in front of the L.A. skyline. At left, Mita Wimboprasetyo performs a Balinese dance about two bumblebees at the festival ending today. Charlotte Schmid-Maybach/Staff Photographer |
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