The table below lists the majority of the celebrations held in the towns around the island that include or are centered on artisans’ fairs. Patron saint festivals, which are religious in origin, are not included. Sourced From Enciclopedia PR – one of my favorite informative websites for all things cultural and historical in Puerto Rico…..

Fairs / Festivals / Carnavals

January
INTERNATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL (San Juan)
THREE KINGS FESTIVAL (Juana Díaz)
SAN SEBASTIáN STREET FESTIVAL (San Juan)
MAYUCO FESTIVAL (Añasco)
LA NOVILLA FESTIVAL (San Sebastián)
INDIAN CARNAVAL (Santa Isabel)

February
MABó CARNAVAL (Guaynabo)
LA PLATA CARNAVAL (Dorado)
JIBARO TOMATO FESTIVAL (Jayuya)
COFFEE FESTIVAL (Yauco)
BEATRIZ CREOLE FESTIVAL (Caguas)
COFFEE SEASON FESTIVAL (Maricao)
PONCE CARNAVAL (Ponce) One week after Lent

March
CORRETJER CANTATAS (Ciales)
BORINQUEN FESTIVAL (Caguas)
FISHING FESTIVAL (Cabo Rojo)
ARTISANS’ FESTIVAL (Toa Baja)
PASO FINO HORSE FESTIVAL (Guayama)
CULTURAL CONFERENCE (Hormigueros)
FESTIVAL OF ORANGES (Las Marías)
GüIRO FESTIVAL (Las Piedras)
REGIONAL ARTISAN FESTIVAL (Ponce)
HUMPBACK WHALE FESTIVAL (Rincón)
BLACK FESTIVAL (Arroyo)
WITCH CARNAVAL (Guayama) March/April

April
PUERTO RICAN KITE FESTIVAL (Aguadilla)
BETANCES DAY A WEEK IN HONOR OF PATRIOT RAMON EMETERIO BETANCES (Cabo Rojo)
CORN FESTIVAL (Canóvanas)
LLORENS WEEK A WEEK IN HONOR OF THE POET AND POLITICIAN LUIS LLORENS TORRES (Juana Díaz)
STUFFED POTATO FESTIVAL (Río Grande)
SOBERAO DANCE FESTIVAL (Sabana Grande)
KITE FESTIVAL (Fajardo)
BOTTLE CAP FESTIVAL (Aibonito)
GUARIONEX FESTIVAL (Utuado)
CAñABóN CREOLE FESTIVAL (Caguas)
FISHING FESTIVAL (Guánica)
CELERY FESTIVAL (Barranquitas) April/May
TURTLE FESTIVAL (Luquillo)

May
ORCHID FESTIVAL (Fajardo)
HOME GARDEN FESTIVAL (Gurabo)
PINEAPPLE FESTIVAL AND BLUE MARLIN FESTIVAL (Lajas)
SOCIOCULTURAL FESTIVAL (Vega Baja)
SUGAR SYRUP FESTIVAL (Yabucoa)
COCONUT FESTIVAL (Rincón)
NATIONAL GüIRO FESTIVAL (Peñuelas)
EMERALD OF THE SOUTH CARNAVAL (Patillas)
FISHERMAN’S FESTIVAL (Fajardo) May/June

June
ARTISANS’ FESTIVAL IN HONOR OF THE FLAG (Coamo)
TOWN AND COUNTRY FOLK FESTIVAL (Aguas Buenas)
KETTLE COOKING FESTIVAL (Aibonito)
TRADITIONAL CREOLE FESTIVAL (Caguas)
OAK FESTIVAL (Cayey)
CUSTARD APPLE FESTIVAL (Naranjito)
GRACKLE FESTIVAL (Naranjito)
FISHING FESTIVAL (Salinas)
BANANA FESTIVAL (Lares)
CASALS FESTIVAL (San Juan)
LACE FESTIVAL (Moca)
CUATRO FESTIVAL (Moca)
TRUNKFISH FESTIVAL (Naguabo) June
ANNUAL ARTISANS’ FAIR Plaza Las Américas Shopping Mall, (San Juan) June/July
FLOWER FESTIVAL Aibonito June/July
THE SALSA, BOMBA AND PLENA FESTIVAL Aguas Buenas June/July

July
CAYENALISA PINEAPPLE FESTIVAL (Florida)
FOLK FESTIVAL (Arecibo)
BARRANQUITAS NATIONAL ARTISANS’ FAIR (Barranquitas)
FRESHWATER FESTIVAL (Ciales)
CUATRO FESTIVAL (Morovis)
SHRIMP FESTIVAL (Orocovis)
ISLAND SAUCE FISH FESTIVAL (Salinas)
HAMMOCK FESTIVAL (San Sebastián)
CRAB FESTIVAL (Aguas Buenas) July/August

August
CIDRA FESTIVAL (Adjuntas)
CHALK FESTIVAL (Cataño)
BREADFRUIT FESTIVAL (Humacao) August/September

September
CULTURAL FESTIVAL (Camuy)
ARTISANS’ FAIR (Orocovis)
ARTISANS’ FAIR (Arecibo)
TRADITIONAL FESTIVAL (Las Piedras)
COCONUT FESTIVAL (Luquillo)
FESTI-CARNAVAL OF CRABS (Maunabo)
FESTIVAL DE LAS PICúAS (Río Grande)
CUSTARD APPLE FESTIVAL (San Germán)
EMBROIDERY AND LACE FESTIVAL (San Lorenzo)

Octuber
SUGAR CANE SYRUP FESTIVAL (Vega Baja)
ROOSTER FESTIVAL (Vega Alta)
RICE FRITTER FESTIVAL (Lares)
JíBARO FESTIVAL (Guayama)
ENCANTADO RIVER CULTURAL FESTIVAL (Florida)
PLANTAIN FESTIVAL (Corozal)
COROZO PALM FESTIVAL (Corozal)
COMERIO JíBARO FESTIVAL (Comerío)
THE AMéRICAS FESTIVAL (Cataño)
TRADITIONAL FESTIVAL (Canóvanas)
FOLK FESTIVAL (Barceloneta)
ARTISANS’ FAIR (CONFERENCE OF CARVERS) (Aguada)

November
NATIONAL PUERTO RICAN MEAT PIE FESTIVAL (Orocovis)
PLAIN PIGEON FESTIVAL (Cidra)
NATIONAL INDIGENOUS FESTIVAL (Jayuya)
VALENCIANO CARNAVAL (Juncos)
FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL (Toa Alta)
ARTISANS’ FAIR (Mayagüez)
PASO FINO FESTIVAL (Trujillo Alto)
AREYTO FESTIVAL (Villalba)
CETí FESTIVAL (Arecibo)
PASSION FRUIT FESTIVAL (San Lorenzo)
FISHING FESTIVAL (Arroyo)

December
MARTORELL JíBARO FESTIVAL (Yabucoa)
TROUBADOR FESTIVAL (Sabana Grande)
FESTIVAL OF THE MASKS (Hatillo)
OTOAO CULTURAL FESTIVAL (Utuado)
PETATE FESTIVAL (Sabana Grande)
BURéN FESTIVAL (Sabana Grande)
MACABEO FESTIVAL (Trujillo Alto)
LA MORA CAVES FESTIVAL (Comerío)
TROUBADOR CONTEST (Adjuntas)
TRADITIONAL CULTURAL MEGA FESTIVAL (Quebradillas)
CHRISTMAS PARADE AND ARTISANS’ FAIR (Lajas)
ARTISANS MARKET Carolina One Sunday Each Month

As you travel around the island, be sure to stop in at Caribbean Trading and say hi at either our El Yunque or Rincon stores.

Palm weaving is the folding and weaving of strips of palm leaves (also called fronds). You can make anything you like weaving palm; but, there is a tradition of making religious symbols representing Easter.

The Religious Tradition

The custom of blessing “palm” branches has its origin in the gospel account of the triumphant entry of Christ Jesus into the city of Jerusalem amid the palm waving Hebrews. Blessed “palms” are also a Christian symbol of victory and date back to the year 700 A.D.

The palm has become associated with the blessing of the home. Their religious significance is one of hope and belief in life after death.  When offered as gifts, they symbolize love and friendship through Christ.

The Tropical Tradition

Anything can be made with palm fronds, and in Puerto Rico you will find artist weaving more htan just crosses. The most popular are calabash bowls, hats, and smaller items like roses and birds.

Curing and Travelling with Fronds

You can indeed bring them back with you to US, but they must be cured. To do this, they need to be put in a freezer for 24 hours. That will help kill any remaining bugs and help it cure at an equal rate.

I’ve personally had some palm calabash bowls for about 8 years now and they are still in great condition!

This article was written by Captain Tim and the Crew of Caribbean Trading Company.

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One such Puerto Rican artisan is Nicolas Damiani. We had seen his work for years and finally we were able to get together and stock  some of his excellent work in our store.  Here’s a look at what he does……

Nicolas Damiani is a master ceramic artist that has worked in Puerto Rico for over 30 years.  He is a professor at UPR in fine arts and is a participant in many national festivals.  He has been recognized by the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, the Puerto Rican Tourism Company and FOMENTO for his work.  His work seeks to play with textures.  All of his stoneware is dishwasher safe and holds water.

Each of his pieces are entirely unique.  The textures and methods he uses on each piece cause each piece to have a personality of its’ own.  For this reason, we don’t sell his work in our online shop, but they are available in our stores.

• • • if you are on your way to El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico, visit our El Yunque Company Store
    • If you are on the west coast in Rincon, visit Caribbean Trading Rincon on the plaza.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r4Q7pGIpwk&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

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About the Artist in her own words….

I began my journey in the art business in 1996 after a ceramic workshop. From that moment my imagination began to fly. I learned in that workshop that I could transform that clay in almost anything I wanted. I started with some butterflies (still making them), photo frames and welcome plates. I took some of those to a lovely store in my home town and I started selling right there. After that experience, my life made a huge turn. From an Industrial Engineer and professor of management to a creative life in ceramics. My work in ceramic is hand built with clay slabs, fired to a very high temperature, painted with slips, stains, under glazes and glazes and fired again to a very high temperature.

After 12 years in ceramics I gave a try on mixed media in 2009 and I it was “love at first sight”(or first try?). I spend most of my time creating art (in my mind) and drawing icons that can inspired my work in ceramic and mixed media. I love creating mixed media art using collage and journalism with papers painted and design by me. Adding meaningful details to my collages is my passion. I have added my new found passion for surface pattern to my mixed media, too. I draw icons and paint them to be used as a pattern or a detail to my mixed media. I find great pleasure in adding ceramic details to my mixed media work, too. You will find a tiny flower, a heart, a leave or a word in almost all my mixed media art and in the ceramic art, too. This is the way I express my feelings and my desire to inspire others to live a lovely life and enjoy the process. I love to make people smile with my art, this is a mission I have embraced since I learned it from a client a long time ago. My mission…”make art that makes you smile and feel inspired to live a peaceful and lovely life” enjoying the ride…through this amazing life”.

We hope you enjoy this art from Puerto Rico as much as we do; and for a limited time we will be offering her work in our Online Shop.  You can see a full range of her art at our Company Store in Palmer, Puerto Rico on the way to El Yunque Rainforest.

Three Kings Art: Wooden Block

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