Category Archives: Festivals

Festivals, LGBT, Religion, Tourism

NO MORE LGBT PRIDE PARADE IN SAN FRANCISCO BEGINNING IN 2016

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imageSAN FRANCISCO, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – LGBT pride and street celebrations are a diminishing breed in the gayest city in the world, San Francisco.

It’s been half a decade since the City of San Francisco decided to crack down on Halloween in the Castro and shut down this street festival that started in 1940.

The annual Pink Party on the eve of Pride Parade, is not going to happen in 2015 because the organizers of the event, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, have decided against  holding it  beginning this year. San Francisco City Hall is mulling sponsoring the event but it will be more like a political campaign rally for those who will be running for public office.

Next on the chopping block is the Castro Street Fair which is held annually on the first Sunday in October.

The biggest LGBT event, the Pride Parade will happen for the last time this year.  It will also be cancelled beginning in 2016.

That leaves the Folsom Street Fair the only, sort-of-LGBT street festival which usually happens on the last Sunday in September.

Beginning next year, however, the Folsom Street Fair will  be free of commercial sponsorships, like the Pink Party.  There will only be one non-profit sponsor which will  subsidize the popular event — the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, under the leadership of Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.

So expect nudity to be a thing of the past at the Folsom Street Fair. However, there will still be a lot of people being tied up, whipped, spanked, caned and humiliated. Cordileone said that these practices are consistent with biblical accounts of Jesus Christ during the march to Mount Calvary prior to His crucifixion.

If you have procrastinated about attending the Pride Parade, Castro Street Fair and Folsom Street Fair in its original form, this is the year to do it.

 

 

Festivals, International

PRESIDENT AQUINO DECLARES 2015 AS YEAR OF THE CARABAO

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Madonna, the hard-working Carabao of Villa Escudero in the Philippines (Photo: The Adobo Chronicles)
Madonna, the hard-working Carabao of Villa Escudero in the Philippines (Photo: The Adobo Chronicles)

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – It was a non-working holiday last February 19 in the Philippines, as declared by President NoyNoy Aquino, to observe the Lunar New Year.

Elsewhere in the world, an entire year has been lost in translation, with countries and communities celebrating the Year of the Goat, Year of the Ram, Year of the Sheep. So  which is it?

What is little known about Aquino’s holiday proclamation was that his staff at the presidential palace, Malacanang, were very confused as to what to call this Lunar New Year. In doing some research, the staff determined that Yang (the sign for this New Year) is loosely translated as a “horned animal,” hence the confusion among the goat, ram and sheep — all horned animals.

To clear the confusion, Aquino, in his actual proclamation, decided that this year is the Year of the Carabao in the Philippines.  The carabao (water buffalo) is a horned animal that is used in many farm lands in the country.

Designating this as the Year of the Carabao makes it more appropriate and significant to the Philippine setting, Aquino said, since there are no sheep or rams in the country — only goats.

Kilawen na Kambing, a Filipino dish akin to ceviche, but made from goat meat. (Photo: The Adobo Chronicles)
Kilawen na Kambing, a Filipino dish akin to ceviche, but made from goat meat. (Photo: The Adobo Chronicles)

Despite the year being designated as the Year of the Carabao, residents of Baguio City, the country’s summer capital, celebrated the holiday by having family feasts consisting of kalderetang kambing, adobong kambing and kilawen na kaming, all goat delicacies popular among folks in Baguio and other parts of the country.

 

 

Festivals, LGBT, Local News, Politics

SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF SUPERVISORS VOTES TO RESCIND GAY DESIGNATION FOR CASTRO STREET

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imageSAN FRANCISCO, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors has unanimously voted to strip Castro Street of its long-designation as the city’s gay district.

The board decision came immediately after The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence announced that they have voted to suspend production of Pink Saturday, the annual street party that occurs on the eve of the Pride parade.

Concerns about safety have dogged the street festival, which draws thousands upon thousands of people each year.  Similar concerns have previously led the city to cancel the annual Halloween party in the Castro.

“Now that two of the street festivals have been cancelled, there remains no reason to keep Castro’s gay designation, ” Supervisor Scott Wiener said. Wiener represents the Castro on the Board.

Wiener also announced that he will seek a board vote to permanently close the annual Castro Street Fair held in October.

The Washington, D.C.-based Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has protested the action by the Board of Supervisors, saying that it jeopardizes the advocacy group’s profitable business in the area. HRC maintains a retail store on Castro Street,  selling t-shirts, gifts and paraphernalia bearing its equal sign logo.

There are rumors that LGBT activists will propose transferring the gay designation to the South of Market, site of the annual Folsom Street Fair.

Starting this weekend, the giant rainbow flag at the corner of Castro and Market Streets will be flown at half-mast to mark the end of an era in San Francisco’s colorful but tumultuous gay history.