We bring our traditions with us as we move through life, and those traditions change on our path—sometimes in surprising ways.

Twelve-year-old Sara Estrada is one of America’s newest citizens, sworn in at a special ceremony during the 2017 Folklife Festival.

As people migrate, they take their music with them. The sound of the accordion, a traditional European instrument, has traveled the world and been incorporated into the Cajun music of BeauSoleil and conjunto music of Los Texmaniacs.

“The first time I performed was when I was in college, and I totally blacked out. I mean, I was completely sober, but when I got off stage, I turned to my friend and I was like, ‘what happened up there?’”

Kino Musica is a very D.C. band: the product of colliding music scenes, friendships made during Smithsonian internships, and the influence of Ethiopian community.

In a discussion session called “Girlhood on the Move,” participants from Texas via Mexico and Washington, D.C., via Central America shared their feelings on the bold differences between the childhood experiences of mothers and daughters.

On the morning of June 30, 2017, the United States gained a new crop of citizens with the first of two Citizenship Ceremonies at the Folklife Festival.

Queer Filipino spoken word poet Jerrica Escoto grapples with self-identity and living in the shadows of their parents’ sacrifice in their poems. As children of immigrants, Jerrica and I have shared similar struggles.

People who immigrate as adults must overcome many challenges, but what hardships do their children face?

New Mexican food is one of this year’s featured cuisines at the Folklife Festival. If there’s one thing to know about New Mexican cuisine, it’s that locally grown chile peppers feature proudly and prominently.