The Fiesta de San Fermin is one of the biggest festivals in Basque country. The weeklong celebration in Pamplona (also called Iruña, Nafarroa) honors the martyr San Fermin, who was beheaded while preaching in France in 303 AD.

Basque sports are an integral part of Basque identity. Springing from the traditional activities of day-to-day farming and fishing life, the competitive nature of Basque people created a series of unique sports that test strength, speed, and endurance.

The 2016 Folklife Festival is full of family-friendly activities, but if you have kids with you the best place to start is at the Txiki-Txoko (pronounced “CHEE-kee CHO-ko) Kids’ Corner.

The frontón is a centerpiece of Basque community life. A pelota or handball court at its core, these spaces were once sides of village churches and now can be found in parks, community centers, and casinos in Basque Country and around the world.

Bicycles in China have long been perceived as a widely used form of cheap transportation. However, this tradition has decreased drastically in recent years with regard to air pollution, new subway lines, and gentrification of cities.

You can’t even hear yourself think, let alone someone else speaking, when you’re standing between two competing karaoke stations. So we just kept moving through the covered walkway in the middle of the park

When I ask my American friends what impressions they have of China, the most common answers I get are Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and kung fu.

Jiànzi, which was offered in the People’s Park area of the Festival, is a jingling, feathered Chinese shuttlecock that is played like American hacky-sack

During the 2014 Folklife Festival, international tai chi champion Chai Yunlong of the Beijing Sports University performed martial arts demonstrations and led daily sessions for visitors to learn the basics of the Chen style of tai chi.

Martial arts students from the Beijing Sports University, Chai Yunlong and Tian Mengyi, demonstrated tai chi and a fu chen fight routine during a 2014 Smithsonian Folklife Festival evening concert.