Oregon Festivals History Essay
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An evocative poster advertises the 1910 Portland Rose Festival. (Oregon State Archives photo of Portland Rose Festival Association graphic)
Oregon is a festive place, and its people love festivals. Every year, celebrations of the region’s food and art, immigrations and occupations, sports and flowers dot the calendar. “Festivals are often mementoes of transformations in society,” says Philip Scher, Professor of Anthropology and Folklore at the University of Oregon. “They keep traditions alive, and memories of homeland. Today’s cultural festivals are public events, outward facing, saying ‘We are here, we have a voice’.”
Learn about how festivals have grown and evolved from ancient Native American celebrations to the present
Explore the variety of festivals related to work, crops, cultures, art and more
About the Writer
Kristine Deacon is a graduate of the University of Oregon School of Journalism and was a journalist at the Bend Bulletin and the Statesman-Journal, in Salem, before becoming a Pacific Northwest historian.
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