next to trays of beer and bot-
tles of local brandy. The music
inspires fest-goers to mount
tables, shout approval and lock
arms while waving sparklers.
A full program of scheduled
rituals continues for the next
two days. The men wear wool-
len trousers and tunics. The
women wear 30-kilogram bro-
caded dresses that have been
passed down for generations.
Ceremonies include shaving
the bridegroom on the main
square, hiking to the cemetery to
invite the dead to the wedding, and
sending the bride on horseback to her
soon-to-be husband’s house before
walking to St. Peter and Paul Church.
“This ceremony is something that
is just ours,” said Tanja Lepcheska,
whose brother was married here two
years ago. “It cannot be taken away.”
Alex Crevar
Jasmine Festival
GRASSE, FRANCE
AUGUST 2-4Every August, the Provençal town of
Grasse – known as the perfume capital
of the world – pays three days of exu-
berant homage to one of the fragrant
flowers that shaped its destiny: the
jasmine.
During the Jasmine Festival (the
first was in 1946), the town is deco-
rated with purple garlands. Women
dress up in flower blooms and play
medieval instruments, and children
watch flower-themed puppet shows.
The main event is a parade during
which the town’s fire department
sprays jasmine-infused water on the
crowds. Young women throw flowers
into the crowd, and people on stilts
make their way through cobblestone
streets strewn with petals.
In centuries past, Grasse had a
thriving leather business, but the
tanning process made for pungent
merchandise. A local perfumer
offered a pair of scented leather gloves
to Catherine de Medici, the queen of
France from 1547 until 1559, and an
industry was born. Colleen CreamerLa Tomatina
BUÑOL, SPAIN
AUGUST 28
One of the most beloved spectacles in
Spain is La Tomatina, a massive food
fight held in the tiny town of Buñol,114 Augus t 2019
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