Eight pageant groups from Ireland and beyond made up this year’s Festival Parade. Each featured their individual interpretations of ‘The Extraordinary World’ theme, transforming our capital’s streets into a kaleidoscope of colour. Festival sponsor, Irish League of Credit Unions, brought Gulliver’s Travels alive with their pageant Lilliput. Spectators were greeted by Gigantic Gulliver who awakens to find himself in Lilliput surrounded by performers wearing blue and white flower backpacks to reflect the Credit Union’s identity. Also part of the performance were 50 energetic drummers and dancers representing the 50 years of Credit Unions in Ireland. Kildare pageant company Artastic transported us all into a Topsy Turvy World of strangely magical creatures such as talking cats in bowlers hats, candyfloss mops and life-sized dolls. The Cats Pyjamas based in the West of Ireland, which is run by brothers Peter and Conor Casteby, has been working with the Early School Completion Programme run by Dublin VEC to present their chaotic and imaginative extraordinary world. Wexford group, Bui Bolg have taken their ordinary world of housework and golf and made it a weird and wacky extraordinary world of giant guinea pigs, polar bears and a lion ringmaster. Also taking part in the Festival Parade for their fourth year was City Fusion which celebrates the diversity of Dublin City’s cultural landscape. Produced by St. Patrick’s Festival with the support of Dublin City Council, 90 individuals from as far and wide as Belarus to Tanzania came together as one body to shine a light on The Shadows of Colour. Spraoi from the South East of the country have created their Eggstraordinary World with the help of a dedicated team of 300 volunteers from Waterford and beyond who helped design the giant chicken and eggs that made up this pageant challenged by a group of chefs. Celtic Mela by Inishowen Carnival Group did delve into the vibrancy of cultures in Ireland today. This pageant features a myriad of flowing back packs, hand painted silk flags, large props and puppet heads, with a vibrant mix of colour, music and imagery from Celtic, Indian and African cultures and featuring over one hundred performers from arts and cultural groups from across North East Donegal. Also from Donegal, LUXe with their Isadora presentation attempted to achieve utopian heights. The “Babel Tower Travellers” was designed draw us into a world of decorative Gypsy iconography, colour, music and symbolism. Year on year the Festival Parade attracts performance groups from all over the world and this year will include a Mediterranean flavour. Spanish street theatre company, Sarruga, who are renowned for their giant sculptures inspired by mythical creatures, were part of St. Patrick’s Festival Parade. Their giant insect, ten times the size of humans are primarily made of and decorated with painted heavy duty wrapping paper and acquire a spectacular beauty when illuminated from within or externally. International marching bands joined the parade from as far a field as India, North Carolina, Louisiana, Bulgaria, Austria, France, Spain and the UK, while representing the Irish marching bands were the Clondalkin Youth band. Not breaking with tradition, the Parade Ceremonial Section was be led by the Army No.1 Band, the Band of An Garda Siochana and Dublin Fire Brigade of Pipes and Drums. Each year St. Patrick’s Festival Parade is an opportunity to celebrate our culture and heritage on the most prominent national day. This year Ireland continued to lead the way with an unforgettable parade and national celebration transporting us all to ‘The Extraordinary World’!

Muong tribal woman (Bao Cho village). Locality: The largest population is concentrated in Hoa Binh Province and the mountainous districts of Thanh Hoa Province. Customs and habits: In former days, the "lang dao" system characterized Muong society. The "lang dao" ruled the Muong regions. A head of a "muong" was a "lang cun", "lang xom", or "dao xom". Muong marriage customs are similar to the Kinh. When a woman is giving birth to a child, her family surrounds the main ladder to the house with a bamboo fence. The child will be given a name when it is one year old. The Muong hold funerals with strict rules. Muong practice a polytheistic religion and ancestor worship. Culture: The Muong language belongs to the Viet-Muong group. The popular literature and arts of the Muong are rich and include long poems, "mo" (ceremonial songs), folksongs, dialogue duets, proverbs, lullabies, and children's songs. The gong is a favorite musical instrument of the Muong, as are the two stringed violins, flutes, drums and pan pipes. The Muong hold many ceremonies year round such as the Going to the Fields Ceremony ("Khuong Mua"), Praying-for-Rain Ceremony (during the fourth lunar month), Washing Rice Leaves Ceremony (during the seventh and eighth lunar months), and the New Rice Ritual. Costumes: Men dress in indigo pajamas. Women wear white rectangular scarves, bras, long skirts, and short vests that are open at the front (or at the shoulders) without buttons. The skirt is complemented by a very large silk belt embroidered with various motifs such as flowers, figures, dragons, phoenixes, deer, and birds. Economy: The Muong have practiced farming for a long time. Wet rice is their main food staple. Other family income is generated through the exploitation of forest products including mushrooms, dried fungus, ammonium, and sticklac. Muong handicrafts include weaving, basketry, and silk spinning. Muong women are known to be very skilled at loom weaving.