Weekend Passport: Puerto Ricans Reboot Christmas-End Festival In Hermosa

Kerialys Aldea de Jesus sits on bottled water at the Jose de Diego Elementary School where residents file FEMA forms for federal aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017.
Kerialys Aldea de Jesus sits on bottled water at the Jose de Diego Elementary School where residents file FEMA forms for federal aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017. AP Photo/Carlos Giusti
Kerialys Aldea de Jesus sits on bottled water at the Jose de Diego Elementary School where residents file FEMA forms for federal aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017.
Kerialys Aldea de Jesus sits on bottled water at the Jose de Diego Elementary School where residents file FEMA forms for federal aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Las Piedras, Puerto Rico, Monday, Oct. 2, 2017. AP Photo/Carlos Giusti

Weekend Passport: Puerto Ricans Reboot Christmas-End Festival In Hermosa

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Ever since Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico last year, it’s been difficult to return to a sense of normalcy. But the mayor of San Juan has promised to bring back an annual street party in full force to close out the Christmas season there.

Often called “Puerto Rico’s Mardi Gras,” the Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián, or Saint Sebastian’s Day, has been celebrated by thousands of revelers since the 1950s. Even though it’s been hard to pull off the party in Puerto Rico, local activists and artists are putting on their own rendition in a warehouse in Hermosa.

The Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center has been centering Afro-Latino arts and culture in Chicago for 45 years. Ever since the hurricane, they’ve been raising money for humanitarian purposes in Puerto Rico. They also enable artists on the island to work with the Puerto Rican diaspora.

Omar Torres-Kortright, executive director of the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, and musician Roy McGrath join Worldview to discuss. The Fiestas de La Calle Chicago Edition will have food, visual displays, and live music this Saturday, Jan. 20. It’s also Chicago Museum week, so we share some places to check out, and other global events happening around the city.