Results tagged “tradition”

Whether you're celebrating Dia de Los Muertos (LAist Event Guide) or nursing a serious day-after Halloween hangover, one way to take away the sting and take part in a cultural tradition is to sip on some Sangrita. No, not Sangria--don't confuse this tomato-citrus-spice sipping drink with the fruit infused wine of tapas bars and lazy summer days. In fact, the Sangrita itself doesn't contain alcohol; it's meant to be sipped alongside a shot of Tequila.

                            

Yesterday, the 32nd Occasional Doo Dah Parade--the anti-Rose Parade--took over the streets of Old Town Pasadena. Over 1,500 revelers were led by 2009 Grand Marshal Charles Phoenix (LAist Interview), who soaked in the glory in his hot pink suit and his Mickey Mouse ears. It was a 2-hour long "celebration of all things ridiculous in Old Pasadena, under blue skies and plentiful sunshine," according to the Pasadena Star-News.

Since for many Angelenos, Christmastime is Tamale-time, our local Fox station recently asked on-air for viewers to let them know where the best tamales in town can be found. They put together a segment covering what emerged as the top four: South El Monte's El Mano Market, and Juanito's, La Indiana, and Liliana's--all in East L.A. For most, it's the quality of the ingredients that makes one tamale top another, while for many, it's the pursuit of the elusive bite that echoes something from a time gone by. Maybe they're the ones sold by your neighborhood "Tamale Man" (or woman), or maybe they're the ones you make with your family. So did the Fox viewers get it right? Are those really the best tamales in town?

"Why is this night different from all other nights?" you might ask. Well, it's the first night of Passover, and even folks who will be sitting down to a seder somewhere in the Southland tonight will also be asking the same thing, because it's one of four questions that are posed in the traditional pre-dinner ceremony.

Okay, so maybe the only time people in Los Angeles gathered around to see how something affiliated with a groundhog turned out was when the Bill Murray-Andie MacDowell movie Groundhog Day premiered in 1993, cementing the comic idea of life on an endless replay loop in our pop culture lexicon.