Vela, a word often used for “candle,” or “sail,” can also mean “wakefulness,” as in “vigilance.” It’s related to the verb velar, “to stand watch.” The name of the port city of La Vela de Coro refers not to the “sails” of merchant ships (as many assume) but rather to this town’s role as a “lookout” point for marauding pirates. One-eyed peg-legs are now less common, but the carnivalesque annual festival of Los Locos continues on.

Most English speakers have at some time in their lives heard Donovan sing “The Hurdy Gurdy Man,” but how many knew what such a man did? The woman in this video talks about a musical family that used to play the sinfonía, and indeed this is the Spanish name for the hand-crank organ known as a “hurdy gurdy.”

It’s quite possible that El Día de Los Locos, as celebrated in La Vela de Coro, has its roots as far back as the Roman Empire, which celebrated Saturnalia at the same time of year. Both festivals, historically, involve turning the social order on its head, with slaves dressing like their masters.

La Vela is a small town in the state of Falcón, on the northwest coast of Venezuela, where every December 28th Los Locos [“The Crazy Ones”] arrive wearing colorful and elaborated costumes. The whole town becomes a party, with businesses closing and people dancing in the streets. It’s a tradition that could be in any magical realism novel and that desperately struggles to not fall into oblivion.

Let's visit the Ateneo Grand Splendid, a bookstore in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that was formerly a theater and was declared by National Geographic the most beautiful bookstore in the world.

Let's hear some anecdotes and learn a bit more about the history of the Ateneo Grand Splendid, Buenos Aires' most breathtaking and famous bookstore.

Annya shares a bit about her background in flamenco and what she feels makes it unique among other art forms.

Araceli Garcia, a flamenco student in London, England, explains a bit about her history with this enticing dance and what it means to her.

Henry Gomez, owner of the "MS Records" recording studio, shares his memories and what a lifetime spent as a music producer in Imbabura, Ecuador means to him.

Meet Joaquín Pérez, an award-winning Andalusian Nativity Scene sculptor.

Produced with a combination of tradition and innovation, the first Andalusian brut, Barbadillo Beta, was born in Andalusia's Barbadillo bodegas.

Meet Alejandro Hermann, a fascinating, world-renowned artist born of an Austrian father and French mother who studied in the best Parisian art schools and resides in Marbella, Spain.

The town of Olivares in Seville, Spain, has launched a set design workshop with the goal of teaching unemployed residents to create period decorations as a fun way to get to know their rich artistic heritage.

When 20-year-old Jassin Gaudi arrived in Sevilla to get in touch with his Moroccan roots, he thought he wanted to be a bullfighter, but instead found his passion in flamenco, an art which sometimes emulates it.

Europa Abierta concludes this epsidode with excerpts from the movie, Fuchsia the Mini-Witch, based on a novel by Paul van Loon.