Celebration of Culture transforms campus

The University's sixth annual Celebration of Culture transformed College Green into a multicultural festival filled with food, costumes and performances. Saturday's celebration -- sponsored by the United Minorities Council, the Social Planning and Events Committee and the Greenfield Intercultural Center -- featured tents lining Locust Walk selling ethnic food and crafts, as well as performances under a larger tent on the lawn in front of Van Pelt Library sponsored by UMC member groups. UMC's Celebration of Culture board member Ian Corbin, a College sophomore, said the day was designed for both educational and recreational purposes. "It's for the University to see what the different cultures are like," he explained. "It's also a day for people to relax and have fun." The crowd on College Green was estimated to have reached 100 at one point Saturday -- only half the number present last year -- according to Officer Pat Dunn of the University Police. Vendors said they blamed this year's lower attendance on the cloudy weather. "Last year the weather was much nicer so it was more crowded," said Linda Chan, a College sophomore and UMC representative from the Chinese Student Association. This was the second year the celebration was held on Locust Walk rather than in Superblock. As a result, the festival which once again attracted many more passersby than might have ordinarily made a conscious effort to attend. "All different people are stopping," Chan said, "even people who didn't know this was going on." Attendees of all races and ethnicities said they thoroughly enjoyed the festival. College senior Joe Pinon said he liked the performances for their aesthetic value. "I love it," he said. "It's really great to see the beauty in all the different cultures." College senior Jeanette Melendez, who was watching the Mariachi band sponsored by El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano De Aztlan, the Japanese Cultural Society and the Black Student League said she loved watching the performances-- although not for their artistic value alone. "It's so great when people take the time to appreciate other people's cultures," said. "And I think it's also a time when the Latino and Asian cultures can feel that even when they're away from home they have a place where they're accepted."