The campus celebrated Culture Day on Monday and featured tables representing Palestinian Territories, Nigeria, Turkey and other countries that celebrate Eid to learn and teach other students about the holiday.
Eid is a holiday that is celebrated by many Muslim cultures which marks the end of Ramadan and is a day of celebration with family, friends, fashion and food, said 19-year-old general education major Fatima Abboushi. Each person that was tabling a country brought items, whether it was food, clothing or equipment, that are used for Eid preparation.
Although many people don’t know about Eid, it is comparable to Christmas the way people light up and are anticipating the moment it comes, Fatima Abboushi said.
“Now, for a lot of those growing up in the west, Eid has been a very, very colorful reminder of belonging. In schools and most public places and even pop culture, the festive celebrations most commonly tend to be the ones we do not celebrate ourselves as Muslims,” Fatima Abboushi said. “As kids, we watch our class exchange Christmas gifts or dress up for Halloween while our biggest holidays often pass by unacknowledged.”
The stand representing Palestinian Territories shared date cookies, baklava and arabic coffee. Each item was made by Delal Abboushi, an instructional assistant for the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Hawks Center. The table also had a coffee pot, cups and a grinder that is used during the coffee-making process.
The event was planned to bring knowledge to the cultures that are often uncelebrated to students who are willing to learn, said Raul Pasamonte, director of the APIDA Hawk Center.
“It’s all a collaboration. We’re hoping to get people to come out and essentially, we wanted to make sure we celebrate; and also our biggest point is to show and celebrate the addition of the community into the society,” Pasamonte said. “And honor the heritage, honor the sacrifices of how other people that came before us came to be and celebrate today.”
There was a fashion show that allowed the participating students to show off clothing items that had unique embroidery and colors. No matter how old they are, the person wearing them goes out feeling like royalty, Fatima Abboushi said.
The event was held to not only educate students, but to help the students speak up about their cultures and feel proud about it, Fatima Abboushi said.
The APIDA Hawk center has other events coming up on April 17 and 23 that are student-led collaborations with the Ethnic Studies Program, ELLIS Club and the Earth Committee club.
“It means celebrating the legacies that you inherit,” said 23-year-old Biagan Delacruz, a film major. “Celebrating with the people in your community is really important, especially right now.”