Bringing the Cultural Fair Back

BT has officially revived its annual Cultural Fair! After two long years, Mrs. Straka has worked her magic once again. If we all remember back in 2020, BT’s cultural fair was the last normal day for students and staff before quarantine. Step by step, our school has worked hard to keep us safe and content. It’s been a slow journey since then but bringing back the cultural fair is a big milestone, indicating that we are finally going back to our customary, more hands-on activities. 

The cultural fair in itself holds much significance for BT because it’s such a diverse environment. The school gives students one day to fully express their ethnicity and culture and it also gives a chance for students and staff to have a firsthand experience of learning about their peers’ backgrounds. Some students even choose to set up a table for a culture they may not be too familiar with, this gives them the opportunity to learn about geography and cultural customs. Overall the gym is filled with different foods, colors, music, and traditional clothing. This year there were dances showcased by Emma Gould, Rayaan Sattar, Akshay Mehta, and Abhi Panwar wearing a shalwar kameez. It was a performance that gave the BT community a taste of another culture. 

Along with the dances, the upper school choir sang a traditional Haitian folk song called Wangol. Haiti’s culture is the incorporation of Taino, European, and African elements combined into one. This was a cause of French colonization in Haiti (formally known as Saint Domingue), a Caribbean island, right next to Puerto Rico. And besides the artistic performances, the fair also brought forth many activities. One popular activity was at the Japanese table, the people running the stand wrote students’ names in traditional calligraphy, they explained how some names were harder than others because of spelling or pronunciation but the appreciation from students was lightening. On top of that, there were also games to play such as Kendama, the objective is to catch the ball on a wooden stick point. It’s supposed to help with hand-eye coordination plus balance and reflex. Being able to participate in all of those activities and listen to our Upper School choir really helped enhance the fair and make it enjoyable for everyone!  

Then there’s the best part, the food! Many foods that were laid out on the tables were homemade or bought from traditional restaurants and bakeries. For example, Mexico and El Salvador bought their foods (pan and pupusas)  from small Hispanic-owned businesses. On the other hand, the table hosting the Jewish culture brought homemade sufganiyot (soof-GAN-yeot), a donut filled with silan (a date syrup). Along with the variety of foods, the Jewish table had facts pertaining to their religion, such as a kippa, a small hat traditionally worn by a man. In general, religion is a big factor in many of the cultures represented at these tables. 

The cultural fair was a great way to appreciate how far we have come as a community since 2020. We now have the opportunity to enjoy some of our favorite school activities and look forward to the ones in our near future. It’s amazing to see our community come together and celebrate all of Bt’s culture. This is all thanks to Mrs. Straka who brings the whole evening together and to our students and alumni who put the time and effort into setting up a table. Overall, the fair was a success and it was a great experience for everyone!