Christmasfest celebrates Filipino culture
By Johnna Walker
Daily Forty-Niner
Red and green decorations draped the second
floor of the University Student Union when Cal State Long Beach students
and their families gathered Sunday for a celebration of Christmas and Philippine
culture.
The Kappa Psi Epsilon sorority and the
Pilipino American Coalition of CSULB hosted the third annual Christmasfest.
"We wanted to have a Christmas festival
celebrating Filipino culture," said Marianne Soratorio, a member of Kappa
Psi Epsilon.
The theme of this year's celebration was
"Pasko sa aming bayan," which translates to "Christmas at our place."
Christmas in the Philippines is a large
part of Filipino life and is celebrated throughout December, Soratorio
said.
Artistic decorations are an important component
of the Christmas celebration.
One popular decoration is a parol, an illuminated
handcrafted star typically made of paper and bamboo sticks, symbolizing
the star of Bethlehem.
Versions of these stars hung throughout
the Student Union displaying gold, red, green and white craftsmanship.
The Christmasfest offered children the
chance to make parols at the children's workshop.
Others in attendance had the chance to
watch cultural dance performances, and listen to a variety of bands, which
performed live music throughout the festivities.
One of the bands, Elements of the Outer
Realm, provided the audience with hip-hop music while a fashion show of
Christmas costumes took place in the courtyard of the student union.
Booths lined the perimeter of the courtyard,
and provided verbal and written information about Filipino American organizations.
"The booths give examples of Filipino life,"
said Carryne Latada, a Pilipino American Coalition member.
Representatives from The Asian Pacific
Health and Healing Center, a health service organization that targets Asian
youth and Kabataang maka-Bayan, an organization that informs people about
current issues in the Philippines, were some of the community outreach
groups that attended the event.
On the artistic side, the People's Artists
displayed political murals and paintings depicting the conditions of Pilipinos
in both the United States and the Philippines.
"The whole event is service to the community,"
Soratorio said.
One of the main purposes of the event was
to help with others' needs during Christmas, she said.
Donations were collected for the Filipino
World War II veterans, the Philippine Children's Charity Fund and the Filipino
American Service Group Inc. |
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