By Alyssa Munguia
From a Japanese Bonsai presentation to a Bosnian dance group, this weekend”s Living Traditions Festival will provide a unique look at the different ethnic communities of Utah.
This festival is free to the public and brings together more than 40 ethnic communities as they present their music, crafts, foods and dance in Salt Lake City on May 18-20. The festival will take place at the City County Building in downtown Salt Lake City.
“This festival is demonstrating and celebrating the ethnic diversity of people in Utah,” said Jenny Thomas, the media coordinator for the Living Traditions Festival.
Different musical performances are one of the highlights of the festival.
Los Mocosos, A Latin Band from San Francisco, and Savoy-Doucet Cajon Band will headline the festival. The two bands offer two different ends of the cultural music spectrum.
These bands will also hold workshops for a more in-depth presentation of their music. The workshop stage will provide an open forum for discussion on a variety of different topics.
The Utah Humanities Council will hold “Front Porch Discussions” on issues such bilingualism and ethnicity in Utah on this stage.
A crafts demonstration area will allow over two-dozen artisans to demonstrate their craft and answer questions, according to Dr. George Shoemaker, the assistant folk arts coordinator. Japanese bonsai, Mexican paper flowers, Navaho weaving and Chinese ink drawing are only a few of the crafts that will be highlighted.
A variety of ethnic foods will be sold at the festival. Hawaiian, Greek, Colombian, and Japanese will be available. A local group representing each culture runs the food booth. The proceeds from the booths will go to benefit each group.
On Friday morning an educational program will be presented to elementary students. According to Thomas, about 2,000 children will attend and learn more about different cultures. “This program gives [the children] an explanation of the crafts and how they tie in to their heritage,” Thomas said.
Shoemaker says that Utah is developing different ethnic communities and that this festival is different because it “deals with community based folk traditions in Utah Valley.”
