By
Katherine Ferrer
Motlow
Buzz Reporter
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Many different ethnic communities
surrounding Nashville, Tenn., celebrated the “Festival of Nations” on April 12
at the Global Mall at the Crossings with cultural dances, ethnic foods and
diverse festivities.
The “Festival of Nations” hosted many different ethnic
groups, from Saudi Arabians to Filipinos to Africans to Mexicans. Dozens of
participants sang traditional songs, performed cultural dances, and sold ethnic
foods. The “Festival of Nations” began in 2004 and has been celebrated every
year since toward the beginning of spring.
The Filipino American Association of Tennessee was one of
the groups that attended this festival, participating in cultural dances and
allowing people to sign up to become a member. The FAAT donates some of its
profits to other volunteer organizations and to the Philippines for the
recovery of the recent typhoon that struck the island.
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| Filipino performers setting up the stage to sing at the "Festival of Nations". |
The traditional Filipino dances were performed by
Vanderbilt University undergraduates and their leader, Kendric Ng. The group
performed the Tinikling and the Singkil, which involves dancing over moving
bamboo sticks, and the Banku-Bangkuan, which involves dancing and jumping over
stacked benches.
“We
made this group for Vanderbilt University undergraduates to learn more about
other cultures and to experience the culture first hand, by dancing,” said Ng. “We
also perform many other cultural dances. For example, we performed a cultural
Chinese dance at the Chinese New Year celebration this year.”
More than $100 was raised during the “Festival of Nations”
event to go toward the FAAT and the typhoon recovery. Motlow State Community
College also held a cultural day in 2013 to raise money to send to the
Philippines for the typhoon recovery.
“The tremendous efforts seen by the Nashville people
today is what keeps our hope alive for the recovery of the ones hit by the
typhoon,” said the FAAT President Jaycel Montealegre. “Events like the 'Festival
of Nations' encourages people to help and to learn more about other countries
in need.”
For more information about the “Festival of Nations” or
how to become a member of the Filipino American Association of Tennessee, visit
www.festivalofthenations.org/
or www.filamoftn.org/.
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