International Night is the one evening of the year when people of all backgrounds come together to celebrate their culture’s cuisines and traditions. The participants orchestrate performances in groups and individually with the intention of educating their peers about their heritage.
Volunteers distributed dishes inspired by locations around the globe, and the line stretched out the door for an hour to receive the food. Students, teachers and family members formed an assembly line along the tables to serve themselves dishes from each country, creating a diverse and tasteful meal.
The dinner received high praise from attendees, with one junior Shreeyas Satish Kumar describing the event as “spectacular.” Flute players performed a short concert to play throughout the dinner, in addition to recorded music in languages ranging from Russian to Spanish.
“The music really sets the mood,” junior and Interfaith Club member Tarlan Torabi said.
After the meal everyone moved to the auditorium to watch the acts, which varied from bollywood dances to Chinese guzheng. Performers used these talents to share about certain countries and cultures that mean something to them.
“Marshall is so diverse and we have so many languages and cultures…amazing how it’s one night that allows for that to be shown and represented,” science teacher and organizer of International Night Marlen Penaloza said.