Atherton’s World Fest took place on Friday, February 28th. Mr. Kligenfus started this event only last year. The first World Fest started very small with 19 booths. This year there was a grand total of 27 booths. Not only did the quantity of booths increase from the previous year, but also the quality. This year they were able to have food and student booth leaders really stepped it up with activities and presentations. Students were able to see all of the different cultures that Atherton students represent, which is such a beneficial learning experience.
One of the main showstoppers of the event was the lion dance presented by the Vietnam booth. The name of this dance is called Múa Lân. This dance is performed by having one person on another person’s shoulders. One person is wearing the head and the other is wearing the tail of a lion. The costume is incredibly colorful and patterned. The two people create the lion together and perform to music. This dance is commonly performed at festivals and special events. This dance is traditionally performed to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits.
Rooda Adan worked at the African booth which had a section for Somalia, Morocco, Ghana, and South Sudan.
“We taught people traditional dances and let them try on traditional clothes,” says Adan.
There were also very interesting activities to participate in. For example, getting a henna.
Samira Javed says, “I worked at the South Asia booth, which showcased Pakistan and Nepal where we had South Asian treats and henna.” Henna was incredibly popular at World Fest. Henna is a reddish dye which is made by the leaves of the henna tree. That dye is used to draw designs on skin and creates a temporary tattoo. Traditionally hennas are worn for celebrations like birthdays and weddings. The henna usually symbolizes good health and prosperity in marriage.
The Black Student Union had 3 different booths each tackling a different part of black culture. The three booths were food, music, and culture.
Bianca Phoenix, the Vice President of BSU, says, “I worked at the BSU booth where we had banana pudding cookies and music of our culture. We talked about people in black history that you normally don’t learn about in school.”
Aubrey Dixon, the President of BSU, says, “My favorite presentation we did was a poster about different soul foods where people could add their favorites, for example Mac and Cheese and Cornbread were the most popular.”
Adan says, “I think it is important to have something like World Fest because it brings the diversity of our school to light and allows people to talk about themselves in a deeper sense.”
