Guatemalan alfombras, Ecuadorian cucuruchos and the regatta of Belize perked the ears of those in attendance for the “Celebración de Semana Santa” event sponsored by the MOSAIC’s Latin American Student Opportunities (LASO) organization on Wednesday, March 26.
Students munched on chips and salsa as members of LASO discussed Latin American traditions during Holy Week, the week leading up to Easter Sunday.
LASO’s president Lauren Wood, senior TESL major and Spanish minor, said that the organization presents an “authentic cultural experience” to all students interested in the heritage and traditions of Latin American countries.
If flan and pineapple weren’t enough to complete this experience, fresh tamales were brought in just a moment before the presentation began.
President of MOSAIC Alma Hernandez, senior biology major, created the event last year when she was serving as president of LASO and recognized the need for education about Latin American Holy Week events for herself as well as the student body.
“We, as Christians, put so much emphasis on Easter Sunday,” Hernandez said, “but no one on Union’s campus knew what other countries did.”
Now in its second year, the “Celebración de Semana Santa” event will likely be a recurring affair, according to Hernandez and Wood.
The event encourages cultural engagement, one of MOSAIC’s five pillars, by giving students another lens to view Easter and a greater appreciation for other cultures, said Hernandez.
This appreciation is intended to grow into a cultural sensitivity and to be used as a means to build relationships.
“I would like to see it continue,” Wood said. “ I hope it helps students enhance their own spiritual walk during this Holy Week season.”
To end the presentation, Wood challenged students to “see some extra meaning” in the upcoming Holy Week despite our “Easter bunny and marshmallow culture.”
