Cultural activities preceed International Pageant
As part of International Education Week, a Japanese kimono workshop and tea ceremony were held Friday.
Kaori Sasakura, a senior majoring in biology and vice president of the International Student Council, said, “It’s [the kimono] so beautiful and should be noticed by foreign cultures so others can know of their beauty.”
Ayako Darley demonstrated how to put on the kimono and what it means. Sasakura got Darley to come and do this presentation because she has all the material and the knowledge.
“I’m not a kimono expert, but because I’m old I have more knowledge,” Darley said.
Darley was taught how to put on the kimono by her mother.
Sarah Mahnken, a sophomore majoring in sociology, said, “The tradition of kimono is so old, that it must be important.”
The kimono is hard to put on because the fabric used is so straight, Darley said. They have to use lots of string to form the material to the persons body.
She said there is a special garment worn underneath the kimono called a sweatshirt. It retains all of the sweat so it doesn’t get on the silk kimono, because kimonos can’t be washed a lot.
Darley said it’s very important to cross the kimono fabric left on top, right on bottom. The only reason it’s crossed the other way is when someone is dead.
She said it is better to not have an hourglass figure because of the straightness of the material. So sometimes they’ll add a towel under the fabric to a small waistline so that the body will be straight.
She said there are different kinds of fabrics used for the kimonos, depending on the type of event. For example, there are silk kimonos which are the most traditional and formal, but there are also cotton kimonos for more casual wear.
There are many different details that go into the kimono, such as the longer the sleeves, the more respect it shows. And the varied ways to tie the ties and the bows mean different things, too.
Darley said young ladies will wear more colorful kimonos to show their beauty. But older women wear more conservative colors because they are trying to get their inner beauty out.
She said once women get used to wearing the kimono and to the tightness, they are very comfortable, and gives the women good posture.
Darley dressed five models in one hour. One of the models was a volunteer from the audience of about 15 people, who had the opportunity to keep the kimono on and wear it to the tea ceremony. It took one woman 40 minutes to dress herself in a kimono. Darley’s record for putting on a kimono has been 10 minutes.
“It’s a record, not a Guinness yet, but a record,” she said.
“In a way, [the kimono] is fading out because life in Japan is very fast. It’s kind of sad,” Darley said. “I need to preserve this and teach young people as much as possible.”
The tea ceremony was held in the Sunburst Lounge at 2:30 p.m. after the kimono workshop. With about 25 people, Eiko Anderson, presenter of the tea, demonstrated a Japanese tea ceremony.
Sasakura said the tea ceremony is filled with “tranquility and simplicity.” The guests, typically five of them, are very quiet. She said the tea ceremony has to be done in an orderly way to show respect to the guests.
Anderson said traditionally they would sit on the floor for the ceremony. The preparation takes a very long time, with specific things that need to be done before another guest can be presented with the tea. The cup has to be cleaned each time and the tea re-prepared. Once the guest has received the cup of tea (green tea in this particular ceremony), they must turn the cup around two times, sip (it usually takes three sips), and then turn the cup around again and give it back to the presenter.
After the ceremony was over, the audience had the opportunity to taste the tea.
Holly Carlisle, a sophomore majoring in restoration and conservation ecology, said, “It was very interesting and a very peaceful ceremony.”
-sarahwest@cc.usu.edu
Ms. Thailand Archaree Phipkadhusolkul performs a Thai dance for her talent at the Ms. and Mr. International Pageant Friday night in the TSC Ballroom (Photo by Michael Sharp)
Dancers perform Friday during the Ms. and Mr. International Pageant while judges make their final decisions. Contestants were judged based on a talent performance and a question and answer session. (Photo by Michael Sharp)