Hipanic Heritage Week brings Latino culture to USU
Salsa music, dancing and traditional Latin food were all part of Hispanic Heritage Week.
This week’s events, organized by the Hispanic Student Union, were to show students Hispanic culture and its traditions.
Joel Lopez, public relations for HSU, said the week is about sharing the Hispanic culture.
“Everybody has got something to share -black, white, Asian, Hispanic,” Lopez said. “Hispanic Heritage Week is important, because you get to know something about somebody you already know is here.”
The week began with a Hispanic heritage display in the Sunburst Lounge.
The display featured traditional Mexican dresses and posters from many different Latin American countries listing geographical and cultural facts about the country.
On the display table were appliances used in Hispanic countries, such as a silver tortilla press with a handle, used to press flour into a tortilla and a salsa grinder for grinding vegetables that was made out of volcanic stone.
“We just have a lot of gadgets for food preparation. We have a hammock here that was purchased in South America. And, traditional hats”, said Eduardo Nunez, HSU vice president.
There were also different kinds of sombreros and a key hanger with a representation of a Mexican kitchen inside.
“All of these things are handmade”, Nunez said.
Hispanic Heritage continued Tuesday with a cook-out on the TSC Patio. The meals were 3 dollars a plate and contained rice, beans and enchiladas. Students could also try Horchata, a traditional Spanish drink made with milk and rice.
“The cook out is a fundraiser for more of these kind of activities,” said Juan Franco, vice president of student services and the faculty adviser for HSU.
During the cook-out, dancers from the Salsa Club came dressed to match their
partners and performed traditional dances.
The Salsa Club, which is affiliated with HSU, meets once a week at 7:30 p.m., Wednesdays, in the HPER Room 102.
“Anyone can join, we encourage everyone to try it out. It’s a good work out. We meet once a week,” said Shanlee Robertson, a Salsa Club member majoring in family and consumer science.
During the week there were also lectures and discussions on Hispanic culture.
On Thursday, a dance group called Raramuri, from Chihuahua, Mexico performed at the TSC.
The group wore traditional Mexican clothing and performed dances from various regions of Mexico.
Included in the performance, was a sword dance from the city of Tamaulipas, Mexico, where the dancers tossed swords into the air.
Some of the dances told a story. One told the story of the hunting of a pig. The performers danced around the pig and pretended to poke it with their swords until the pig fell over. Still dancing, they carried it off the stage.
“It was really moving,” Lopez said about the performance.
For students interested in more activities like the ones held for Hispanic Heritage Week, they should contact HSU president Ana Hodgson.
“We have cook-outs. We have club activities. We go dancing,” Hodgson said. “If you have an interest in Hispanic culture, we’ll take you. We are a pretty diverse group. There’s people from Argentina, Mexico, Nicararagua and more,” she said.
HSU meets weekly at 6 p.m. Tuesdays in the Multicultural Clubs Lounge in the TSC.
Lopez said HSU is designed to get Hispanic students involved in the community and to have a good time.
“We just relax and have fun and get to know each other,” he said.
More activities for Hispanic Heritage Week will continue Friday. They include a read-in and poetry contest in the TSC Sunburst Lounge from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and a dance also in the Sunburst Lounge from 9 p.m. to 12 a.m.
“At the dance we are going to have all sorts of music,” Lopez said. “We’re trying to make it big.”
Lopez said Hispanic Heritage Week has gone well so far.
“Since we are the largest minority group in America right now, I think it’s important for people to understand why we do things a bit differently and why we are here and why we are coming and why we have always been here,” he said.
-marshel@cc.usu.edu
Anthony Heber and Michelle Ford perform during Tuesday´s cook-out. (Photo by Michael Sharp)
Maysun ali tops a plate filled with beans, rice and enchilades with cheese during a cook-out. (Photo by Michael Sharp)