Traditions to be celebrated at Interfaith/Intercultural Festival
Wendy Alexander/The Madera Tribune
MIZAJOA folkloric dancers entertain a crowd during the 2019 Interfaith/Intercultural Celebration.
Members of international faiths and cultures will gather to share traditions of art, food, music and dance at the Madera District Fairgrounds.
The Madera Coalition for Community Justice will present its 24th annual Interfaith/Intercultural Festival from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Hatfield Hall.
“It celebrates the diversity of religious and cultural groups in our community,” said Baldwin Moy, a founding member of the event. “It started out small and got bigger and bigger. It was a celebration of a posada, a Mexican activity. The idea is to celebrate the great diversity that makes up Madera.”
Volunteers will answer questions and showcase their ethnic or religious heritage at booths displaying clothing, cuisine, memorabilia, handicrafts, and more.
“We get about 30 different cultural groups and about 10 religious groups,” Moy said. “We welcome the community to celebrate. We also have song and dance from all of the cultures.”
Music and dance performances will also be featured on stage.
“There will be a lot of food,” Moy said. “We will have someone from Italy, Greece, Cyprus and even Egypt at the event. The people that go really enjoy the event. We would like the students to come out and see what makes up our community.
“It’s a fun time. We want it to be an education tool for the young community. There will be an exhibit from a couple from a Japanese couple that were interned. We will also have a display from an Armenian group.”
The festival has the official support of Madera Unified School District and Anthem Blue Cross, according to the Madera Coalition of Community Justice.
For information, call 661-1879.
