Heritage Day highlights celebration of culture

By Lethbridge Herald on August 7, 2023.

Dance group Coraz—n Salvadore–o perform a traditional dance from El Salvador during Heritage Day celebrations Monday at Galt Gardens. Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – apulido@lethbridgeherald.com

Hundreds gathered to celebrate Heritage Day at Galt Gardens Monday afternoon, to entertained the senses with multiple performances and food from various cultural groups that call Lethbridge home. 

Executive director of the Southern Alberta Ethnic Association (SAEA), Anastasia Sereda said this year was the first time they had their Heritage Day celebrations at Galt Gardens, and was very happy with the turnout. 

“The committee this year thought that it would be nice to have it in a nice, central, outdoor space so here we are,” said Sereda. 

She said those in attendance were able to enjoy a variety of local food vendors that have some cultural component as they represent multiple cultures and countries. 

“There’s lots of different foods that you can try. There’s also lots of different performances going on, local folks who are doing cultural activities, we have children’s activities, so we got bouncy castle, an inflatable slide, Building Brains, and Becca Boo balloons,” said Sereda. 

One of the food offerings at the event was Apna Tandoori Hut, an Indian cuisine restaurant. Vendor Baljeet Tut said it was important for them to represent their East Indian culture at the event and showcase their food. 

“We come every year here actually, because we love to see the people and bring food every year for Heritage Day,” said Tut. 

He said they want to show people what kind of food they have in India and what they can offer at their restaurant. 

Tut added that it was good to see the community come together to share the different cultures that are part of the city. 

During the performances part of the event, a dancing group from El Salvador called Corazón Salvadoreño performed twice in the afternoon. The first performance had the group members display different colour outfits while dancing to traditional Salvadorian folklore. 

Director of Corazón Salvadoreño, Patricia Hernandez spoke to the Herald prior to the performances and said they have been performing for the last five years at various events and different towns across southern Alberta. 

“It is very important for us to represent our culture. I have been in Canada for almost 30 years and I was very happy when they started doing all these type of activities where we had the opportunity to showcase different cultures and that is why it is important for me to show people what El Salvador is all about,” said Hernandez. 

She said many people might know about El Salvador being a small country, but they have a large community, a rich culture, amazing food and music. 

Hernandez who was also showcasing the Salvadorian cuisine at her booth, said whenever people try Pupusas, their number one traditional dish, they fall in love with them and they make the connection with El Salvador through them. 

“Pupusas are made from corn flour and we use beans, pork, cheese, and veggies among other kinds. They are very popular and as soon as people try them they say they are so good,” said Hernandez. 

She said Pupusas are to El Salvador as tacos are to Mexico, people associate tacos with Mexico as they are Mexican traditional food and she wanted to make sure people can start making the same connection between Pupusas and El Salvador. 

Hernandez said her dance group usually performs at Canada Day, Heritage Day, El Salvador Independence Day in September, and other events they get invited to during the year. They have also performed in Calgary and Taber. 

“The group is around ten girls right now, but it is open to anyone who wants to try dancing our cultural dances. We have had members from Honduras, Philippines and Canada,” said Hernandez. 

During the Heritage Day celebrations people were able to take advantage of community display tables from Volunteer Lethbridge, Amnesty International and Pride, as well as various food trucks. 

For those interested in taking part of the Corazón Salvadoreño dancing group, they can contact Patricia at alpa1004@live.com 

Lethbridge resident Jocelyn Ripplinger attended the Heritage Day celebrations at Galt Gardens and said she was very happy to be able to see so many cultures being represented as well as being able to represent her own. 

“I think it’s great that Lethbridge is starting to grow and there’s a lot of cultures that are now represented at the park, and I think it’s just awesome. My family is from Nicaragua, I was born here but my parents came here in the 80s and we’ve been here since,” said Ripplinger. 

She said to represent her heritage she was wearing a traditional Nicaraguan shirt called Cotona, which is made out of cotton and had embroidered things that represented their country like traditional instruments, a ladder to represent their hard work and corn to represent the type of food they grow there.