Asian heritage will be on display at festival Saturday

By Lethbridge Herald on May 23, 2025.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald

The Southern Alberta Ethnic Association is inviting the community to take part in celebrating Asian Heritage and the various cultures that are involved with it, by attending the Asian Heritage Festival Saturday at the Multicultural Centre. 

Priti Maheshwari, president and board chair of the SAEA, says May is Asian Heritage month as it was recognized by the Canadian government in the 1990s and for the last decade or so, the SAEA has been celebrating Asian Cultures through the Asian Heritage Festival. 

“We have quite a few Asian members, from Nepal, Bhutan, Philippines, China, India, Vietnam and recently Iran and Afghanistan, so we want to recognize the Asian cultures in our community through the festival,” says Maheshwari. 

She points out that Asian cultures have shaped the globe for thousands of years and, being one of the oldest civilizations, they come with immense history and it is very important to treasure that and cultivate it, to pass it along to future generations. 

“The Southern Alberta Ethnic Association attempst to bring communities together and celebrate and take pride of who they are, where they come from and what they have to offer.

Those in attendance will have the opportunity to enjoy various cultural dances, purchase food from different countries, and take part cultural activities like origami. A band from the Philippines and several dancers will also perform

“There will be five different workshops going on for calligraphy, origami, cultural heritage of India, games from China and Asian puzzles,” says Maheshwari. 

Admission is free for the festival. Doorsopen at 11 a.m. and the festival will run until 4 p.m. Saturday at the Multicultural Centre located at 421 6 Ave South.