Hundreds Turn Out for Community Cultural Celebration Showcasing Wilton’s Vibrant Ethnicities and Origins [PHOTOS]

From the Israeli Hora, to the Scottish Ceilidh to India’s Bollywood style dances and more, Wilton got to experience several different cultures at Saturday’s Community Cultural Celebration, hosted by the Wilton Coalition for Youth as part of the organization’s #WiltonIsWhereYouBelong campaign.

The overarching goal of Saturday’s (May 3) event, held at the Riverbrook Regional/Wilton YMCA, was to bring together a wide array of community members to showcase their diverse, vibrant traditions and share their rich cultures and heritage. By doing this, organizers hoped to demonstrate that so many cultures are represented by residents of Wilton, and that not only do they all belong in Wilton, but that all residents can benefit from and enjoy learning from one another.

Wilton residents representing 13 countries staffed booths circling the YMCA’s gym that attendees could visit, with each stop sharing information, local culinary treats, activities, crafts and more. Included among the cultural stations were South Korea, Canada, Scotland, Serbia, Germany, Greece, India, China, Japan, Israel, Egypt and Argentina.

Among some of the activities visitors could enjoy were trying on traditional Japanese kimono, getting an Indian mehndi henna design applied, tasting delicious Greek baklava and pastitsio, trying out Taekwondo movements with the South Korean exhibitors, learning Spanish words at the Argentinian table and more.

Organizers were thrilled at how excited attendees were to participate and enjoy the multicultural experiences, as several hundred people took part in the afternoon. From the moment doors opened the gym was filled with animated visitors of all ages. It was also very validating for the Wilton residents who stepped forward to represent their own heritages.

“It’s been so incredible,” organizer Lara Paschalidis said. “And it’s really funny, because it’s not just the people that came here to see. It’s the booths visiting each other and learning, it’s just fabulous. I mean, a lot of these people went all out for their for their culture. It’s amazing,” she said. “They’re very excited to share their cultures with everybody. It means a lot to them.”

The exhibitors felt so much pride in sharing their customs and traditions. A group of women at the Argentina booth said the month-long preparation for the event brought them even closer together.

“For us, it’s very, very special, because we are already seven families from Argentina in Wilton, and last year we were three only. So it’s a gift for us,” Lucia Bertolotti said.

Sharing the products of that togetherness with other residents was also very satisfying. “Everybody’s loving our food, so that makes it very pleasing, because they’re, they keep on coming back. A lot of people don’t know much about Argentina. I think they all know about Messi and soccer, and then that’s pretty much it. So teaching them a little bit about everything,” Alex Mercado said. “Everybody seems happy to share.”

One element that also made the event special was the coordination with the Wilton Public Schools, which helped promote the event among school families and then made it even more engaging with a passport program that allowed the littlest visitors to stop by each booth and get a passport ‘stamp’.

Riverbrook Regional YMCA Member Service Coordinator Suma Iyer is one of the event organizers. A few weeks before the event she shared with GMW her hopes, albeit contained, about what she’s seen during her 20 years living here. She said she was encouraged by Wilton’s “positive trajectory” in terms of cultural awareness, and that the town was in a “transitional phase,” with a growing recognition of the value in embracing distinct cultures, but that more could be done.

Iyer was pleased by what she saw, saying she felt “happiness, joy and hope for this town” after Saturday’s event.

“I think people are really excited and there’s a real sense of pride [for the exhibitors] in showcasing their culture. They’ve put soul into those learning tables and it’s amazing to see,” she added.

For proof of the event’s success, Iyer pointed to the Scottish Dance demonstration that saw not only the “Purple Heather Scottish Dancers” demonstrating but also many guests and exhibitors from other countries take to the floor and participate.

“The Scottish Dance was a classic example of how wonderful it is. We’re all different, but still find joy in doing things together,” she said. “I think it’s just perfect. I’m thrilled and fortunate to be a part of [planning this], it’s such a cause close to my heart.”