Many of us may have never heard about the Hispanic Heritage Month. But for those who do, they sure know that this is one annual event that should be looked forward to. It’s that one whole month in a year that is filled with fun, excitement and Latin culture. The Hispanic community is sure to make a big fuss over this much awaited event. This usually takes place between the month of September and October –September 15th to October 15th, to be exact. The main purpose of this celebration is to honor the Hispanic culture as well as the good practices that they have contributed to the United States.
For some years now, the University of Virginia has taken the liberty of hosting annual events during this period of time to show honor to the Hispanic culture. Although the motivation and the purpose remains the same every year, there is a variation in the events that take place. The people in-charge aim to create a more intense and enjoyable program each year for the Hispanic community. They always invite different speakers to give out inspirational speeches. They have included Salsa lessons, poetry readings and a whole lot more to the programs that they held annually.
However, traditional events are always kept to be a part of each program. The best example should be the talent show segment that they call “Flavors”. People from all sectors of the university are working together to make this even a successful one every year. The Latino Student Alliance is always coordinating with the Office of the Dean and a number of related student-teacher groups to come up with new, fun and exciting ideas for the Hispanic Heritage Month. They work together as one ideal Hispanic community. To name a few, active group participants include Fuego, Salsa Club and of course the Spanish Department. The member of these school organizations put their heads together to come up with a memorable monthly event.
The event usually starts off with kickoff party. This year they had the Fiestas Patrias Kickoff which was held in the university’s amphitheater. The program was filled with interactive and fun games while the whole place came to life with lively Latin music. The sight of the teachers and students celebrating together symbolizes the oneness that strongly occurs in the Hispanic community. Everyone gladly awaits this event every year for different reasons but they are brought together as one for their love of the Hispanic culture.
This year, the people in-charge of the whole month celebration had filled up the program with dancing, singing and many exciting performances. They even included workout activities like Zumba. They screened out a Latin movie entitled “Crossing Over” both for entertaining and enlightening the audience. They even served free food for the entire Hispanic community! The menu was filled with Mexican traditional dishes that are mouthwatering. It was truly an annual event that is worth praises and compliments. The performances were well-rehearsed and the atmosphere embodied the real culture of the Hispanics.