In a few days, the concrete columns and vacant grounds of Peachtree Ridge High School’s commons will be transformed into pillars plastered with bright banners and floors filled with tiny trinkets of cultures hailing from around the world. Community members will gather in the auditorium to leave behind their everyday lives in suburban Georgia for a journey to various nations tucked away in every corner of the globe and eras spanning throughout human history. For one night, during its annual Festival of Nations, Peachtree Ridge will not just be a body of thousands of students meandering through its halls, but a patchwork of different cultures united by a thread of collaboration and diversity.
Students will share stories of their culture through performances ranging from playing traditional Taiwanese drums to dancing to modern Bollywood music during the talent show. In the exhibition hall, they’ll wear garments that share secrets of the winding history of distant nations, and they’ll invite guests to enjoy delicacies and dishes that celebrate the richness of their culture. Every region of the world, from West Africa to South Asia, will be represented through the cuisine, traditions, and people who embody the essence of its culture.
For some students, it’s a chance for them to reconnect with their ancestral roots as they immerse themselves into a world of their family’s traditions and culture. For others, it’s a chance to escape the bubble of their hometown and see the world in a plateful of dumplings, a kaftan, a mantilla, a henna design wrapped across a wrist, and a traditional Korean dance.
For all, it’s a chance to embrace the cultural diversity and rich history of Peachtree Ridge High School.
Peachtree Ridge’s Festival of Nations will take place on March 1st, 2018 from 5:30 to 8:30 P.M. Whether it’s for only a few moments or the entire three-hour duration, the entire public is encouraged to join in the celebration of the unity of the Peachtree Ridge community and all its diverse mindsets and cultures it has to offer.
Photo Credit: Peachtree Ridge Festival of Nations
