Assyrians celebrate new year
By: Aimie Rivera
Issue date: 3/19/08 Section: Campus Life
Flowers are blooming, the rain has gone away and (for this week) the sun is shining.
This means it's time to celebrate the beginning of spring and the beginning of a new year.
The Union Program Board will be celebrating the Assyrian New Year from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19 in the quad.
The festivities will include a live performance of traditional Assyrian music along with an art exhibit and custom Assyrian foods. Raffle tickets will be handed out to all those who attend, and the winner will receive a tea set.
Yvonne Betancourt, the UPB multicultural coordinator, planned the celebration, which is a new event for UPB.
"There's a large Assyrian population in Turlock and at CSU Stanislaus," Betancourt said, "and I've heard a lot of Assyrian students say they would like to see an Assyrian event on campus."
One of those Assyrian students is 21-year-old biology major Mariel Zare, who was delighted when he heard news of the event.
"I think it's a great thing," Zare said. "The Assyrian community in Turlock has always been large, and it's nice to see Stanislaus acknowledging our culture on campus."
The San Joaquin Valley is home for 15,000 Assyrians, with 5 percent of the Turlock population reporting being of Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac descent.
The Assyrian New Year is the most important national festival that is typically celebrated with parades and parties when spring begins. It is the celebration of the revival and renewal of nature.
Betancourt said UPB's next event will be Asian Heritage Day in April.
This means it's time to celebrate the beginning of spring and the beginning of a new year.
The Union Program Board will be celebrating the Assyrian New Year from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19 in the quad.
The festivities will include a live performance of traditional Assyrian music along with an art exhibit and custom Assyrian foods. Raffle tickets will be handed out to all those who attend, and the winner will receive a tea set.
Yvonne Betancourt, the UPB multicultural coordinator, planned the celebration, which is a new event for UPB.
"There's a large Assyrian population in Turlock and at CSU Stanislaus," Betancourt said, "and I've heard a lot of Assyrian students say they would like to see an Assyrian event on campus."
One of those Assyrian students is 21-year-old biology major Mariel Zare, who was delighted when he heard news of the event.
"I think it's a great thing," Zare said. "The Assyrian community in Turlock has always been large, and it's nice to see Stanislaus acknowledging our culture on campus."
The San Joaquin Valley is home for 15,000 Assyrians, with 5 percent of the Turlock population reporting being of Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac descent.
The Assyrian New Year is the most important national festival that is typically celebrated with parades and parties when spring begins. It is the celebration of the revival and renewal of nature.
Betancourt said UPB's next event will be Asian Heritage Day in April.
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