The Festival of Cultures has entered its third year, and this year's event brought together over 12 different booths for cultures represented in the region, as well as food, music, dance and cultural objects.
Ricardo Adane, Secretary of the Parkland Filipino Association says that the association has been a part of the festival ever since he has been in Yorkton, and he says they are proud to be one of the cultures from around the world represented. Their booth featured food, clothing, money and other items representing the Philippines. As well, the association was a big part of the dance and music portion of the day, with a youth band playing songs as well as dances. He says that the booth showcases everything about the islands.
"It is like a grain of rice in the Pacific. We have over 700 islands and we are separated by bodies of water. Each island has different dialects of their own, but our national language is called Tagalong," Adane says.
The Filipino community is growing in Yorkton, and Adane says that it shows when the group holds events and celebrations. He notes that the Pinoy Fiesta recently attracted at least 800 people, and he estimates that there are currently 500 Filipino people in the area.
"Filipinos are growing in number, and we would like to say we are hard working people. We don't want trouble, we want work and to provide for our families. We love what we are doing and where we are right now, in spite of the very cold weather. We adapt to wherever we are in the world. We also find the Canadian community here in Yorkton a very good one."
This is currently a difficult time in the Philippines itself, Adane says, after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake and a super typhoon have struck the islands. While the destruction and loss of life is something that the country cannot handle on its own, Adane says that the support in Canada has been overwhelming.
"The Filipino community here in Yorkton is very thankful for the Canadian support... We are third world country, and we were not expecting countries like Canada, where I am right now, were really one of the first responders during our tragedy."
Jennifer Moraeira of the Latin America booth with Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. Moraeira, who is from Honduras herself says that the decision was made to do a joint booth because it shows the connections between the different countries, which share a language and are near each other physically. She says you can see the connections between the countries in the booth, but that working together shows the differences too, whether it's changes in how ingredients are used for food or just subtle differences in language.
"There is a difference in the words. In one country they mean one thing, and in another they mean something else, so we have been laughing about that too."
The festival is about sharing cultures, and Moraeira says she's proud of where she's from and she is happy to give people a glimpse into her culture.
"For me, it's to show everybody where I'm from. All of my traditions, my clothes and it's very good to display what we are and what we have, our music and our food. People are very interested in that," Moraeira concludes.
