The 10th European Cultural Festival Commenced on North Campus

On March 31st 2016, the main avenue on the north campus witnessed the opening ceremony of the 10th European Cultural Festival at GDUFS. YANG Ke, Dean of the Faculty of European Languages and Cultures (FELC), announced the commencement of the annual carnival. Among the distinguished guests were Bertrand FURNO, Consul General of the Republic of France in Guangzhou; Joanna Skoczek, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Guangzhou, and Massimo Baldassarre, Consul of the Republic of Italy in Guangzhou.

Distinguished guests watching the opening ceremony

Up to now, the Irish Dance Sethsa has accompanied the festival for a decade. With swishing skirts and lively rhythm on the stage, no one could resist the tap sounds and graceful movements on the dance floor—the same enthusiasm remains even after nine years. Following the traditional dance were combinations of songs in European languages, the classic dance Tango and Paso doble by FELC Dance Team and Pirates of the Caribbean by GDUFS Student Orchestra. The flexible steps reflected that there are no maps on the taps while the sound of music tugged at audience’ heartstrings, arousing the interest in western tales and adventures.

FELC student performing classic European dances

GDUFS Student Orchestra playing Pirates of the Caribbean

The opening ceremony was a hit—yet there was far more to come. The Grand Euro Carnival, under the theme of “Forest in Fairyland”, created a wonderland with exotic cuisines and exquisite articles of various design. More than 20 stalls lined the avenue, representing eight countries: namely France, Russia, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Portugal, Germany and Poland. Delicacies served as the highlight of the afternoon, including Portuguese baguettes, Russian vodka, Spanish tapas, German bier, and so on.

Sandwiches and baguettes on display

The mix of cultures, colors and fragrances lingered in the air with everyone intoxicated with the spirit of the festival: A Chinese was having her first bite of Spanish tortilla tapas and holding Brazil’s national cocktail, caipirinha, in the other hand at the same time. A French-major student, who shared her “business secret” that the best policy to earn is sincerity, was standing in front of a stall decorated by postcards and showing her sincere smile to customers. A photo journalist was shooting a video of an interview with Mrs. Skoczek. A child from outside the campus was jumping up and down to express his excitement about the Spanish flags on the face of the Spanish stall keepers and the challenging memory game at the German stall. An International student from Belarus was trying to recollect her memory of home by tasting mashed potato at Russian stall, saying, “I wonder how they made food in a way that is unnatural to them.”

Postcards hung at the French Stall

A journalist interviewing Mrs. Skoczek

Hospitable stall keepers with Spanish flags on their faces

If the Cajeput trees standing alongside the main avenue of north campus could speak, beside the footsteps of passersby, they would also keep this special cultural banquet in mind so as to echo the voices of hawking, the laughter of the participants, and a mixture of different languages. Not only does the Grand Euro Carnival build a bridge to understand western culture, but it also plays an important role in making up campus culture, along with a series of upcoming events such as movie dubbing contests and drama contests.