November 25, 1999

World Journal: Humanist Center of Cultures Thanksgiving Dinner Brings Together Multiculturalism


A dance party celebrates festivity and embraces diverse cultures

More than a hundred Elmhurst residents from various races attended a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by Humanist Center of Cultures on November 24 at a local high school. They had a wonderful time together enjoying the free feast and celebrating Thanksgiving in advance with music and dance. Organized by volunteers from Humanist Center of Culture and sponsored by the community youth educational program, the buffet dinner was delicious. Afterwards, every one had great fun in the dance party hosted by a DJ.

With a two-year history, Humanist Center of Culture is a non-profit organization created by a group of volunteers of different cultural background. The Center moved its office from Manhattan to Jackson Heights, a community full of immigrants in Queens, at the beginning of this year. Volunteer Mukherjee says, this is the first time for the Thanksgiving dinner of diverse cultures to take place in an immigrant-rich community like Elmhurst. The dinner hosted by the Center is not only for turkey eating, but also for building bridges among different cultures.

It was also the first time for the Chinese volunteer Hui-Lan Zeng to attend such a Thanksgiving dinner. She says the Thanksgiving holiday is like the Chinese New Year. The Chinese like to think of Thanksgiving as "the turkey festival" and treat it as an American tradition. Compared with Thanksgiving, more Chinese celebrate the Christmas Holiday. But Hui-Lan Zeng also pointed out that just like the Chinese New Year, people of different nationalities can all enjoy Thanksgiving because it is a holiday for reunions.

Translated by Mingming Hao

Posted by Aaron Freimark at November 25, 1999 01:34 AM