Festival honors Latin culture

Latin American, Caribbean and Spanish cultures were celebrated Saturday morning at the eighth annual Fiesta del Otoño at the Bloomington Farmers’ Market.

Organized by the Latino Outreach Division of the City of Bloomington Community and Family Resources Department, the “Fall Festival” brought together local members of the community in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

The event showcased the cultures of more than 20 countries. Representatives for each country also provided additional information to visitors.

Festival attendees were given booklets containing facts about the countries and had the opportunity to collect stamps of each country’s flag as they made their way from table to table.

Bloomington resident Sudhir Sahu stood at the Honduras table and taught visitors about his native country. He discussed the American presence in the poor Central American nation as well as some of the best Honduran sites for travelers, such as the ancient Mayan civilization at Copán.

IU graduate student Stephanie Huezo, whose family is from El Salvador, said although the country is the smallest in Central America, it is the most densely populated.

She spoke about Salvadoran cuisine, including the pupusa, which is similar to a stuffed corn tortilla, and showed pictures of Monumento al Divino Salvador del Mundo, a popular statue in the nation’s capital city, San Salvador.

In addition to learning about the countries, guests were able to eat Latin American cuisine and watch performances from local Bloomington music and dance groups.

One of the representatives for Spain was Bloomington High School North student Maria Halloran, who spent seven weeks this past summer in Valencia, the third largest city in the country.

She spoke of her experience abroad and said she discovered differences between Spanish and American cultures.

“Spanish culture is much more relaxed, and people put much more emphasis on enjoying everyday life,” she said. “The people in Spain always make time for their families and each other, and I wish more Americans did that.”

Follow reporter Rachel Osman on Twitter @rachosman.