Celebration brings dance, music

The spirit of the season filled the air Sunday at the Nationality Rooms Program’s Holiday… The spirit of the season filled the air Sunday at the Nationality Rooms Program’s Holiday Open House, held in the Cathedral of Learning. Hundreds of people came to take part in the event, which lasted from noon until 4 p.m.

Multi-cultural clubs throughout the Pittsburgh area, including the South Hills Junior Tamburitzans of South Hills, the Filipino American Association of Pittsburgh and the Nego Gato Children’s Ensemble, performed songs and dances in 15-minute installments in the Commons Room.

Chantel Snyder, a Pitt work-study employee working at the event, said the nationality room committees were not required to have displays – only those choosing to participate took part in the event. This was Snyder’s second year working at the event, and she said the event was also very crowded last year.

The majority of the groups were present. They held displays in the Commons Room selling food, crafts and various products native to their countries and cultures.

Many groups, including the Czechoslovak Committee and the Chinese Committee, showed their holiday spirit by having a wide variety of seasonal ornaments for sale.

One group, the Swiss Nationality Room Committee, held a display to assist in raising money to construct the already approved, but not yet built, Swiss Nationality Room.

Each of the 26 Nationality Rooms was festively decorated for the holidays. They were all open for the guests to come and go as they pleased. A representative, dressed in an appropriate native costume, stood in each room to answer any questions visitors might have.

The Nationality Rooms have been decorated for the holidays since mid-November, and they will remain decorated until mid-January. They will be open for tours during the holidays. For more information on Nationality Room tours, call (412) 624-6000.