The 2nd annual Assyrian Festival will feature everything having to do with the Assyrian people and culture.
ishtartv.com - http://www.turlockjournal.com
BY
RYAN MCLAUGHLIN, August 12, 2016
The
Assyrian community has a rich history in the Central Valley and their religion,
traditions and culinary delicacies will be celebrated at the 2nd annual
Assyrian Festival, Aug. 27-28, at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in Turlock.
The
festival will feature historical as well as religious exhibits highlighting
everything having to do with the Assyrian people and culture. All residents of
the Central Valley are invited to come and discover what it means to be a
member of the Assyrian community and see visual examples of important religious
garments and their meaning.
This
year’s festival will celebrate the first immigration of Assyrians to the
Turlock at the turn of the twentieth century. After the first recognized
settler Isaac Adams came to the Central Valley around 1905, the Assyrian
community continued to grow now accounting for around 20 percent of Turlock’s
population.
“We
wanted to open this festival to the community so that all of our neighbors,
irrespective of ethnicity, can experience our culture, our foods and our
history,” said His Grace Mar Awa Royel Bishop of the Holy Apostolic Catholic
Assyrian Church of the East Diocese of California.
There
will also be a special ceremony of recognition on Aug. 27 for Assyrian veterans
of both WWII and the Korean War. There are over 150 members of the Assyrian
community, several of which residents of Turlock, who served between these two
wars.
Opening
at 10 a.m. both days, the festival will feature a plethora of cultural events
including live music, Assyrian dance groups and even carnival rides for the
kids.
Of
course what festival would be complete without the inclusion of homemade
Assyrian delicacies? With dishes from kabobs to baklava to everything in
between, the festival’s food court will be a can't miss destination.
On
the menu will be dozens of tantalizingly mouth-watering dishes made by members
of the local Assyrian community, some of which have been passed down for
generations.
For
more information about the festival events and times, visit: cvassyrianfestival.com.
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