http://www.dglobe.com/event/article/id/58572/
Eritreans bring ‘Home Sweet Home’ to International Festival
WORTHINGTON — Dressed in traditional Eritrean garments, a group of women gathered around a coffee pot in the late afternoon heat Saturday, beaming with pride as they welcomed visitors to their display at the 19th annual International Festival on the grounds of the Nobles County Government Center in downtown Worthington.
By: Julie Buntjer, Worthington Daily Globe
WORTHINGTON — Dressed in traditional Eritrean garments, a group of women gathered around a coffee pot in the late afternoon heat Saturday, beaming with pride as they welcomed visitors to their display at the 19th annual International Festival on the grounds of the Nobles County Government Center in downtown Worthington.
The community is home to more than 50 Eritrean natives, many settling in Worthington because of jobs. Some have been here for more than 20 years, while others have come just within the last five years. War in their native land forced them to escape and find a better future in a foreign land.
Today, they call America home, but they still hold true to many of the traditions of the Eritrean culture, from gathering their families together for coffee ceremonies to sharing meals of Injera, a pancake-like bread, wrapped around spicy meat.
At this year’s International Festival, the local Eritrean natives pooled their resources to make a memorable impact on visitors to the event — they built a hut much like those that would be found in the highlands of Eritrea, where many of them grew up.
“They said, ‘What can we share with them that is amazing — something they’ll always remember,’” shared Aida Simon, a Nobles County Integration Collaborative staff member with Eritrean roots, as Eritrean men worked to erect the hut early Saturday morning.
They gathered at 5 a.m. with pick-up loads filled with sections of the hut that took them more than a month to create.
“They built it out of boxes last year and this year they decided to build it permanently so that it can be used for shows, events, for the public,” Simon said.
The one-room hut, about one-fourth the size of a traditional Eritrean hut, was filled with information about the country, from photos of each of the nine tribes who call Eritrea home to a handcrafted, wooden model of a cook stove.
Alemitu Berhane demonstrated the flat cooking area on the stove top, where Eritrean women would make the Injera, while Mulugheta Tesfazghi showed the woven pedestal table that serves as the centerpiece for Eritrean meals.
With Saturday’s heat, the hut became a bit too hot to stay inside to visit. Many Eritreans gathered under a nearby shade tree or stood at the entrance, willing to talk to anyone who approached.
The hut, constructed of plywood, was painted on the outside to give the appearance of a stone structure.
One man, speaking in Eritrean, had his words translated by Simon as he told of the process of building an Eritrean highlands home.
“The roof would typically consist of wood, both small and large, and mud mixed with cow dung, which is smoothed out,” Simon said. When it rains, grass begins to grow up from the roof, while the underside remains hardened to prevent leaks.
The typical hut would include a private room for the woman of the house, a room for dining, a kitchen and a bedroom.
“They started building this a couple of months ago,” Simon said of the model hut. “The reason it took them that long was because they all work. The only day they have off is Sunday, and they have a lot of other things to do, like buy the groceries and spend time with family.”
They devoted a couple of hours each Sunday to make sure the hut was ready for the festival.
“They are so honored (to share this),” Simon said. “They say America is the mother of countries because basically, this is where you can come and be yourself and share about yourself freely, happily. Not only are they here to show about their culture, but they want to learn about others.
“The purpose of the International Festival is to learn from one another, and that is their mission,” she added.
In addition to their “Home Sweet Home,” the Eritreans welcomed the public to a traditional coffee ceremony — something Simon said is an honor in the Eritrean culture.
“They decided they wanted to honor everyone,” she said. “The coffee ceremony … is the only time you sit down as a family with this chaotic life of fast-pace, different shifts, kids in school all day. It’s the only time families sit together and converse and just be a family and discuss things. It’s a tradition where it brings the family together.”
All of the Eritrean families pooled money together to pay for the coffee, as well as food, which they offered throughout Saturday afternoon for people to sample.
“Every penny came from them,” Simon said. “These people are so honored to be here and excited to share. That’s what we need — we need people to come here and share their culture and just have a good time. That’s the point of the festival.”
Daily Globe Reporter Julie Buntjer may be reached at 376-7330.
Received on Mon Jul 16 2012 - 11:09:32 EDT
