ClevelandPeople.Com Celebrating Cleveland's Cultural Diversity
Magical Journey to Lukomorye in the Russian Cultural Garden
Magical Journey to Lukomorye in the Russian Cultural Garden
Alexander Pushkin is considered by many to be the greatest Russian poet, and the founder of modern Russian literature. He is considered to be comparable to William Shakespeare.
The Russian Cultural Garden honored Pushkin on his birthday with a celebration of Pushkin.
Pushkin cat in Russian Cultural Garden
Svetlana Stolyarova is the leader of the Russian Cultural Garden in Cleveland and she and her team hosted a "Magical Journey to Lukomorye" in their Garden in honor of Alexander Pushkin's birthday on June 6, 1799. In the heart of the garden stands a magnificent oak tree, much like the one in Pushkin's famous fairy tale. A golden chain is tied to the tree, and at its end, a learned cat walks day and night, singing and telling enchanting stories.
You may have seen the construction on the site of the Pakistani Cultural Garden on MLK Blvd.
According to Pakistani Garden leader Qaisra Haider they are planning an official sign ceremony in early August (August 12?)
The construction you see is for Phase 2 of the garden which will be very exciting. Lahore is the second largest city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th largest in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab, where it is the largest city.
In the middle of an urban park is the Minar E Pakistan (Tower of Pakistan) which is considered the national emblem of Pakistan.
A replica of Minar E Pakistan is in the works for Phase 2 of the Pakistani Cultural Garden. Stay tuned.
Fun with Maps - Bangladesh
Fun with Maps - Bangladesh
In this episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson looks at the eighth-most-populous country in the world - Bangladesh. Dan admits that his main exposure to Bangladesh was watching the movie and listening to the record of the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh put on by George Harrison and friends including Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Ravi Shankar and others. The concert raised international awareness of, and fund relief, for refugees from what had been called East Pakistan. In 1971, East Pakistan became the newly independent state Bangladesh, which means "country of Bengal" in the Bengali language. The concert was the first-ever benefit of such a magnitude and inspired later events like Live Aid and Farm Aid.
With a population of around 169 million people in an area of 57,320 sq. miles the People's Republic of Bangladesh is among the most densely populated countries in the world. The long history of Bangladesh is beyond the scope of this video but Britain controlled the Indian subcontinent until their independence in 1947 and 1948. This turned into four new independent states: India, Burma, Ceylon, and Pakistan (including East Bengal, from 1971 Bangladesh).
Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the west, north, and east, and Myanmar/Burma to the southeast. It is narrowly separated from Bhutan and Nepal by the Siliguri Corridor. The Sundarbans in the south are a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. Sundarban Reserve Forest (SRF) of Bangladesh is the largest mangrove forest in the world.
Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation's political, financial and cultural center. Dhaka is the sixth-largest and seventh-most densely populated city in the world. Dhaka is a megacity, and has a population of 10.2 million residents as of 2022, and a population of over 22.4 million residents in Greater Dhaka. Dhaka is also the largest Bengali-speaking city in the world. After partition, Dhaka became known as the second capital of Pakistan.
As you will see, Bangladesh is the only nation to fight a war and declare Independence over Language. It led to International Mother Language Day which is now a worldwide annual observance held on February 21 to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. It was formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2002 and is part of a broader initiative "to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world." Bengali is the sixth-most spoken language in the world.
Russian Cultural Garden - Yuri Gagarin and Walk of Fame
Russian Cultural Garden - Yuri Gagarin and Walk of Fame
The centerpiece of the Russian Cultural Garden in Cleveland Ohio is a bust of the first man in space Yuri Gagarin. Surrounding the bust is a Walk of Fame made up of bricks featuring Russian cultural figures and Nobel Prize winners such as Anton Chekov, Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ivan Turgenev, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Vladimir Nabokov, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Dmitri Shostakovich, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and dozens more.
Watch this short video tour.
Annual Tremont Greek Festival
Annual Tremont Greek Festival
The annual Tremont Greek Festival at Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church is a Memorial Day tradition. Great food, Greek desserts, dances, music, tours of the Church and more.
Greater Cleveland is the home of over 20,000 Americans of Greek heritage, and the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church is the oldest church, or mother church of Greek Orthodoxy in the area.
Over 45,000 people attended the Cleveland Asian Festival (CAF) on Saturday May 20 and Sunday May 21, 2023. The AsiaTown neighborhood was packed with families and people of all ages to enjoy the annual festival that kicks off summer in Cleveland.
Save the date for the next Cleveland Asian Festival on May 18 and 19, 2024.
Awakening Ceremony for new lion for Chinese Lion Dance
Awakening Ceremony for new lion for Chinese Lion Dance
The annual Cleveland Asian Festival was held on May 20 and 21, 2023 and attracted about 45,000 attendees. Each year the Kwan Family Lion Dance Team opens the festival with a performance. This year they have added a new lion so they performed an awakening ceremony on the lion - starting the heart, opening its eyes, blessing the horn and so on. They also gave the lion all of its senses such as sight, smell, taste, hearing and the ability to see into the future and remember his past.
CAF MC Wayne Wong introduced Kwan Family leader George Kwan explained the process as they woke the new lion. Then he smacked the lion on the backside to wake it up and it began to dance.
Yume Daiko Japanese taiko drummers
Yume Daiko Japanese taiko drummers
Matt Richards studied, taught and performed taiko with the group Mukade Daiko during the fifteen years he lived and worked in Yasu, Japan. Matt had the opportunity to attend camps and workshops with the world famous Japanese taiko group Kodo. He began with Mukade Daiko as a beginner and left as the leader. After moving to Cleveland he and his children began performing in various scholastic and private function venues. Other members joined and the group took the name, Yume Daiko; the two words meaning "Dream" and "Drums".
They performed at the 2023 Cleveland Asian Festival.
Yume Daiko taiko drummers at Cleveland Asian Festival
Sho-Jo-Ji Japanese Dancers at Cleveland Asian Festival
Sho-Jo-Ji Japanese Dancers at Cleveland Asian Festival
The Sho-Jo-Ji Dancers are a Japanese dance group that had its first performance in 1956. They perform traditional dances from Japan in authentic kimonos. 3 generations performed at the 2023 Cleveland Asian Festival.
They performed at the 2023 Cleveland Asian Festival.
The Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791 was the first constitution to follow the 1788 ratification of the United States Constitution. May 3 was restored as an official Polish holiday in April 1990, after the fall of communism. The Constitution of May 3, 1791 is considered one of the most important achievements in the history of Poland. The May 3 anniversary of its adoption has been observed as Poland's most important civil holiday since Poland regained independence in 1918. Its importance for the Polish people has been compared to that of 4 July to the Americans.
Mitch Bienia with Parade co-Grand Marshals Marta Kelleher and Tim DeGeeter
North Coast Mix got the crowd dancing with polkas and there were cultural performances from the PIAST Polish Artistic Folk Song and Dance Ensemble and students from the Henry Sienkiewicz Polish School.
Italian Sculptors of Guardians Ohio Historical Marker Ceremony
Italian Sculptors of Guardians Ohio Historical Marker Ceremony
Since the Cleveland Indians changed their name to the Cleveland Guardians the stone monuments called the Guardians of Traffic on the Lorain Carnegie - Hope Memorial Bridge in Cleveland have deservedly received more attention. Now the Italian immigrants who cut and sculpted the stone for those impressive monuments are getting much-deserved attention. An Ohio Historical Marker was dedicated on May 5, 2023 on Random Road on the street in Little Italy at the former site of Ohio Stone Cut Company which created the statues.
Tom Chema, Mary Martin, Blaine Griffin, Pamela Dorazio-Dean, Joe Marinucci, Father Joseph Previte and Anthony Pinto at the unveiling
French American Chamber of Commerce 30th Anniversary
French American Chamber of Commerce 30th Anniversary
The French American Chamber of Commerce - Ohio Chapter is one of the multiple Chapters of the French American Chamber of Commerce founded in May 1993. The FACC network was created in 1896, making it the oldest bilateral chamber of commerce in the USA. The Ohio Chapter hosted a 30th anniversary event at Cleveland State University.
Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation Election Ceremony
Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation Election Ceremony
Each year the newly elected members of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation (CCGF) board of directors is sworn in at a ceremony at a different ethnic location. Thanks to new board member Lou Frangos and his wife Ann the venue in 2023 was the hall of the beautiful and historic Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland.
Besides the swearing in and official business there were performances by the Annunciation Senior Dancers, a Greek band and delicious food.
Ambassadors to ClevelandPeople.Com are individuals who are outstanding representatives of their culture and heritage. They have demonstrated great dedication to the advancement of their own community and to the greater good of honoring and celebrating other ethnic groups and communities to make our city and region more vibrant.
We are honored to welcome Sam Tanious as an Ambassador to the Egyptian community.
What a night! Over 450 people attended the 2023 induction ceremony for the Cleveland International Hall of Fame. Lots of photos and videos posted soon.
2023 Class Picture Standing: Sudarshan Sathe and Pierre Bejjani Seated: Georgine Welo, Mike Polensek and Pat Dowd Not pictured: Joyce Mariani
Ukrainian bandura group at Lake Erie Folk Fest this weekend
Murder in the Cultural Gardens
Murder in the Cultural Gardens
"It just didn't seem right to DJ. A body found bludgeoned in a place known for "Peace through Mutual Understanding." But there she was, crumpled behind a bust of composer Franz Liszt in the Hungarian Cultural Garden. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed 911. "What is the nature of your emergency?" the dispatcher queried. With a suddenly very dry mouth DJ managed to get out, "There's been a murder in the Cultural Gardens."
That's the beginning of the recently published first novel by Dan Hanson.
The whodunit, titled Murder in the Cultural Gardens, takes place in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens and all 30+ gardens are featured during the mystery. You may even recognize some of the characters.
Click the link above to learn more or to purchase in paperback or Kindle version from Amazon. Or contact Dan via the Murder in the Cultural Gardens webpage to have a signed book delivered.
Cleveland is a diverse city with about 120 distinct ethnic heritages represented. We at ClevelandPeople.com and the Cleveland International Hall of Fame believe that this ethnic diversity makes us a much richer city and that we should all celebrate this fact.
We asked people from various ethnic groups to create a tile representing their heritage. These 3 quilts are a product of that effort. We hope that other ethnic groups will want to add their own tile to these patchworks showcasing our ethnic diversity.
This DVD is a Living Rosary in the sense that over 200 people participated in saying a prayer. 3 bishops, numerous priests and sisters and a variety of lay people all said a prayer (Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary or Glory Be) that when put together combine to form the complete Rosary.
We hope that you will pray along with the diverse group of people on this DVD. They are young and old, different races and ethnicities, in Church and outside, alone and in groups. The prayers are said in English, but occasionally there is a prayer in another language. You may not know the language but will understand, and be able to pray along, because of the context.
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Do you need a Hungarian Flag? A shirt that says "I love Slovenian girls"? How about a sign that says No Parking except for Irish Grandmother?
These and hundreds of other items for your particular ethnic group are available for browsing at our on-line store. It's safe, fast, easy and fun. And there is a wide selection you will never find in the stores!
Ambassadors to ClevelandPeople.Com are individuals who are outstanding representatives of their culture and heritage. They have demonstrated great dedication to the advancement of their own community and to the greater good of honoring and celebrating other ethnic groups and communities to make our city and region more vibrant.
