Heritage Festival
Heritage Festival
The other day, the Heritage Festival was held at my son's elementary school. "Heritage" means "legacy," and this event was a place to express culture, history, and tradition. It was a PTA-sponsored event run by volunteers, but about 10 countries participated in the exhibition, and it was a lot of fun to see food from each country prepared and children (and parents) wearing traditional costumes. I was particularly interested in the exhibits of countries that I had not had much opportunity to interact with before coming to the United States, such as Egypt, Chile, Venezuela, and Mexico. I was once again happy to see that each unique culture is growing on the same planet, and I wanted to nurture the cultures I am involved in.
In the public schools in Bellevue where our family currently lives, there are students who speak over 100 different native languages , and my son's school also has students from various cultures studying together. Perhaps because he is in the first grade, from what I saw of my son, the children themselves don't seem to care about what their native language is, and they seem to be living happily with English as their common language , and I feel a sense of pure peace there.
Many countries were exhibiting handicrafts and other items, and they didn't have a special atmosphere like they were borrowed, but rather had the feeling of something brought from home, a presence that was always there. I think that if you go deeper into each country, there are differences between regions, but when you look at it from a broader perspective as a national culture, there is a sense of unity and it was really wonderful. It was full of charm, with a sense of distance and security that you don't get at museums or art galleries where the exhibits are perfect.
◆ Kogin embroidery exhibition
There are many Japanese people living in Bellevue, and about 20 Japanese-speaking children attend my son's school. Thanks to the parents who organized the event, we were able to introduce various aspects of the Japanese table. My son and his friends made a board about "Samurai," and some of the children introduced food, fortune-telling, origami, and other aspects of Japanese culture, and I was impressed by their enthusiasm and strength.
The Kogin embroidery that I make every day is one of Japan's traditional crafts, so I took this opportunity to exhibit it. I don't think it was as appealing as food (lol), but I was very happy to see the children carefully looking at the basic patterns and the names of the patterns that were on display. I gained a lot from this experience, so I would like to improve on what I noticed this time and exhibit at the Japan Fair that I plan to exhibit at the end of June.
◆Notice: Digital sale of Goldfish Nebuta kit designs and instructions <br>The other day, we started selling digital copies of Goldfish Nebuta designs on minne.
・Goldfish Nebuta with a gentle face▶️ minne sales page
・Goldfish Nebuta with a brave face▶️ minne sales page
Some customers have already purchased it, but please feel free to send us a message if you have any questions about fabric or thread. This design is also recommended for lucky wallets that will be useful at the Nebuta Festival.
▶️Shop (will be open when I return to Japan)
▶️Instagram (We share the simplicity and fun of Kogin embroidery through videos, etc.)
Satonobou