You walk through the crowded hall, an amalgamation of smells wafting through the air. On one side, you see a henna stall and on the other, generous servings of jollof rice. It is in short, a celebration of culture. 

 

The past week has been culture week at Newstead Wood School for Girls. We have had a range of events this past week to celebrate many cultures, all over the world. On Tuesday, we had a cultural arts evening in the arts department, where art which showcased a range of cultures. The art was done by student in a range of year groups and it truly was a breathtaking display.

On Wednesday, we had a Spring Cultural Fayre which took place in our Sports Hall. The items sold were very different from each other: at one stall they were selling Ukraine themed cupcakes as a support, and at the other they were doing henna on the many customers lined up in front of the stall and at the other, a vibrant pandan cake was being sold. It was a combination of all sorts of cultures, which had all come together as a large, loud, ceremonious event which truly acknowledged the customs and traditions from many corners of the world. All of the money raised by the stalls was sent off to a charity of their choosing. Anwesha Ghosh, one of the henna artists, said "It was exhausting and tiring to say the least, but seeing so many people lined up definitely put a big smile on our faces."

On Thursday between 5 and 8 pm, Gospel and Christian Society set up a Prayer and Worship night which contained singing from our school gospel choir, dance, drama and spoken word as well an external choir and speaker.

Tomorrow(1st of April) will be cultural clothes day where the whole school will come in with their traditional clothes, and a wide range of cultures will be on display. 

This week has been extremely fun, with all sorts of customs and traditions from all over the world being shown and many have learnt more about other cultures through the process. This week truly was a celebration of culture.