‘We’re making history,’ announced St. Thomas University’s Cultural Diversity Coordinator, Saa Andrew Gbongbor, as participants posed for a final picture at the inaugural Eid event.
Muslim students at Saint Thomas University celebrated Eid al-Fitr with community on March 31.
A group of Muslim students spearheaded this first ever event at St. Thomas University with collaboration from the larger university and Fredericton community, including strong support from the President Nauman Farooqi, himself of Pakistani origin.
This traditional celebration is all about “inclusivity and mutual respect,” according to Farooqi.
The Eid al-Fitr celebration featured a communal meal to break the fast and a showcase event featuring cultural performances and information on the Muslim festival.
The special communal meal was held in the St. Thomas University dining hall. The meal featured Afghani specialties like bolani (a stuffed bread), mantu (dumplings) and qabili palaw (a rice dish).
Free food was offered to guests, as is tradition in Muslim families. The meal hall was filled with traditional upbeat songs as people shared their meals.
The formal cultural celebration event was hosted by Marina Musleh, a student originally from Afghanistan. For her, “it’s families and friends coming together (…) eating and talking and sharing their positive experiences.”
Addressing the crowd, Farooqi said: “more than anything else, Eid is about the community (…) at St. Thomas University we are very fortunate to have a very strong and a very loving community.” He added: “it is a day of joy, gratitude and togetherness.”
As part of the event program, Musleh gave an engaging presentation about how Eid al-Fitr is celebrated in her home country that was followed by an enchanting online game for participants about her presentation.
Students and community members from a variety of countries performed in a fashion show of traditional dress and dances, including one from Somalia and a naach dance from India.
The event, hopefully an annual one in the future, was attended by the larger university community and included Yusuf Shire, President of the New Brunswick African Association, and St. Thomas University Elder-in-Residence and Wolastoqey Grand Chief spasaqsit possesom Ron Tremblay.
Sophie M. Lavoie is a member of the NB Media Co-op’s editorial board.
