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GENERIC CULTURAL EVENT CRITIQUE

Name: Antonio Gonzales

Class period/section:

Make your answers as complete as possible. The first three might only take a line or
two. Items 4-10 should be at least a paragraph each. All activities will have answers to
items 5) and 6), but they may not be easily recognizable. For example, a Cinco de
Mayo festival has both a historical context (celebrating a historical revolution) and a
cultural context (celebrated more by Mexican-Americans than by Mexicans), as does an
exhibit of Ottoman Empire artworks which detail a particular historical period & culture.
Critiques should be typed, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on top, bottom & sides.
1. Name, date, type of event and place of event/exhibit.
Greek Festival, September 9-11, Cultural Context, Holy Trinity Cathedral Salt
Lake City.
2. List the artists, speakers, or participants you saw; OR if this was an exhibit, how
was it designed and arranged (i.e. number of pieces or exhibits, placement of the
works included, information provided, etc.)?
At the Greek Festival there were many dancers that performed. These were
people from the Holy Trinity Greek Church. Many different age groups performed
and they performed traditional Greek dances.
3. What were the objectives of the event/exhibit? {100 words}
The main objective of the Greek Festival is to make money. Traditional Greek
food and dessert is sold as well as alcohol. There is also an entrance fee that is
required to be paid in order to enter the event. While the money that is raised
does go toward supporting their church, I feel like they did try to impart a little of
their culture to the people who came. The only food served is traditional Greek

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food and in their cultural center where the desserts are sold, there are products
that are imported straight from Greece like jewelry, spices and even art.
4. What was the event/exhibit designed to make you think about? {150 words
I felt that this event was designed to make people think about how fun and
inviting the Greek culture can be. The food was delicious and many of the things
that were available were things I had never had before. This was my first
experience attending the Greek Festival but while we were waiting in line to get
our food, I spoke to many people who were waiting in line and they talked about
how they had attended the Greek Festival for years and much they looked
forward to their favorite Greek foods all year. I also felt a real sense of
community. The people putting on the event were very friendly and welcoming
but when others of their faith came by there was a definite sense of belonging
and comradery.
5. What was the events/exhibits cultural context and how did this affect the
event/exhibit? {150 word minimum}
The Greek Festival is all about the Greek culture. The venue is the Holy Trinity
Greek church on third south and third east in Salt Lake City Utah. They offer free
tours of their church and even have a small museum just off to the side of their
church that people can tour that has items that are very old and important to the
heritage of the people who attend. I also noticed that when we went through the
line to get our food, the servers were very careful to say the proper Greek names
of the food and encouraged us to say the proper pronunciation. I could tell that
the food was a very important part of their culture and they were very excited to
share it with other people. When we sat down to eat, the dancers were
performing and before each dance there was a small story about the dance that
typically included where the dance was originally from and how old the group
was that was preforming. Between all of these things it was easy to feel how
important their culture was to them and how much they wanted to be able to
share it with people. I know it is a big money making event for them, but I

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noticed that the people putting on the event were just as excited to share their
culture as the people in line were waiting to enjoy the food and entertainment.
6. What was the events or exhibits historical context/focus and how did this affect
the event/exhibit? {150 word minimum}
The Greek Festival in Salt Lake City Utah started in 1935. The Mothers
Organization sponsored an annual one day Bazaar. It was first held in the
basement of the church. This lasted until the mid-1960s. In 1965 the Mothers
Organization became the Holy Trinity Philoptochos Society and they continued
the one day Bazaar until 1975 when the Philoptochos and the Parish Council
decided to do a joint effort and expand the event for two days. In 19786, an
additional day was added to the Festival expanding the event to three days.
From 1977 to 1979, in an effort to accommodate the increasing number of
visitors attending the Festival, the community decided to add the Cultural Center
which provided seating for 400 people and also added a larger kitchen for food
preparation. As the Greek Festival continued to grow from 1978 through 1988,
additional property was secured to provide additional space for the festival
visitors. In 1992-1993 The Festival had become so popular that the Parish
Council approved the construction of a warehouse to help prepare for the
festival. In 1992, the Hellenic Cultural Association opened the Hellenic Museum
in the basement of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. Today, the Greek Festival has
more and more visitors every year. The Festival has had as many as 50,000
visitors during the three day event. Many people look forward to September to
enjoy the sight, sounds, flavors and aromas of Greece. It also interesting to note
that the Greek Orthodox Church of Greater Salt Lake sets aside funds every year
from the Festival to support many charities in our community. I also thought it
was interesting to see how the Festival has grown and how people of all walks of
life look forward to attending especially when you think that the census of Salt
Lake in 1900 listed only three Greek immigrants.

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7. What was the point of view of the participants/organizers? How were their
attitudes or approaches impacted by their culture/or that of the exhibited pieces?
{150 word minimum}
The point of view of the particpants/organizers was one of family and welcoming.
The music was upbeat and fun, the food was delicious and plenty of it which is
always welcoming and the dancing does have some audience participation in the
form of clapping. I felt that their attitude was one of pride in their history but also
welcoming. There was no rush and I had the sense that they really wanted their
guests to stay and enjoy all that their culture had to offer. I also got the sense
that their religion is an extremely important part of their culture and lives. All of
the participants that I encountered were very friendly and more than happy to
answer any questions I had. One of the main points to this event was to make
money but I was impressed to learn that a lot of the money is earned is donated
to local charities here in Salt Lake City.
8. What other factors might have influenced the attitudes or approaches of the
participants/organizers? {150 word minimum}
When I first learned that in 1900 the census showed that there were only 3 Greek
immigrants here in Salt Lake, I couldnt help but think how hard that would be to
not have a large group of people to speak your original language with and share
their beliefs with. But then I read in a pamphlet that the Mormons here in Salt
Lake were very welcoming and helpful. I felt like the people remember that from
stories that have been passed down from generation to generation and that they
truly try to make those who come to the Greek Festival feel welcome and enjoy
the time that they spend with their Greek neighbors and friends. I also feel that
the fact that this is a big money maker for them that they try really hard to make it
a good time for everyone so that people will want to return the next year. All of
their efforts seem to be working because I found many people who had been to
all three days of the Festival because they had had such a good time and the
food was so delicious.

9. What social issues did the event/exhibit address? {150 word minimum}
The Greek Festival here in Salt Lake is one way that the Greek Orthodox Church
shares its deep rooted culture with the great people of Salt Lake. It started as a
simple Bazaar in the basement of the church selling goods and hand crafted
items as a way to raise money and also a way to share the Greek culture without
having to use a passport. The festival has grown so much that a large
percentage of the proceeds are distributed each year to local charities and
community outreach programs. There is not a specific issue that this Festival
tries to address but rather it is a time where friends and family and community
can come together to celebrate differences in culture and share in each others
company with good food and entertainment that can be enjoyed by the whole
family. It is also a great example of service to the community. Many volunteers,
who spend countless hours preparing for the festival and staffing the three-day
event look forward to serving the community. Most people have heard of the
Greek Festival and even have gone due to the word of mouth as to how good the
food is but it is interesting how they want those who come to join in experiencing
the Greek heritage by taking a tour of Holy Trinity Cathedral, visiting the Hellenic
Cultural Museum and enjoying of course the wide variety of food and pastries.
10. What philosophical issues? {150 word minimum}
The Festival itself does not push or try to persuade anyone to believe as those
who believe and attend the Holy Trinity church. There is however a tour that is
available to take and there are several people of this faith willing to answer any
questions that you may have. One thing that I found interesting was the origins
of the church. To briefly summarize, it is important to mention that the famous
Greek philosopher Plato believed in a divine triad of God, the ideas, and the
World-Spirit. Later Greek thinkers refined Platos concepts into what are
referred to as three substances The simple version to me seemed to be a mix

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of Christianity or the belief in a God head meaning three supreme beings and
speculations of other pagan Greek philosophers. It is a very tight knit community
that believes in being service oriented and doing good for others. I am sure that
there are many philosophical issues that could be addressed and probably are in
a church setting but the festival itself is more of a community outreach program
to share food and a little of the culture of the Greek people.
11. What answers/conclusions, if any, were reached? {100 word minimum}
For me, I didnt attend the Greek Festival looking for any answers or conclusions
about a specific people. I went because I had never been but I had heard how
great the food was and that it was a nice way to spend the afternoon with family
and friends. While there, I was not disappointed. The food was delicious. I
found the volunteers to be very friendly and the entertainment to be interesting as
well as entertaining. I can see why people make it a tradition to take their
families to this event year after year. They have done a great job making
everyone feel welcome without changing their beliefs or values.
12. How did the event/exhibit relate to what we have been doing in class?
Simply stated, humanities are academic disciplines that study human culture. I
feel that the Greek Festival relates too many of the things we have discussed
and done in class. One thing that stood out to me was how much the people of
the Holy Trinity Church wanted to share their culture and love of their culture with
all of the people who attend. Blocks before you arrive you can smell the
delicious food and hear the Greek music. If you spend an afternoon there, eating
and touring the Cathedral, there is a sense that you have been welcomed and
emerged for short time in the Greek culture. That is exactly what humanities as a
class is, studying different human cultures. It was a great time and I highly
recommend it.