ClevelandPeople.Com Celebrating Cleveland's Cultural Diversity
Day of the Dead Skulls & Skeletons Parade
Day of the Dead Skulls & Skeletons Parade
The 20th Annual Día De Muertos / Day of the Dead Celebration and Parade was held on Saturday November 2, 2024 by Cleveland Public Theatre in and around 6205 Detroit Avenue in the Gordon Square neighborhood. The annual "Day of the Dead" honors the memory of those who have passed and is a treasured holiday in Mexico and throughout Latin America. The celebration featured Altar Installations, Latin Food, Live Music, Folk Art Market, and more.
A highlight was the "Skulls & Skeletons" Procession down Detroit. The Grand Marshal was Ward 15 Councilperson Jenny Spencer and the Banner Leader was Olga Rosado. The Parade included a Mariachi Band, Aztec dancers, Samba da Cidade drummers, Cleveland Public Library, Stilt Walkers, Hathaway Brown HS, Minerva HS International Circle, HOLA, stilt walkers and more. There were two stops at altars at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church and at the Craciun Berry Funeral Home altar. Here is a video of some highlights from the Skulls & Skeletons parade.
This year, FICA Diwali was celebrated at La Villa Banquet Hall. More than 350 people attended the event, and the highlight of the night was Hollywood/Bollywood star Mr. Omi Vaidya.
Mr. Omi Vaidya
The chief guest for the evening was Maria Stutsman y Marquez who serves as the Associate Dean of Recruitment and Enrollment at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. She was welcomed by FICA president Shekhar Ganore
There were other special guests, cultural programs and entertainment.
ClevelandPeople.com Ambassador Deepa Rao wrote "Diwali or Deepavali is the Hindu Festival of Lights. It symbolizes the spiritual 'victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.' It is a privilege and honor for FICA members to the festival of lights with our honorable mayor of Cleveland Mr. Justin Bibb."
Fun with Maps - The Island of Dolls in Mexico City
Fun with Maps - The Island of Dolls in Mexico City
In this special episode of Fun with Maps, host Dan Hanson warns you not to be afraid as he looks at a scary topic just before Halloween and the Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos). The Island of Dolls (La Isla de las Muñecas) is an eerie, creepy destination in a borough of Mexico City south of the city center. The legend tells of a man who found a drown girl in the canal by his home. He also found her doll and hung it from a tree as a sign of respect. But he started hearing whispers, footsteps, and anguished wails in the darkness even though his hut-hidden deep inside the woods of the borough of Xochimilco-was miles away from civilization. Driven by fear, he spent the next fifty years hanging more and more dolls, some missing body parts, all over the island in an attempt to appease what he believed to be the drowned girl's spirit. Watch the video to see what happens.
This episode starts with an overview of the map of Mexico and then drills down to Mexico City and its 16 boroughs including Xochimilco. This borough has canals (like Venice) for transportation and tourism and chinampas for agriculture. Dan takes a look at the Day of the Dead and then finally to the scary Island of Dolls. See pictures and videos of the Day of the Dead Parade in Cleveland Ohio USA.
After a Polish Mass on Sunday October 13 at The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish of Lorain, parishioners marched to the park named for Casimir Pulaski who was a Polish nobleman, soldier, and military commander who has been called "The Father of American cavalry" or "The Soldier of Liberty".
Marching to Pulaski Park
Polish groups led the effort to save the park leading to the rededication. Volunteers and local veterans groups held a ceremony to rededicate Lorain's Pulaski Park on Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024.
The Columbus Day Parade, sponsored by Italian Sons and Daughters of America (ISDA), took place in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood on Monday, Oct. 14 along Mayfield and Murray Hill roads. A record setting number of units marched - Italian organizations, floats, marching bands, businesses, politicians and city leaders - to celebrate Northeast Ohio's deeply rooted Italian American culture.
The Ohio Colombian Foundation hosted a fundraising Carnival for the Garden on Saturday October 12, 2024. The theme was "Building a Colombian Garden for all.
There was live music from Ropa Vieja band, traditional dances, food and fun.
The first annual Shamrock Game was played at John Carroll University on Saturday October 12, 2024 between the Blue Streaks of John Carroll and the Capital Comets at Don Shula Stadium at Wasmer Field. Before the game there was a tailgate party which featured Irish food, Irish music from WUJC and craic sponsored by the Bluestone Hibernians and others.
Bluestone Hibernians
The day included performances by the Irish American Club East Side Pipe & Drums and before the game, Mary Agnes Kennedy sang the national anthem of Ireland and the US. Mark Owens, Honorary Consul General of Ireland, Ohio did the ceremonial coin toss.
Irish American Club East Side Pipe & Drums piping in the JCU football team
Cleveland Asian Catholic Gathering - Saint Clarence Church
Members of the Cleveland Asian Catholic community gathered on October 6, 2024 for their annual Mass and celebration hosted by the Asian Ministry of the Diocese of Cleveland.
The Asian Ministry, overseen by the diocesan Office of Parish Life and Special Ministries, includes Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, Sri Lankan, Indian, Pakistani and other Asian cultures. Their languages and some liturgical customs were woven into the liturgy, including the Vietnamese tradition of calling the faithful to worship with gongs. The readings and petitions were recited in various Asian languages.
Concelebrants for the liturgy included representatives of the Asian community and Father Damian Ference, vicar for evangelization. Deacon Shin Chulja Andrew assisted at the altar.
Rosa Lee playing Guzheng,Michael Sreshta on sax and choir singing
The official opening of a month-long celebration of the Italian-American Community in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio was held on Monday October 7, 2024 in the Rotunda of Cleveland City Hall. The annual event has taken place every year since then-Councilman Matt Zone created it with the full support of then-Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson in 2006.
Event chair Pamela Dorazio Dean introduced and presented the awards to the 4 honorees:
Pamela Dorazio Dean
O.A. Bertin Company (Moreal Family) for Arts
American Limousine Service (Mazzarrella Family) for Business
Raymond Guarino for Individual and
State Senator Jerry C. Cirino for Public Servant.
Remarks were given by vent Honorary Co-Chairs Cleveland Council President Blaine A. Griffin and Councilman Michael D. Polensek and Basil Russo, National President, Order Italian Sons & Daughters of America (ISDA).
Blaine Griffin, Mike Polensek,Bob Mazzarrella, Pam Dorazio Dean and Matt Zone
The Polish American Cultural Center, JPII hosted Polish History Day at an historic location in Cleveland on Sunday September 29, 2024. The event was held at The Foundry which is located on the historic site of St. Mary's on the Flats Church, the first Catholic Church in the City of Cleveland.
The event included a performance by the PIAST Polish Folk and Dance Ensemble, speakers from the Metroparks and Slavic Village Development.
PIAST Polish Folk and Dance Ensemble
There was a special presentation by Wieslaw Kujda, a rower who competed for Poland in Moscow in 1980.
Gary Kotlarsic and Olympic Rower Wieslaw Kujda
There were displays of Cleveland Polish history and attendees had the opportunity to try the state-of-the-art rowing facilities of the Foundry.
Award-winning Stella Walsh essay by Gustav Kotlarsic
Gustav applied for, and was awarded, a Scholarship from the Polish Roman Catholic Union of America for this essay on Stella Walsh. It begins...
"As someone of Polish descent living in Cleveland, Stella (Walasiewicz) Walsh's story feels deeply personal and incredibly inspiring. Growing up, I heard tales of her remarkable achievements, not just from history books but from the thriving Polish community around me. The Stella Walsh Recreation Center, not far from my home, stands as a testament to her legacy and triumph. Additionally, the plaque in her memory at my local public library serves as a constant reminder of her incredible journey and the profound impact she had both locally and internationally and shows that she was always willing to help her community."
Stella Walsh plaqueCleveland Public Library Fleet Branch
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is a government agency that protects people from frauds and scams. Unfortunately, scammer often target communities that they feel are vulnerable. That may be senior citizens, immigrants or members of ethnic communities. The FTC partnered with Ethnic Media Services (EMS) and hosted an event in Cleveland Ohio on September 24, 2024 dealing with Spotting and Avoiding Scams - especially for the ethnic communities.
Experts from several agencies were joined by ethnic community leaders and members of ethnic media outlets for a robust and informative session.
Speakers from the FTC, Legal Aid and Cuyahoga County at the Scam event
The hunger strike of 1981 was one of the most tragic events to occur in Irish history. Ten men died over a period of 217 days in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh (Maze) prison, protesting the denial of their basic human rights. They endured five years of intensified degradation and brutality at the hands of prison warders following the termination of Special Category Status (political status) in the prisons. After five years of attempting to attain their basic five demands from the British government, they engaged in the most extreme form of protest to achieve their objective: a hunger strike.
Judge Mentel gave a fascinating presentation at the Padraic Pearse center of the IACES about the events before, during and after the 1981 Hunger Strike which led to the death of Bobby Sands and 9 others. There was a lot of new information from documents and the Judge's own travels and personal conversations.
The Hispanic Roundtable hosted their 2024 community convention on Saturday September 21,2024. It featured a Naturalization Ceremony, workshops for immigration, financial and medical advice, student contests, health screenings, a resource fair and more. The keynote presentation was a conversation between HRT co-founder José C. Feliciano and EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner Rita Moreno.
José C. Feliciano, US Magistrate Judge David A. Ruiz and Honorable José A. Villanueva
St Gregory of Narek Church in Richmond Heights Ohio hosts an annual Armenian Festival with food, music, dancing and more including church tours.
St Gregory of Narek Armenian Church
As always, the delicious traditional Armenian food was a highlight. In this video we spoke with Dina in the kitchen while they were preparing the food and she explained some of the options. We also asked Mira about the dessert table which is always a favorite. In this video we spoke with Dina in the kitchen while they were preparing the food and she explained some of the options. We also asked Mira about the dessert table which is always a favorite.
On September 28, 2014, a large crowd congregated at Battery Park in Cleveland for the unveiling of a statue of Johnny Kilbane by world-class sculptor Rowan Gillespie. 10 years later on September 15, 2024 another crowd gathered to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the statue.
Johnny Kilbane great grandson Kevin O'Toole and sculptor Rowan Gillespie
The Mayo Society of Greater Cleveland was founded in 2004 by Gerry Quinn as a not-for-profit corporation to provide a forum for information and activities of interest to individuals of Irish descent particularly those with ancestral ties to County Mayo. They held a half-way-to-St-Patrick's-Day event at the Majestic Hall in Cleveland on Saturday September 14, 2024 titled Heritage & Whiskey.
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens hosted a World on Stage Concert event in the Centennial Plaza on Saturday September 7, 2024. It featured acts from 3 continents - the Zumbercani Tamburitza Orchestra from Croatia (Europe), the Black Beanz from Uganda, Tanzania and Congo (Africa) and Cleveland Bollywood from India (Asia).
Black Beanz is a group of young men from The Congo, Tanzania, Uganda and other African countries who met in high school in Akron Ohio and formed a dance crew. They performed at the World on Stage Concert event in the Cultural Gardens Centennial Plaza on Saturday September 7, 2024.
In their final dance at the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation World on Stage Event they invited members of the audience to come up, learn some steps and dance with them. The ladies from Bollywood Cleveland, still in their costumes, joined in.
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens hosted a World on Stage Concert event in the Centennial Plaza on Saturday September 7, 2024. It featured acts from 3 continents - Bollywood from India (Asia), the Black Beanz from Uganda, Tanzania and Congo (Africa) and the Zumbercani Tamburitza Orchestra from Croatia (Europe). Zumbercani Tamburitza Orchestra began in 1997 and features music from the NW region of Croatia.
The 78th annual One World Day was another amazing event. One World Day has been the official event of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation since 1946.
The 78th annual One World Day was amazing! Here is a video of the Parade of Flags with over 50 heritages represented.
The Parade began with CCGF past president Sheila Murphy Crawford welcoming the crowd and thanking the Parade Chairs Angela Woodson and Dan Hanson.
In a sign of unity, the MCs for the Parade were from the 4 major TV stations in Cleveland (left to right in the photo): Tino Bovenzi from Fox8, Kelly Dobeck from WOIO, Jiovanni Lieggi from WKYC and Tracy Carloss from WEWS.
One World Day Parade of Flags MCs
The Parade marched down MLK Blvd. and began with the One World Day Banner, followed by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Dr. Wael Khoury (Board Chair of Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation). Then the Irish American Club East Side Pipe and Drums followed by the American Garden represented by members of the Rotary Club of Cleveland.
Then the representatives of the: Hungarian Garden, Greek Garden, Hebrew Garden, Slovak Garden, Italian Garden, Romanian Garden, Turkish Garden, Chinese Garden, Russian Garden, Finnish Garden, Lebanese Garden, Lithuanian Garden, German Garden, Ethiopian Garden, Ukrainian Garden, Irish Garden, Croatian Garden, Latvian Garden, Estonian Garden, Armenia Garden, African American Garden, British Garden, Slovenian Garden, Syrian Garden, Dominican Republic Community, Scottish Garden, Albanian Garden, Korean Garden, India Garden, French Garden, Polish Garden, Carpatho-Rusyn Garden, Uzbekistan Garden, Pakistan Garden, Peruvian Garden, Palestinian Garden, Morocco Community, Swiss Community, Indonesian Community, Kazakhstan Community, Native American Garden, Mexican Garden, Japanese Community, Bangladesh community, Iranian Community, Haitian Community, Filipino Garden, Colombian Garden, Brazilian Community, Chilean Community and Serbian Garden.
One World Day began at 11 AM with a Naturalization Ceremony where new citizens (from about 20 countries) were sworn in. It was an inspiring and emotional ceremony. New citizens were so proud and happy and shared their joy with family members.
Almost two thousand marchers in colorful costumes of their heritage gathered near the Ethiopian Cultural garden on MLK to line up for the Parade. Parade Director Angela Shute-Woodson and her team do a great job of organizing the marchers and over 50 units.
In this video we walked around while they were arriving and saw some of the groups such as the Irish American Club East Side Pipe and Drums, Slovenians, Dominicans, American Garden represented by members of the Rotary Club of Cleveland, Hungarians, Hebrews, Indonesians, Peruvians, Palestinians, Moroccans, Filipinos, Colombians, Chileans, Kazakhs, Swiss, Polish, Lebanese, Haitian, French, Scottish, the Celtic Eagle Pipe Band and the Indian community.
Ukrainian Independence Day Parade and Festival
Ukrainian Independence Day Parade and Festival
United Ukrainian Organizations of Ohio hosted a parade on Saturday August 24, 2024 to celebrate the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine's independence. The Parade marched through Ukrainian Village in Parma, Ohio.
St. Mary's, founded in 1904, is the oldest Romanian Orthodox parish in the United States. Prior to the building of today's cathedral in Cleveland's Kamm's Corners neighborhood in 1960, the church's home was on Detroit Avenue in the old Romanian area of the city. The Festival featured Romanian Cuisine, Imported Beverages, Romanian Pastries, Audio-Visual Romanian Heritage, Church & Museum Tours, and Games for Kids, Vendors, Souvenirs and more.
Traditional costumes from all regions of Romania
Pan Am Masters Games
Pan Am Masters Games
Cleveland was the proud host of the 2024 Pan-American Masters Games from July 12-21, 2024. A major event of the International Masters Games Association, the Games offer an opportunity to showcase competitive spirit and athletic ability of masters athletes on a global stage. Thousands of athletes from 6 continents (sorry Antarctica), 48 states and more than 70 countries came to Cleveland in a celebration of health, vitality, friendship and an active lifestyle at any age.
It was the largest international event in Cleveland's history. The Games had only been in the Western hemisphere twice before - in Rio de Janeiro and Vancouver.
The annual Cleveland Puerto Rican Parade was held Sunday August 4, 2024.
The Parade was put on by the Hispanic Police Officers' Association (HPOA) which has been proudly serving it's members and the greater Cleveland community since it was founded in 1986.
Rafael Hernandez Brito, Omar Vizquel and Carlos Baerga
The largest annual gathering (sold out at 500 people with a waiting list) of Cleveland's ethnic leaders and grassroots gathered Tuesday April 23 at Windows on the River for the 14th annual Cleveland International Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.
The 2024 Class of the Cleveland International Hall of Fame consists of:
Dona Brady (Albanian heritage) who was inducted by Cleveland City Councilman Michael Polensek.
Ambassador Edward Crawford (Irish) who was inducted by Irish Ambassador to the United States Geraldine Byrne Nason.
Veronica Dahlberg (Mexican and broader Hispanic) who was inducted by Cleveland City Councilwoman Jasmin Santana.
Dr. Eugene Jordan (African-American) who was inducted posthumously Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr.
Erika Puussaar (Estonian) who was inducted by Estonia´s Ambassador to the United States Mr. Kristjan Prikk
Johnny K. Wu (Chinese and broader Asian) was inducted by Margaret W. Wong.
Click on the names (above) to go to a page with the photos and videos of that person's induction. Below is a video of the entire evening taken by TV20 professionals Dan Monroe and Raulston Douse. Thanks guys.
Albert Ratner - Cleveland International Hall of Fame
Albert Ratner - Cleveland International Hall of Fame
Albert Ratner had a 66-year career at Forest City where he grew the company from a lumber supply company to a construction company to a home improvement retailer to a real estate development company. Forest City spearheaded the redevelopment of the Halle Building, which it purchased in 1982, and Tower City, which opened in 1990. It became publicly-traded in 1960, an $8.2 billion corporation that develops, owns and manages residential and commercial properties across the country. Its national portfolio now includes 32 retail centers, 36 office buildings and 115 apartment buildings.
He has always been interested in, and has become an expert in, population and immigration topics. He led the creation of Global Cleveland in 2011. He was inducted into the Cleveland International Hall of Fame in 2011 and has given several keynote addresses at their induction ceremony. Unable to attend the 2024 induction ceremony in person he created this short video with his perspective and advice on population and immigration.
"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!
