Fiesta de Navidad invites Syracuse community into Hispanic holiday traditions
La Casita’s Fiesta de Navidad invites the Syracuse community to share traditional Hispanic and Latin holiday practices. Performances with guitar, piano and dance were also included. Dana Kim | Staff Photographer
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Music filled the brightly decorated space at La Casita Cultural Center, where families met Santa Claus and the Three Magi (Kings). Colorful string lights, holiday decorations and food welcomed the guests.
“This event is about community,” Bennie Guzman, program coordinator for La Casita, said. “We want families, students and our neighbors to feel like they’re celebrating home, together.”
La Casita hosted Fiesta de Navidad in downtown Syracuse on Saturday night. The annual end-of-semester event invites Syracuse residents, Syracuse University students and families to share in traditional Hispanic and Latin holiday practices.
Each year, Fiesta de Navidad focuses on celebrating cultural heritage through performance, Guzman said. This year’s evening included music, dance and storytelling.
Leslie Saldana, a Peruvian graduate student, said Fiesta de Navidad brings comfort to students who are away from home during the holiday season. Seeing children perform and hearing Spanish spoken during the celebration reminded her of cultural moments at home in Peru.
“I was excited to see La Casita since I’m here, and it’s very beautiful to see and meet people who share the Hispanic culture,” Saldana said.
Saldana said her favorite part of the event was the kids’ piano, guitar and dance performances. Seeing younger generations celebrate traditions, like participating in Christmas plays, made the space feel familiar, Saldana said.
Volunteers gathered to serve food at La Casita’s annual Fiesta de Navidad celebration. Fiesta de Navidad invited the Syracuse community and SU students to the celebration. Dana Kim | Staff Photographer
Sidney Mejia, La Casita’s student engagement coordinator, said the most meaningful part of the event is the sense of community the celebration brings to the space.
La Casita’s partnership with SU allows students in a variety of majors to volunteer or help organize events to foster a sense of community, Guzman said. The center lets students use what they’re learning at SU in hands-on ways that support the community and build their skills, he said.
Students from programs like engineering and journalism help with after-school programs, archiving projects, arts instruction and event planning.
“I always say a lot of our students gain more than our community does,” Guzman said. “Because you really connect with this community, and there is a space where we want to hear your culture and who you are.”
SU students, like Jared Gonzalez, volunteered during the evening, helping with food, setup and assisting families during performances. Gonzalez is part of the Mexican Student Association and dressed as one of the Three Magi from the Christmas story.
“I chose to volunteer because back at home, we do this as well with my own family,” Gonzalez said. “I can’t be there right now, so I chose to come here and help out other families from this community.”
Gonzalez said the kids’ on-stage performances for their families was his favorite part; he could tell how happy it made them. During the night, he posed for photos with the children in costume. It was a “great feeling,” he said.
Mejia said Fiesta de Navidad marks the end of the semester for La Casita and is a chance to celebrate the work students and the community have done throughout the fall.
“It’s a nice way to wrap up everything we’ve been building,” Mejia said. “The kids get to perform, and we get to celebrate the work of our student interns and volunteers.”
