By Amy Eisen, News Correspondent
Northeastern’s student body is made up of about 15 percent international students, which means there is a large variety of new cultures and traditions that are shared and experienced right here on campus. The International Student and Scholar Institute (ISSI), a student group dedicated to promoting international culture and education at Northeastern, held their Carnevale Kick-Off event Friday, Feb. 1 in the Curry Indoor Quad. The 18th annual event is a two-month long cultural celebration that includes a variety of events such as music and dance classes, food nights and sporting events.
ISSI’s Carnevale derives its name from the Italian festival which lasts through February and March. Carnevale means carnival in Italian, and is a regional variation of Mardi Gras. The 40-day celebration originated in Venice, and is a celebration of culture and history that includes food, dance and masquerade.
The Kick-Off marked the start of the celebration, which includes more than 25 events.
“We’ve been planning since October,” said senior pharmacy major Jade Hoang, one of the main organizers of the 2013 Carnevale. “There are so many events, and different groups that are involved. We booked at least 10 different student groups for Carnevale. We collaborate with cultural groups for international music, photography, food and dancing. We try to introduce our cultures to the Northeastern community, not just exclusively international students.”
The Kick-Off, set to a cool Brazilectro playlist, brought between 200 and 300 students and professors together, filling the Curry Indoor Quad. Everyone seemed to enjoy the main feature: the food. While there was a large variety of international foods, local Boston cuisine was also represented with its most famous food: clam chowder. Some of the ethnic cuisines presented were Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Italian, Cuban and Thai.
Fried yuca potatoes, crab Rangoon, gulab jamun (an Indian cheese-based dessert) and kategna injera (Ethiopian bread) were in sight. There was also cake – which was the first item to go and a tea caravan.
“The food was so good,” said Sneha Ranade, a graduate student specializing in biotechnology. “Clam chowder would be the favorite. It was a surprise to see that. I tried the Ethiopian too, I don’t know what it was called, but it was really good and tangy.”
The clam chowder seemed to be one of the favorites, as people were still sipping it out of plastic cups when the bowls ran out.
Shan Jiang, a freshman chemistry major, said he enjoyed his chowder. “It was wonderful. My favorite part was dinner. This was my first time here and if I have time I’ll come back next year.”
Some students said they have been looking forward to this event for a long time. Middler computer science major James Steinberg missed the last two years, so he made sure to attend this one.
“I see photos on Facebook about all the events and it looks really fun,” he said. “I kept checking online to make sure I didn’t miss it this time. This one has free food, but I’m looking forward to some of the other events that look kind of cool, too. I saw a picture of an ice sculpture from last year. There are no other clubs that do this.”
The Carnevale events are indeed distinct, as no other organization brings together such a large variety of international programs. Some of the larger events include a Venetian masquerade ball held on Feb. 23 and an international fashion show on March 23. The two-month long celebration concludes with an international gala on March 30.
“Things vary based on who is interested and who has the funds. ISSI funds part of the events, too,” said Hoang. “My favorite event is the fashion show. I was involved in past years, in the Vietnamese fashion section. I wore a traditional dress – it was very fun.”
ISSI has at least one cultural event planned for each of the next eight weeks, with some weeks having events nearly every night. A full schedule of events is available on the ISSI Carnevale website, as well as in the ISSI office at 405 Ell Hall.
