Arabic Club and Saudi Student Association Host 1001 Arabian Nights
By Thomas Curry
The Arabic Club and Saudi Student Association hosted their seventh annual 1001 Arabian Nights event on Tuesday, inviting students across campus to participate in activities that introduced Arabic culture to the Catholic University community.
1001 Arabian Nights, which took place in the Great Rooms of the Pryzbyla Center on February 19 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., is one of a handful events happening on campus during International Week. International Week is a week dedicated to celebrating international cultures and educate students on different parts of the world. Among other events hosted annually by Catholic University are Global Fest featuring Embassy Row, Arabic Conversation Table, and Italian Conversation Hour, which will all take place later throughout the week.
Among the main features of the event was the Arabic food, which consisted of chicken and rice, pita bread, hummus, and falafel, among other common and popular Middle Eastern dishes. Much of the food was cooked with beans, nuts, garlic and various amounts of spices.
“I’ve never had any Middle Eastern food before and haven’t heard of much of the food that they made for us at this event,” said Catholic University junior Anna McGovern. “But everything I had was really good, I really enjoyed the hummus and the dessert.”
There were a number of activities, including a henna station, a calligraphy table, a tent hosted by the Saudi Student Association to practice Arabic, and two sets of Kahoot games with a variety of Middle Eastern trivia.
The event was set up by Arabic Club E-board, led by President Nicholas Trotto. Trotto mentioned the importance of setting up and bringing in different activities for the sake of educating people in the campus community that may not be familiar with Arabic culture.
“[Setup] is the most important part because that’s how you get your message across to everybody who shows up,” said Trotto. “From the tent to the henna to the food to the flags, it’s all meant to be an informative and fun experience.”
The event brought in over one hundred Catholic University students and staff members ranging from members of the Arabic club, students taking Arabic classes, and others who went to enjoy food and festivities across the Catholic University community.
“1001 Arabian Nights is a great way to showcase the Arab and Middle Eastern culture to the CUA community,” said Trotto. “This is a traditional event we’ve done each year, and more and more people show up each year. It’s exciting to see the interest the event brings every year.”
