Cultural celebrations in Rochester, New York: A great party by a great lake

This study applies meaning and function of celebration to three cultural celebrations in the city of Rochester, New York. The purpose of this study was to promote better cultural understanding by portraying how each cultural community celebrates and what is meaningful to each. I produced a thirty-minute video documenting three Rochester celebrations; The Greek Festival sponsored by a Greek Orthodox Church, The Rochester Gay Pride Parade and Festival, and The Rochester Puerto Rican Festival. All took place in the summer of 2006. Through personal interviews and observations the documentary explored the different perspectives of festival participants, analyzed how cultural identity is promoted, and demonstrated how each community is perceived by cultural insiders and by outsiders. Using experts' theories, I examined such aspects as music, food, art, pageantry, politics, religion, social interaction and education. The documentary shows interviews with festival organizers and participants along with locations and activities in real time.