Festa di Gioia means “Festival of Joy” in Italian. In 2014, our Festa di Gioia was a series of multicultural festivals for anyone out for fun, both within the Orange Grove Meeting and in the surrounding neighborhood.

Our first event featured Polish-style plate smashing, Greek mosaic making, and wonderful food by Chef Edward Ferry. The beautiful mosaic that we made from the broken plates decorates the courtyard wall of our Meeting House.

Making a Mosaic at Festa di Gioia

Finished Mosaic

Powder Fight

The second festival was a combination of two great joy traditions–the color festival of Holi from India and the multigenerational water fight called “Varte Var” from Armenia.

Traditional Armenian Varte Var

The third festival combined a Mexican Day of the Dead plus the Jewish harvest holiday of Sukkot.

Festa di Gioia at Night

Michelle and Estelle in Sukkah (Decorated Shelter) for Jewish Sukkot Festival

Sharing the festivals with our children and with our neighbors was fun and brought us all closer to the traditions of other cultures.

Photo Credits: Hannah Maximova with the exception of Water Fight photo by Ali Mojahedi .