Hello San Diego!

Thanksgiving is next week, and we would like to share an article, Thanksgiving: From Local Harvests to National Holiday, by the Smithsonian. The article spotlights the efforts of the remarkable Sarah Josepha Hale (who, among lots of other accomplishments, wrote "Mary Had a Little Lamb") in her decades-long quest to officially establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday.

The only festival-like event happening this weekend is the three-day 2025 Anime Con, which takes place at the Handlery Hotel and gets underway today.

Music performances include the Ukrainian music and dance night at Balboa Park with Kozak Siromaha (Saturday), the Bandalandia San Diego event at Rancho La Laguna which will feature numerous regional Mexican "banda" and DJs (Sunday), a Christmas-themed show with Jose Mari Chan at Pechanga (Sunday), Tamil Nadu-raised singer Ganavya at the Loft (Sunday), and last but certainly not least the wonderful multilingual Jazz vocalist Allison Adams Tucker and her trio will perform at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library on Monday.

Local theatrical productions include The Salty Series at Bread & Salt featuring filmmaker and performer Michelle Sui (Tonight, Friday), The Nutcracker at the Temecula Community Theater (all weekend), Beauty's Daughter at Diversionary Theatre (ongoing), The Nutcracker (CPBA) at the Star Theatre in Oceanside (Saturday and Sunday), and a performance of The Snow Queen at the San Diego Civic Theatre next Wednesday.

The film screenings celebrating Native American Month continue at the Barona Cultural Center & Museum. Today (Friday) and Sunday at the Digital Gym, the German Currents Kino will feature the film Two to One. On Saturday, there will be a special screening of the film Minari at the Digital Gym and after the film there will be a conversation between Minari‘s costume designer Susanna Song and Breaking Into New Hollywood co-author Ada Tseng.

Other notable events include an Acorn Preparation Workshop in Tecate (Saturday), the Japanese Friendship Garden Holiday Market (Saturday), and at the Carlsbad City Library cookbook author Pyet DeSpain will discuss her book Rooted in Fire and share how her Native American and Mexican heritage infuses her recipes. There will be a Ukrainian Vybiyka (hand-printing fabric technique) Workshop at the Balboa Park Club on Sunday. A bit later on the say day at the Balboa Park Club, the Ukraine Through the Fire event will feature a Multimedia Performance & Fashion Show (Sunday). And the three-day Fall Archaeology Camp will take place at the San Diego Archaeological Center in Escondido starting on Monday.

All the Cross-Cultural Events in the Next Two Weeks:

Festivals, celebrations, and community events: San Diego Anime Con • December Nights.

Music and/or dance performances: Kozak Siromaha • Bandalandia San Diego • Jose Mari Chan • Ganavya • Allison Adams Tucker Trio • Los Blenders • Performance: Irish Christmas in America • A Merry-achi Christmas • Brazilian Music Storytime • Mireya Ramos • Liverpool Legends.

Interesting talks around town: Pyet DeSpain.

Film festivals and special movie screenings: Films: Celebrate Native American Month • Two to One • Film and Fashion: Minari • L'Attachement.

Books and literature lovers are sure to enjoy: The Power of Story: Latina Book Fair.

Food and Drink events: Acorn Preparation Workshop • Dumpling Fest San Diego.

Fundraisers: Fundraiser: CA Hurricane Relief for Sweet Jamaica.

Local theatrical productions: The Nutcracker (Temecula Community Theater) • Beauty's Daughter • Performance: The Salty Series • The Nutcracker (CPBA) • Ballet: The Snow Queen.

Visual Arts events: Vybiyka Workshop • Fall Archaeology Camp.

Other notable events: Japanese Friendship Garden Holiday Market • Ukraine Through the Fire: Multimedia Performance & Fashion Show • The Barrio Logan Chicano Shop Hop.

Lastly, the Worldview Project, which produces this newsletter every week (and does lots of other stuff too!), is a non-profit organization. Supporting cross-cultural awareness, understanding, and engagement has never been more critical than it is now. As you may have noticed, we don't annoy you with advertisements or constant fundraising appeals. But we need your support to continue to do what we do. In particular we are seeking our reader's help in funding the further development of our Cultures in the Classroom™ curriculum project to inspire children to connect with and appreaciate the wonder of cultures around the world. You can show your support by clicking on the "Donate to the WVP" button above and making a tax-deductible donation to the WVP. No donation is too small— even a dollar would be appreciated!

Cross-Cultural Events in the Next Two Weeks:

Everyone here at the San Diego Participant Observer and the Worldview Project wish you fulfilling, illuminating, and culturally-rich experiences in the days ahead. See you next week!