Let’s face it, as much as many of us are traveling moms and dads, there are just some places that we’re not going to be able to go. Without a doubt, I promote, wholeheartedly, being able to travel anywhere in the world with your children through proper planning and preparation. However, life’s constraints make it difficult for many families with young children to visit multiple countries on a yearly basis. This is where cultural festivals become you and your family’s best friend. The educational value of festivals is often understated and overlooked.
Why do we travel leisurely? Besides the obvious reason, for relaxation, most of us travel to other countries to explore, learn, and experience other cultures and ways of life. The great thing about living in cities that are melting pots is that you don’t have to travel across any border to get that. During the summer and fall months, you can take your children on a world tour for a fraction of the cost of a bonafide plane ticket and a quarter of the frustration to boot.
A recent visit to a local annual Greek Festival gave us the opportunity to introduce our 6 year old to the sounds, smells, and tastes of the old country. He was fascinated by the Aegean Odyssey dancers, got a chance to at least smell a gyro and a souvlaki sandwich. His bravery was in short order when it came to actually tasting it. He’s not quite that adventurous yet when it comes to the savory options of foreign cultures. However, what kid can turn down the irresistibly sweet smell of hot fresh loukoumades dipped in honey and lightly flavored with sprinkled cinnamon? Not mine.
Listening to the tongue of the locals garnered appropriate questions like: what are they speaking and where do they come from? Walking through the food line prompted other questions like: what’s that black stuff (dolmades: traditional Greek grape leaves stuffed with rice and meat) and how do you pronounce this word (“spanakopita”)? It was a great opportunity to have a living classroom for our son that was easy on our pockets and served as a discreet teaching moment as well.
Our trip to the Greek Festival was the cheapest family trip that we’ve taken in a long time. “To Greece and back in 3 hours” was our theme for the day. On an eighth of a tank of gas and for less than a Benjamin, that’s one Mediterranean trip for a family of four that would have anyone shouting “Opa!”
