The International Language Institute of the Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Indonesia (LBI FIB UI), successfully held the El Día de la Hispanidad Festival on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at the UI Depok Campus. Carrying the theme “Cita Rasa Hispanik: Menikmati Rasa, Mengenal Bahasa” (“The Hispanic Taste: Savoring Flavor, Understanding Language”), the festival celebrated the cultural richness of the Hispanic world while providing a space to explore its culinary, artistic, and linguistic diversity. In addition to its vibrant Hispanic-themed decorations, the festival also featured a seminar presented by representatives from five Hispanic countries: Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Spain. The event opened with welcoming remarks from Rouli Esther, Ph.D., Acting Vice Dean for Academic, Research, and Student Affairs of FIB UI.
During the seminar, each country’s representative delivered presentations on their nation’s heritage, language, and contributions to the Hispanic world. The Embassy of Colombia, represented by Cultural Attaché Nicholas Montoya, discussed the varieties and brewing techniques of Colombian coffee. The session concluded with a live coffee-making demonstration by Montoya himself.
The next session was presented by Elvira Eugenia Santizo de Leon, Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of Guatemala, who spoke about her country’s cultural heritage in language, cuisine, and tourism. The Guatemalan Embassy also distributed brochures and pins to seminar participants.
The first half of the seminar series concluded with a session by Francisco José Masís Holdridge, Head of Mission of the Embassy of Costa Rica, who discussed Costa Rica’s culinary traditions as part of its cultural heritage. Between sessions, participants enjoyed a live cooking demonstration held outside the LBI FIB UI lobby by Chef Aris, who prepared Chicken Skewer with Avocado Salsa Verde, Patatas Bravas/Chicken, and Pollo al Chile y Limón. The engaging demo drew enthusiastic attention from participants eager to taste the dishes firsthand.
The following session was delivered by the Ambassador of Ecuador to Indonesia, Luis Arellano Jibaja, who elaborated on the essence of Ecuador’s Hispanic culinary, cultural, and linguistic heritage. The Ecuadorian Embassy also presented a special performance featuring a dancer in the traditional Aya Huma costume — a masked character central to Ecuadorian festivities. The final seminar session was led by Anton Hilman, Head of Office at Campus Spain, who shared information about study opportunities and experiences in Spain. The series of seminars from the five Hispanic countries was moderated by Chysanti Arumsari and Retno Daru Dewi G.S.P.
The El Día de la Hispanidad Festival successfully attracted hundreds of participants from various backgrounds — including university students, high schoolers, Spanish language communities, and members of the public interested in Hispanic culture. Beyond the seminars, the 2025 festival also featured a Spanish art exhibition, a cultural booth from Ecuador, dance performances by Sita and Erwin, a guitar performance by Zacky Farras, and one of the festival’s main highlights: an array of Hispanic food stalls offering tacos, burritos, yerba mate, and, of course, churros!
While exploring the culinary booths, visitors also enthusiastically participated in interactive activities at the LBI FIB UI booth, such as games and short consultations on language courses. The festival concluded with a lively line dance session led by Sita, Erwin, and Arnold. With the conclusion of El Día de la Hispanidad Festival 2025, LBI FIB UI reaffirms its commitment to promoting intercultural understanding through engaging language learning and inclusive cultural events. (Trans-CA)
