Night of Mexican Culture in Leiden
Every community event promises connection, but every now and then, one surprises you by offering something deeper. Our Mexican Culture Evening on 11 June did exactly that. What started as a simple invitation to enjoy food, music, and dance became a vivid lesson in how traditions travel, transform, and take root far from home.
The quickest way to understand a culture might really be through your taste buds.
We often talk about food as an entry point to understanding a place, but watching participants discover how simple ingredients can carry centuries of history was a reminder of how true that is. The vegetarian option sparked just as much curiosity, showing how traditional dishes evolve while maintaining their essence.
The presentation made participants rethink what “Mexican culture” really means.
In a world filled with stereotypes, the presentation invited guests to look beyond clichés and colorful imagery to the deeper layers of Mexican identity, from Indigenous roots to contemporary expressions in art, music, and political life. One line resonated so strongly that several people mentioned it afterward:
Dancing together, many for the first time, created community faster than words could.
When the lesson in traditional Mexican dance began, hesitation lasted only moments. Then something beautiful happened: people who had arrived alone were suddenly smiling at one another, holding hands, and learning steps as a group. The room filled with joy, awkwardness, laughter, and a shared willingness to try.
The magic wasn’t in performing the dance perfectly. It was in discovering how movement can dissolve barriers, spark confidence, and turn a room of strangers into a temporary community.
Our evening in Leiden was a celebration, but it was also a quiet reminder: when we create space for cultures to be shared with warmth and authenticity, we create space for understanding. And those moments, small as they may seem, carry their own effect.
