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Individual celebrations hosted by the various Chinese, Korean, Indian and Bengali culture clubs at Stuyvesant will be consolidated into one Culture Fest, to be hosted Thursday, December 20.Combining all culture nights into one festival was initially opposed by the Indian Culture Club (ICC) and the Bengali Culture Club (BCC), because it would replace their annual Diwali-Eid Festival, usually held in November.AssistantPrincipal Organization Randi Damesek said it would be difficult to provide each of the clubs with its own night of celebration, according to senior and ICC President Aleena Paul.“[Damesek] proposed that instead of having separate nights, all the clubs should combine and do a big Culture Fest one night,” Paul said. The proposal was made in the second week of September and finalized in the second week of October.The Culture Night caused some initial problems. Members of the ICC and BCC had hoped to host the Diwali-Eid Festival in mid-November, around the dates of both holidays. The festival has been held annually since 2004.Junior and ICC Vice President Nikita Kamath said Damesek also hoped to reduce racial separations in the Stuyvesant environment by creating the Culture Fest.According to Principal Stanley Teitel, hosting individual cultural events “doesn’t enhance our school’s diversity.”Junior and BCC Secretary Fariha Ahmed said having separate culture nights is not a form of self-imposed racial separation. “We’re not trying to be racist, but [the Diwali-Eid Festival is] the one night we usually get,” she said.Junior Brenda Chen said a Culture Fest would be an enriching experience, but it isn’t fair to eliminate the Diwali-Eid Festival. “If [the ICC and BCC] want to have their own separate night to have a […] festival, then they should,” she said.Though the members of the ICC and BCC had been opposed to the Culture Fest at first, they eventually agreed to the proposal after having discussions with Teitel and Damesek.“Although I wanted to continue the tradition of the Diwali-Eid Festival, I see the idea of a combined culture festival as a very unique opportunity for the Stuyvesant community to teach and learn of each other’s cultures and traditions,” Paul said.Senior and President of Chinese Pop Culture Club Tiffany Li said she has no objection to working with the other clubs. “We want every one to come and share our culture,” she said.Both the theater and cafeteria will be used for the Culture Fest. “We’re grateful because we get more facility,” senior and BCC President Trisha Mondal said.There will be skits, dances, a fashion show, food and music at the Culture Fest, which will be separated into three sections by time: Bengali/Indian, Chinese and Korean. Although a combined Culture Fest will be longer in duration than any individual festival, it will result in each culture getting less time for its particular celebration.According to Teitel, the Culture Fest may not be an annual event. “We’re trying something new,” he said. “It may not work out. If it doesn’t, we’ll go back.”