By Hayley Gibson
Reporter
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church will provide Waco with a taste of Greece this Saturday at the annual Greek Food Festival.
The festival will be held at the Extraco Events Center in Waco from 5 to 9 p.m. as a fundraiser for both the church and the National Orthodox Autism fund.
Chair of the committee, Dana Feliciano, said visitors could expect a glimpse into the Greek culture with dancers, an orthodox bookstore, a silent auction and Greek delicacies.
“The Greek community wanted to bring their gifts and talents to the community,” Feliciano said. This year’s festival will mark the 27th time St. Nick’s has opened its doors to the Waco community for its annual festival.
The festival is a celebration of not only the Greek heritage of the church, but also various cultures, such as Romanians, Serbians and Russians, that have joined the congregation.
“It’s wonderful to be a part of a multicultural congregation and seeing people from all over the world unified in worship together,” Feliciano said.
The Rev. Theodore Tsitsilianos has been with the congregation since 1991 and said the ethnic diversity of his church is reflected in America itself.
“It reminds people that we are all immigrants from where we started,” Tsitsilanos said. Feliciano said the preservation of the Greek spirit is not only important in a cultural sense, but also as a religious tie the Christian heritage.
“The New Testament was written in Greek, and so it’s not just about the culture, but the language as well,” said Feliciano about the vision of the church, which also does part of its services in Greek.
Those who attend the festival can not only expect to enjoy a taste of the Greek culture, but much more than that — a glimpse into the Greek orthodox faith.
Advance tickets, which include both admission and a dinner plate, are $15.
The price of dinner will include greek chicken breast on rice pilaf, pastitio, spanokopita, greek salad, a roll and tea or water. Admission tickets without dinner are $5. Tickets can be purchased by calling 254-754-6519.
