A group of students, some donning traditional garb, joined together to form a giant circle in rousing Brazilian song and dance.

This high-energy enthusiasm set the tone Saturday night at the International Student Council Spring Festival in HUB Heritage Hall.

A group of about 150 people attended the festival, which was complete with music, dance, international foods and games. The event also allowed students to try their luck with Japanese calligraphy, trivia questions and yo-yo fishing.

International Student Services (ISS) Program Coordinator Corey Whitesell said the festival has been a Penn State tradition with international students for more than 20 years.

"It really gives a venue for our international students to show off their country and culture," she said. "It's also set up for American students to understand other cultures."

Dunya, a Turkish music group, and Minas, a Brazilian music group, filled the hall with authentic music of their respected cultures. Audience members danced and clapped along during the performances.

People also enjoyed sampling free food from a wide variety of countries and cultures. The aroma of Hong Cong egg tarts and How Gow shrimp dumplings filled the air.

Elisabet Eppes (freshman-biology and behavioral health) enjoyed the music as she took a bite of a Momo meat dumpling.

"I'm so glad I came," she said. "I've just been tasting the food and it's delicious, and the music is amazing. I'm so lucky to be attending Penn State."

Adjacent to the food tables, a group of students kneeled at the calligraphy table armed with paint brushes and black paint.

"In Japan, you usually learn this in school," Japanese Friendship Association (JFA) publicity officer Takeshi Sawairi said as he painted a character.

Students were also excited about the traditional Japanese yo-yo game, which involved scooping colorful balloon yo-yo's out of a pool of water with a delicate paperclip contraption.

JFA President Sung-Hyuk Yoon cheered on a student as he successfully retrieved a yo-yo.

"It's not very often that we get to express our culture, and this is [a chance] for us to show our culture to others," he said. "This is what Japanese culture is all about."

Students at the jewelry table also presented their cultures with authentic African beads. Motunrayo Kemiki (senior-chemical engineering) said women in West Africa wear many beads at once around their waist to "give more of a figure."

While some students attended the festival to promote their cultures, others enjoyed being around their native traditions.

"This makes Penn State more of a home away from home for me," Linda Poon (junior-hotel, restaurant and institutional management) said.

Ponkamon Aumpansub, Thai Club secretary, also appreciated being immersed in culture for the night.

"This motivates us to promote our culture because our friends are from different countries," she said. "We are proud of our country, and I love that feeling."