The Hispanic community invites students to meet new people and play bingo with food and music.
Cultural groups on campus typically entice students to attend events with food and exposure to a new experience, but the Hispanic & Latino Student Union is bring something else to the table: “Lotería.”
The group is hosting a Juego de Lotería, or Mexican Bingo Night, on Thursday to share a cultural tradition on campus.
“It’s an opportunity to share one aspect of Latino culture, and for folks to get to know the Hispanic and Latino community,” said Delfin Bautista, the organization’s advisor. “Students can put faces with names, and what it means to be Hispanic here at Ohio University.”
Lotería is the Spanish word for “lottery” and is a game of chance. The game is predominantly popular in Latin American countries, said Miguel Gomez, president of the Hispanic and Latino Student Union and a junior studying astrophysics.
“What we’re planning to do is to allow students to experience this popular game and make it as authentic as possible for students,” Gomez said.
The organization promises Chipotle, music, piñatas and prizes for winners, along with an opportunity to experience a kind of bingo Americans are not accustomed to.
“There is a big difference between Lotería and American bingo,” Gomez said. “They use pictures instead of numbers. This makes it more interesting, and there’s a lot more variety with pictures.”
Gomez said the game will be in Spanish, but that is not to deter anyone’s lack of Spanish skills or anyone who cannot speak the language.
“There will be translations, so nobody will get behind or be left out,” Gomez said.
Bautista said the game is also to educate about the diversity of Latin America and the idea that it is not exclusively Mexican culture.
“It’s an opportunity to gather; that’s one of the big things for us as Hispanics and Latinos in the community,” Bautista said. “We can introduce people to that aspect as a community.”
@mmfernandez_
Mf736213@ohio.edu
