As the summer concludes and the school year begins, life gets busier. Clubs at UMaine open up to new members, football season has its opening night and the weather starts to cool down.  Along with all of these activities, another tradition has picked up from last year: Women of the World luncheons.

Forty years ago, the group Women of the World was started as a support group for spouses of students or new faculty who came to the University of Maine. Mireille La Gal, an advisor and coordinator in UMaine’s International Programs and an overseer of Women of the World luncheons, has helped run these events for 15 years.

“Back when this all started, people weren’t able to get around as easy as they can now. Some people of some cultures aren’t able to drive, so this was a way for them to get connected with the community and meet new people and do some fun activities,” La Gal said.

The luncheon is a women’s only event on the second Monday of every month, and each luncheon has a different theme with food provided accordingly.

“Right now, the group is a fairly large group of women who don’t necessarily have an international background, but it includes women who have an interest in international culture,” La Gal said.

The women who attend these luncheons don’t have to be of a certain ethnic descent — any female can attend. There is no age limit and, for women who have young children, the group does allow sons up to the age of 10.

“Way back when the group started, things were a little more strict than they are now, such as Muslim women can’t be in a room with another man that are not their family members, so that is why we have the restriction there. So that it would be a comfortable place for them to be at without having to worry about that,” La Gal said.

Mazie Hough, director of the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies program at the university, couldn’t be happier with these cultural celebratory luncheons.

“The idea of sharing food from different cultures allows the women from those cultures to take pride in and share their rich cultural heritage . . . We have come a long way at the University in our efforts to be inclusive, both of women and of multicultural issues,” Hough said. “What better way to celebrate both than with food and sharing.”

There is a group of five women who oversee the function of the Women of the World luncheons.  These women come up with a schedule of themes that will keep people interested. Sometimes they pick these cultural themes randomly and sometimes they tie them in with a holiday that is close to that particular luncheon.

Volunteers are recruited to help prepare the food for the luncheon, and three women are in charge of organizing various aspects of the luncheon — from picking the food to creating a presentation that embodies the theme of the event. In these luncheons, there is normally also some sort of exhibit, filled with objects from the place that the luncheon has been centered around.

The first luncheon of this year is at noon on Sept. 14 at the Church of Universal Fellowship, located at 82 Main Street in Orono.