About Us
Milky Way Educational Cultural Association (MECA) is a non-profit non-governmental organization established under the 501(c) 3 laws within the United States with no political affiliation dedicated to addressing the social and cultural needs of Azerbaijani community living in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. We aim to promote Azerbaijani culture, and to foster integrity through cultural and educational activities.
These activities include but are not limited to weekend school for children, potluck events, festivals for the community at large, and to raise awareness about the Azerbaijani culture among our neighbors in D.C. area.
Our goals are also to provide an inspiring atmosphere for the members of the Azerbaijani community, assisst newly-arrived Azerbaijani-American immigrants and help them to better integrate into American society. Any contributions to the peace, prosperity and harmony are greatly appreciated within our organization. We believe getting to know each other will help to build bridges within our community.
Our Events
COOKING
MECA Women’s Club will be organizing community bake sale events, where guests will have a chance to taste traditional Azerbaijani dishes and desserts. Our favorites include pilafs, stuffed vegetables, and grape leaves, savory soups, handmade pasta dishes, kebabs, meat patties, homemade desserts and many more authentic Azerbaijani dishes and baked goods. We welcome everyone to stop by to enjoy delicious food in a friendly company as we support our efforts at MECA!
SEMINARS
Throughout the year, MECA hosts several seminars presented by professionals from various backgrounds. Seminars are intended to keep the community informed about recent breakthroughs and developments, results of the meetings with city officials, and provide social assistance to our new community members. These seminars are available free of charge to all members of the community. Community members interested in giving a seminar can submit their 1-page requests to info@mecadc.org with a 4-6 sentence abstract, a 2-3 sentence description of the speaker’s background, and a list of possible dates. A coordinator will assist in scheduling and hosting the seminar.
COOKOUTS
Social activities are a very important part of community development for new and existing members. MECA does its best to help new members to melt into a pod of diverse communities through different social activities. Cookouts and potlucks are among those widely used activities. MECA organizes several indoor and outdoor cookouts throughout the year to bring together community members and socialize. One of the most beneficial parts of the cookouts is that new members meet their fellow community members. Every summer, MECA also organizes graduation cookouts for the Azerbaijani Weekend School of D.C. Area. To participate in cookouts organized by MECA please enroll into our email list from our website and/or follow us on social media.
MECA OUTDOORS CLUB
MECA Outdoors Club organizes events such as hiking, camping, paintball, airsoft, etc. MECA Outdoors Club is driven to help improve the lives of the members through the creation of a community that motivates them to take a break from their lives, get outside, and connect with nature. One of the recent events the club organized was the hike through the Old Rag Summit, which is one of the most famous destinations in Shenandoah. It is categorized as “very strenuous” by the National Park administration. The total hike is ~9.5 miles (15 km) and it consists of walking in upward and downward difficult terrains and rock climbing on some sections. Elevation gain is ~2500 feet (765 meters) and the highest point is 3,284 feet (1,001 m) above sea level. The youngest participant was 8 years old and it took us 8 hours to complete the hike.
HOLIDAYS
As a cultural center, here at MECA, we pay strong attention to our cultural, religious, and national holidays. We believe these special days have the strength to bond our people and create long-lasting and eternal friendships. As a community, we celebrate Solidarity Day, New Year, Independence Day, Eid Al Adha, and Ramadan to build more value into our community.
One of the national holidays we celebrate as a community is Nowruz. Nowruz means a new day and is a gathering of people with a common heritage. It is observed annually on 21 March and marks the vernal equinox. This has been a tradition for over 3,000 years and has been celebrated by more than 300 million people along the Silk Roads from the Balkans to the Black Sea, from the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus to Central Asia, Middle East, and China.
In recognition of the importance of this ancient rite, Nowruz was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009. Moreover, in 2010, United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 21 March International Nowruz Day. In this way, the General Assembly provides a statement every year.
For the Azerbaijani community, Nowruz is the occasion when families get together when friends break bread together, and the start of the new season gives us an appreciation of new life and awakening of nature. Most importantly, it reminds us of our common roots and history by uniting different communities just like today and bringing people together.
