“Celebrating cultural diversity is what makes Bristol such a fantastic place to live.”

By Rebecca Drissi

τι είναι αυτό που με κάνει ευτυχισμένη?   Qu´est ce qui vous rend heureux?    مايجعلنيسعيدا  ¿Qué es lo que me hace feliz? “What makes me happy?” For many, answering this question too often includes short-term consumer-driven ‘hits’ of happiness.

Yet the easiest way to discover what truly makes us happy is to find what unites us.

For the tens of thousands of people visiting the 2015 Bristol Harbour festival,  locally-based Happy City created a ‘World of Happiness’.

Multicultural bunting, each square showcasing a different cultural heritage, draped an area in which children and their parents poured over leaflets describing the 91 languages that are spoken in Bristol.

Locals chatted with tourists about the weather as they waited in line for a 15 minute holistic massage, a fusion of Indian and Thai tradition, designed to enhance wellbeing.

For the hungry, an internationally themed picnic boasted mounds of organic fruit piled sat between a mezze of spring rolls, breads, dips and juicy spiced meats. Small scattered bowls of Indian spices, star anise, turmeric and organic chillies, mapped constellations of varying heat. It felt as if every corner of Bristol had come together, cross-legged on carpets and cushions. Mothers sat feeding children next to double-denim clad couples and teenagers sharing snapchats on smartphones.

The unspoken ‘togetherness’ was reminiscent of a kind of culturally-confused majlis. Whether the crowds were aware of the global cultural traditions they were unwittingly embracing is a mystery.

The immersion of global cultures was unmissable, but what was most striking was how comfortably normal it all was.

So to return to the initial question – what makes us happy? We say we don’t know, but the answer is right in front of us. Diversity is all that we are.

After all, happiness is not restricted by borders, language, or political alignment, and this was ever present at the World of Happiness. Even plainer to see was the way people from all walks of life, from every corner of the globe, said the same things when asked what made them happy: family; friends; health; and love. The Happy City gratitude tree was quickly filled with leaves written in different languages, all saying the same things. The fundamental aspects of happiness are universal indeed.

Part of Happy City’s work involves encouraging 5 essential happiness habits a day – connecting, noticing, being active, learning and giving. All of these are supported by the knowledge that embracing happiness goes hand in hand with celebrating the diversity that makes Bristol such a fantastic place to live.

The positive response evoked by the World of Happiness is fantastic proof of what we value, what makes us happy, and what we are. If we didn’t recognise diversity as important we wouldn’t attend such events, yet a quarter of a million people made their way to Bristol Harbour Festival last weekend.

Embracing diversity is, in essence, the most fundamental and primal happiness habit one can adopt – the universal language of happiness is one we all speak. In sharing these things, a World of Happiness is created for all of us – even when the tents are packed up and Monday morning rolls around.