UC Davis celebrates its multiculturalism with a round of special days and weeks every spring, with this year's calendar leading off with the Powwow this weekend  and Native American Culture Days next week.

After that will come Asian Pacific Culture Week (and Asian Pacific Culture Night), La Raza Cultural Days (and La Gran Tardeada), Mixed Heritage Week and Black Family Week (and Black Family Day), all of which, like Native American Culture Days, are organized by students.

Amid these celebrations, Danzantes del Alma — ballet folklorico dancers, all students — will present their annual show. And staff and faculty will come toigether for Soaring to New Heights, an annual celebration of diversity (see separate story about Soaring to New Heights; the last day to buy tickets is March 31).

The 39th annual Powwow, presented by the Cross Cultural Center and the Native American Student Union, is scheduled for Saturday (April 2) in The Pavilion at the Activities and Recreation Center. Hours are 9 a.m. to midnight, with grand entries at noon and 6 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

This year’s theme is “Rooted in Sovereignty, Soaring Through Education.” The Powwow traditionally includes dancing and drumming, arts and crafts vendors, and an Indian taco booth.

The Cross Cultural Center’s Culture Days 2011 Kickoff, for all of the student-organized celebrations, is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. Monday (April 4) on the Memorial Union’s south patio, with entertainment by a variety of cultural groups, including Danzantes del Alma.

That same day marks the beginning of Native American Culture Days, running through Friday (April 8). The theme is “Rooted in Sovereignty: Still Here, Still Strong.”

The week begins with a Sunrise Ceremony at 6 a.m. Monday outside the Putah Creek Lodge. Other highlights:

• Native Games — 1-2 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday on the Quad.
• Native Film Festival — 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in 194 Chemistry Building.
• “Our Language Is Not Dead” — Native American studies professor Martha Macri, noon-1 p.m. Thursday, Garrison Room, Memorial Union. Macri is director of the Native American Language Center.
• Film screening and discussion — For the Next Generations: 13 Indigenous Grandmothers Weaving a World That Works. 6-8 p.m. Thursday, 126 Wellman Hall.

The week is set to culminate with a Sunset Ceremony and Community Dinner, this year honoring Jack Forbes, professor emeritus and a founding leader of the Department of Native American Studies, who died Feb. 23. The Sunset Ceremony and dinner are scheduled from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Conference Center.

See the complete schedule.

The rest of the spring schedule of cultural events (click on the links for more information):

• Danzantes del Alma’s 34th annual show — The theme for 2011 is “Celebrando Mi Linda Tierra: De Norte a Sur” (Celebrating My Beautiful Land: From North to South). Doors open at 6:30 p.m., show starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 9, Freeborn Hall.

Tickets: $12 in advance, $15 at the door for adults (13 and up); $10 in advance, $13 at the door for students with ID; $6 for ages 12 and under. Advance tickets are available at the Freeborn Hall box office, from Danzantes del Alma members, or by contacting Leticia Cabrera, student manager, (530) 752-4287 or lcabrera@ucdavis.edu.

• Asian Pacific Culture Week, April 18-21, and Asian Pacific Culture Night, April 22

• Mixed Heritage Week, May 2-5

• Black Family Week, May 16-20, and Black Family Day, May 21

• La Raza Cultural Days, May 9-14, and La Gran Tardeada, May 14

And, speaking of culture at UC Davis, here are some other dates you may want to note on your calendar:

• Picnic Day, April 16

• Whole Earth Festival, May 6-8