Treasured Traditions
Holidays Around the World in Chicago
Fall/Winter 2009
Celebrate holiday traditions from around the world via the diverse museums of Chicago. Start your journey in Sweden with the stirring Santa Lucia procession, sponsored by the Swedish American Museum. This shortest day of the year celebration honors the eponymous saint with a parade of children carrying white candles, a symbolic tribute to the fire that Santa Lucia resisted when she was sentenced to be burned. Be sure to stop at the Swedish Bakery just down the road for some warm butter cookies — the perfect accompaniment for hot cocoa.
Stop by the Polish American Museum for several programs that observe Polish holiday customs. The annual Christmas Ornament Workshop will take place Nov. 14–15, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Instructors will teach families how to make traditional Polish Christmas ornaments. On Dec. 12, enjoy a traditional meatless Wigilia dinner, after which St. Nicholas will pop in for an evening of Polish and English carols.
Don’t miss the annual Christmas Around the World festivities at the Museum of Science and Industry, where more than 50 trees and crèches will be on view, each festooned with traditional ornaments and decorations by members of Chicago’s ethnic communities. The Holidays of Light exhibit features decorations, interactive information and related workshops on such celebrations as the Chinese New Year, Diwali, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Hanukkah and Visakha Puja Day. Check the museum’s Web site for daily special programs.
Popularity:This article has been viewed
563 times.