The Tucson Children's Museum 2003 Festival of Lights
focuses on different cultures, holiday customs.
SANDRA VALDEZ GERDES Tucson Citizen
Agnieszka Stawicka
Children
gather with St. Nicolas during Polish Christmas Caroling in the manger
at Saint Cyril of Alexandria.
What if you could take children on a trip around the world to teach
them about the different people and their holiday customs?
They could wait for the first star on Christmas Eve and then
share a traditional oplatek wafer and good wishes with friends in Poland.
They could join in a Lion Dance to cast away the evils of the previous year
as they ring in the New Year in China with drumming and firecrackers.
The Tucson Children's Museum 2003 Festivals of Light series
is offering such an experience each weekend until Jan. 24, and you don't
even have to leave the city.
"The Festivals of Lights gives the people of Tucson,
especially children, a wonderful opportunity to travel around the world
without a plane ticket and step for a moment into other cultures where they
can actively participate in local traditions side-by-side with native
people," said Joanna Schmit, a founding member of Lajkonik, a local
Polish folk dance group created to pass on Polish traditions. "It is
really a rare and remarkable experience," she said, adding that
Lajkonik will perform dances, stories and a nativity pageant Dec. 13.
"We would like to share Polish oplatek and this
wonderful, almost magical atmosphere of Christmas with the people of Tucson
because it is people, and not things, that are most important in our
lives," Schmit said.
The Festivals of Light began Sunday with the Islamic Eid al-Fitr
to celebrate the end of Ramadan. The remaining festivals are Diwali, Polish
Christmas, Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Japanese New Year, Dia de los
Reyes Magos (Three Kings Day) and the Chinese New Year.
Tucson Children's Museum
Amelia Paul (left)and Priya Brito pose in saris last year during the
Diwali celebration at the Tucson Children's Museum.
Festivals "are a way to introduce cultural diversity to our youngest
community members" in a "fun environment where families can share
and learn together," said Peggy Solis, the museum's spokeswoman.
Each festival includes music, dance, songs, fine and folk
art traditions and hands-on activities by local cultural groups for the
children.
"It's not just learning from a book," Solis said.
"It's coming from the people who live their lives this way. So it's a
wonderful way to talk to people, interact and learn."
Sunday's Eid al-Fitr festival featured music and games from
Egypt, Lebanon, Iran and Morocco.
Xochitl Gil, the museum's program director, said the
festival was a hit and audience members enjoyed an impromptu jam session
with the featured Iraqi drummer.
"We were happy to participate in an event where these
cultural traditions associated with the Muslim world created a positive
interaction with people," said Carrie Brown, outreach coordinator at
the University of Arizona Center for Middle Eastern Studies, a first-time
festival partner.
Today, the museum and India Society of Southern Arizona
present Diwali, a festival from India that celebrates the Hindu God Rama's
triumphant return from exile with the lighting of oil lamps.
Nita Umashankar, a UA student, will perform with her troupe
from the Arathi School of Classical Indian Dance. She likes the festival,
she said, because afterward "the kids can go home and talk to their
parents about the significance ( of the dance)." There will also be
rice flour painting, henna handpainting, and the children can get wrapped in
saris.
The museum began the series in 2001. The series features
light as a central theme, since both the lighting of candles and light play
an important role in the celebrations.
Tucson Children's Museum
Amelia Paul (left)and Priya Brito pose in saris last year during the
Diwali celebration at the Tucson Children's Museum.
Festival highlights include the Winter Solstice bonfire and telescope sun
viewing, dreidl games and Hanukkah storytelling, Japanese New Year sword
cutting and Taiko drumming, a Brazilian-style Three Kings Day, an energetic
Kwanzaa performance by the urban dance theater group The Human Project and
traditional paper ornament-making with Polish-born artist Magdalena
Nowacka-Janotta.
Peter Chan, president of the Tucson Chinese Association,
encourages people to attend the series. Tucson Chinese School dancers will
perform the Lion Dance on Jan. 24.
"The children are not only a part of the community, but
they are also our future, and it is extremely important for the community to
have a chance to share and to learn the diverse heritage and culture from
the children.
"The children also need to learn from a very young age
about how to share, and learn to appreciate the differences and the
similarities in others."
IF YOU GO:
What: The 2003 Festivals of Light
When: 1-4 p.m. today; Dec. 13, 20, 21, 27, 28; Jan. 4
and 24. There is a different festival each weekend.
Where: Tucson Children's Musuem, 200 S. Sixth Ave.
Cost: Regular admission of $3.50 for children, $5.50
for adults and $4.50 for seniors. Or buy a family membership for $40 that
includes admission for up to four family members 2 and older (under age 2
are admitted free). Additional family members can be added for $5 each
(including extended family), and attend all of the festivals for one price.
Today - Diwali: A festival from India in celebration
of Rama's triumphant return from exile. Celebrate with performances by the
Arathi School of Classical Indian dance, Bollywood-style dances, live music,
rice flour floor painting, henna booths and much more.
Dec. 13 - Polish Christmas. This year, Polish
Christmas traditions will be highlighted with dancing, caroling,
storytelling and the trimming of a Polish tree by folk artist Magdalena
Nowacka-Jannotta. The Museum will stay open until 6:30 p.m. as downtown
Tucson celebrates the holiday season with its annual Holiday Lights parade
that evening.
Dec. 20 - Winter Solstice: A celebration of the
longest night of the year with step-dancing performances by the Bracken
School of Irish dance, haggis tossing and kaber-throwing competitions,
Celtic storytelling, and cracking open a "Saxon" piñata.
Dec. 21 - Hanukkah: Come hear music sung by choirs of
local synagogues, Hanukkah storytelling, dreidl games and arts and crafts
for the kids. Learn what the festival of lights commemorates, why it lasts
eight days and who the Maccabees were. Presented by the Tucson Jewish
Federation's Celebrations Committee, the Temple Emanu-El and other local
synagogues.
Dec. 27 - Kwanzaa: The high-flying urban dance
theater group, The Human Project, returns for an energetic celebration of
Kwanzaa, along with other performances, storytelling and children's
activities.
Dec. 28 - Japanese New Year: Presented in conjunction
with the Japan-America Society of Tucson, this year's celebration will
feature dancers from the Azuma School of Japanese Classical Dance, Taiko
drumming and Japanese calligraphy demonstrations.
Jan. 4 - Día de los Reyes Magos: Three Kings Day
commemorates the arrival at the birthplace of Christ by the Three Wise Men,
Melchior, Gaspar and Baltazar. Traditionally it is the day when gifts are
exchanged in many Latin American and European countries. Enjoy music,
dancing and crafts.
Jan. 24 - Chinese New Year: Celebrated at the
beginning of the first moon of the lunar calendar Chinese New Year is also a
time for sweeping away the old and starting anew. In collaboration with the
Tucson Chinese School, children can enjoy craft making, music, games and
other activities traditionally done to bring in 2004, the Year of the
Monkey.