The smell of hot cocoa is in the air, red and green lights are illuminating the world, and the holidays are near. However, this time of year means something different for each person, whether it’s in their sentimental traditions for Christmas or a whole different type of celebration.
The new director of the Multicultural Club and English department head, Mrs. Lauren O’Keefe, is invested in encouraging students to share their heritages and learning more about different cultures.
O’Keefe says, “I’m just taking over the club this year, and the students who are involved are looking to celebrate the diversity and cultures of everybody here at Foran. [Last meeting], we invited Dr. Anna Cutaia, and she came to our meeting, and was really nice, and brought food and things, and talked about her own culture. We’re going to pick others [to speak with us about their cultures].”
The Multicultural Club celebrates all the different cultures of students. They often throw parties celebrating their heritage that are complete with cultural food, information, and celebrations.
A club member, senior Ira Omer, states, “Instead of celebrating Christmas, we just get together with our family and put up a tree in a show of spirit, but we do have our own religious holiday. Our holiday is called Eid, and it happens on March 19th when the moon is full, and we celebrate that with family after Ramadan.” Instead of celebrating Christmas, students honor their own traditions, showing both holiday spirit and cultural respect.
The Multicultural Club was founded in 2014 and has been aiming to share different cultures with students so everyone can learn more about them and appreciate them. A few weeks back, Dr Cutaia visited the Multicultural Club to share her own experiences with her Italian heritage.
Cutaia states, “We put up a Christmas tree with all the ornaments, lights, and garland. We also include a nativity set under the tree, but don’t put the baby Jesus out until the morning of Christmas. We eat the seven fish dinner on Christmas Eve. It is usually a night of lots of family getting together. We are loud with conversations and laughter. We also play Tombola, which is an Italian version of Bingo. ”
Students are eager for the long winter break ahead, whether it involves awaiting Santa’s presents, spinning a wooden dreidel, or blowing a party popper when the New Year arrives.
Freshman SkyLa Brown remarks, “I celebrate Hanukkah with my mom, and we get gifts every seven days. After each of the seven days, we light a candle [on the menorah]. Then, on Christmas with my dad, we wake up all the family members then eat breakfast. After we are all done eating breakfast, we open our presents from youngest to oldest. ”
Winter is an exciting time of year where everyone gets together to celebrate the holidays they love, showcasing their cultures and traditions!
