The Article below was published in Vol. 135, Issue 4 of the Lake Forest College Stentor on December 6, 2019
By Katie Ketterer ’23 and Emma Overton ’22
Staff Writer and News Editor and Managing Editor
Following Finals Week, many students will be ready to celebrate a diverse array of holidays over the College’s Winter Break from December 20 to January 13. Stentor staff spoke with students from across Illinois and around the world about their holiday celebrations.
For first-year student Jake Dziurdzik ‘23 of Winfield, Illinois, his holiday celebrations consist of a Christmas celebration with Polish traditions. Dziurdzik notes that “I’m Polish-American and my parents immigrated from Poland so we have a lot of Christmas traditions. The big one is that Christmas is not celebrated on Christmas Day, but instead on Christmas Eve. The Polish name for the celebration is Boże Narodzenie.” Dziurdzik also shared that food is an important part of his celebration, and includes “the sharing of Opłatek, which is like a communion wafer. Everybody breaks off a piece and shares it with their close family members and communicates their thankfulness for being there.” In addition to the meal, Dziurdzik also shared that he partakes in the tradition of “leav[ing]a chair empty for a hypothetical stranger that might join… it’s a tradition of hospitality.”
Also from Winfield, Illinois, Marina Strong ’23, shared that her Christmas celebrations consist of “my family mak[ing]cookies on Christmas Eve and also mak[ing]Wassail.” Strong also shared that her family goes to “see the Christmas Carol play and on Christmas Eve we watch It’s a Wonderful Life.”
For fellow first-year Anish Abeysiriwardena ’23 of Northbrook, Illinois, holiday traditions consist of “Sri Lankan Christmas” where a cake that “can be described as the most durable cake you’ll ever find” is served. Abeysiriwardena explained that the cake is “soaked in nuts and brandy for days, [and]layered on top with marzipan. You wrap it in packaging, and it lasts years.”
Sharing that in Uganda “most holidays are religious and the majority are either Christian or Islamic,” Desire Uwera Nalukwago ’22, from Jinja, Uganda explained that the “major holiday is Christmas and, for most people, it’s time to travel and be with family. It’s not very different from Christmas in other places, except that gift-giving is not a core part of it. There’s a lot of emphasis on starting the day off with prayer, then people cook a big feast and spend the day catching up.”
Hailing from Tilburg, The Netherlands, Jackie Snobben ’20 shared that she celebrates “Sinterklaas.” The holiday “celebrates Saint Nicolas’ birthday. At the end of November, Sinterklaas arrives from Spain on a big steamboat, on his white horse, and together with many of his helpers that are called Black Pete (who has attracted some controversy over the past years).” Snobben stated that “Sinterklaas and his Petes are in the country for several weeks, delivering small presents traveling by roofs and chimneys, in shoes that children put in front of the chimney before bedtime. Then on the 5th of December, the holiday culminates with families getting together, eating candy, and singing Sinterklaas carols to make sure Sinterklaas and Pete won’t skip them.” After distributing his presents around the country, Sinterklaas and his entourage sail back to Spain, where he goes on to prepare his next birthday.
Some students will be celebrating multiple holidays over Winter Break, including Grace Verb ’22 of Deerfield, Illinois. Verb explained that she “celebrate[s]Christmas and Hanukkah at home because we have both religions.” She shared that her “stepmom and I always do the Christmas tree together and we leave it up until New Year’s Eve. For Hanukkah, we typically go to my aunt’s house and she makes brisket and potato latke,s which we eat with applesauce.”
Katie Ketterer can be reached at kettererke@mx.lakeforest.edu and Emma Overton can be reached at overtoneg@mx.lakeforest.edu
