24, 2013
hwchronicle.com/features
n Mosaic
n their heritage by ltural and holiday around the world.
and
Enya Huang
Features B7
India
Lighting clay candles
Riya Garg ’15 and her famUpper school math teacher ily celebrate the major Indian Kanwal Kochar celebrates the holidays such as Diwali and traditions of his religion, SikhHoli. ism, a religion that “Diwali is the fesoriginated in the tival of lights, so evPunjab region of Inery year my family dia. and I lay out lit diyas, “In Sikhism, little clay candles, in there are 10 mathe front yard of our jor gurus, teachers, house,” Garg said. the 10th one is usuHoli is the celebraally the biggest one, tion of spring. which we celebrate “In India, this holiin December,” Konathanson ’s day is celebrated with char said. Riya Garg ‘15 colored powder that The 10th guru, people decorate their Guru Gobind Singh, streets, houses and was born on Dec. even each other with,” Garg 22, 1666. said. “My family, along with Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti a bunch of our friends, every is a festival that celebrate the year celebrate this holiday the day of his birth. same way. During Holi in InMost families gather todia, I’ve heard that there is gether to pray, eat unique color everywhere and that it dishes, and praise the guru. is a beautiful sight see. In fact, Kochar and his family go to so many people throw color temple to celebrate. on each other without even “I don’t wear traditional knowing each other, as if ev- Indian clothes, but my wife eryone there is one big family.” and daughter do,” Kochar said.
Iran
Haft-sin food symbolizes Earth and sky
“Nowruz is the equivalent the family dresses up and we of the Persian New always have the traYear where we celditional Persian new ebrate spring and life year table called the itself,” Iranian Ashley Haft-sin,” Aminian Aminian ’15 said. “My said. family is very moderThe Haft-sin is ate and we aren’t too a traditional table strict about the tradimeant to represent tions.” certain aspects of Aminian is Muslife. lim, but Nowruz is Some of the nathanson ’s meant to be celebrated items placed on the Ashley by all Persians and is table are a mirAminian ‘15 no way related to reror that symbolizes
Italy
Blending Tunisian and Italian customs
Foreign language teacher scribes her home as “very open Simona Ghirlanda was born in minded.” Demonstrating the Verona, Italy but her contrast of culture, she mother was Tunisian grew up with a Muslim and she recalls spendnanny and also sang in ing most of her childthe Catholic Church hood traveling Tunisia, choir for years. Corsica and the south “My mother used of France. to tell me ‘you want to “My father was encounter every culItalian and he had to ture. You are not going somewhat adjust to to sit in yours,’” Ghirnathanson ’s the dominant culture landa said. which was my mothGhirlanda said she Simona er’s. My mother was tries to recreate some Ghirlanda absolutely inflexible. childhood experiences She wanted my moththat have really resoer tongue to be French. That nated with her. was the only language allowed “When I cook couscous, it at home,” Ghirlanda said. always takes me back like a Ghirlanda considers her journey,” Ghirlanda said. “I have dominant culture French with to have women around me bea prominent Tunisian influence. cause I grew up with women “I only know the bad words who were preparing couscous in Arabic because my moth- all together and sitting on the er used to use them when she floor with big bowls. It was a didn’t want to be understood. full day of work. I like to repeat I picked them all up,” she said that ritual. I mainly prepared it laughing. with Muslim women. I want the Ghirlanda grew up in a women to also experience that secular environment and de- circle and the chatting.”
ligion. “We usually have big family events to celebrate Nowruz, and sometimes I might have to miss school. We usually meet up with my mom’s side of the family. We get together and everyone in
the sky, an apple that symbolizes the Earth, candles that symbolize fire, rose water symbolizing water, barley sprouts symbolizing sprouts, goldfish symbolizing animals and painted eggs symbolizing humans.
Israel
Purim: ‘a biblical Halloween’
“I live in the Jewish ghetto,” a Persian emperor who history teacher Dror Yaron persecuted the Jews. Purim said with a laugh. “When is more altruistic than its you live in an ethnic micro- American counterpart, Yaron cosmos, it’s easy to forget said. Instead of asking for that you’re in a mainstream candy, families put together Protestant society; food baskets for their even the mainstream neighbors to “forge Protestants are communal ties,” pretty accepting.” Yaron said. Yaron lives in Commonly seen the Pico-Fairfax in Israeli clothes are neighborhood, “blue and white, [to] where abundant symbolize the colors shops cater to the of the flag of Israel,” considerable local Yaron said. Jewish population. For special nathanson ’s Born in Israel and occasions he brings raised in the United his tallit, or prayer Dror Yaron States, Yaron retains shawl. culture from when he While Israel and was young. America are similar in their “Purim is a kind of biblical “ambitious, highly competitive Halloween,” Yaron said. “It’s worlds,” key distinctions make like Halloween, but none of the the cultures fundamentally commercialized fascination different. with blood and gore like “The biggest difference you see in the mainstream. [between American and The only scary costume Israeli culture is] the Sabbath, is depicting yourself as an one day in the week in Israel oppressive king, like Haman,” where you can check out.”