LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – This holiday season people are celebrating in different ways especially here in Las Vegas where cultures from around the world are represented. An annual holiday tradition at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum: cultural groups all coming together under one roof to celebrate.
“Almost all people around the world are celebrating something this time of year,” asserted Marilyn Gillespie, Founder of the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.
This December to Remember, the museum is decking their halls with a global holiday celebration.
The community-created exhibition showcases winter-season traditions from around the world, all represented in the Las Vegas community.
“This is a Kitsune Mask which means a fox,” stated Heather Reeder who created a Japanese cultural display.
Meri Howard who created Italian cultural display, showed off her presepio and explained, “People all over Italy put presepios in their homes.”
“That one has the 99 names of how we say God,” shared Rania Hammoudeh, who created an Islamic cultural display, pointing to a gold mirror with Arabic writing on it.
“All of the displays you see are from people in the community coming into share their culture,” Gillespie revealed.
From Jamaica and Grand Market and Boxing Day, to the Philippines and their lanterns known as the Parol, holiday customs from various ethnic and religious cultures including Kwanzaa, Meri Lwyd, Winter Solstice, and Our Lady of Guadalupe are showcased. Behind the glass of each of the 18 displays is a window to a different world.
Each display has a QR code on the front of it. You can take your smart phone and scan it and open up the app and it will tell you a little bit about each culture.
“Japan celebrates the winter season since they don’t have a Christmas per se…but when they do celebrate Christmas, their favorite thing is KFC. It is the most popular thing, you actually have to order it months in advance,” Reeder shared.
The annual event started in 2007 and has become a favorite Las Vegas holiday tradition for people like Hammoudeh who enjoying sharing their culture each year.
“I love the reactions because they look and just see all the different colors, and all the different textiles…It just makes us appreciate who we are and who other people are,” Hammoudeh said.
The global holiday exhibition is included with museum admission or membership. There are also cultural celebration events during the month. Here is more information:
Exhibition Runs:
Now – Tuesday, December 31, 2024
9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Special Events, Workshops & Performances
Saturdays from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- December 7 – Japanese Kizuna Society – Japanese Traditions
- December 14 – Gina Cifonelli – Feast of the Seven Fishes
Sundays from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
- December 8 – Xochil Xitlalli – Winter Solstice
Learn more here: December to Remember
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