Source: Pappagallo, Spring 2019
Sue Lewandowski
Ethnic Heritage Museum – Paranormal, 2015
Holiday Happenings Shares Cultural Customs
Collaboration among 3 Rockford Museums: Tinker Swiss Cottage, Erlander Home and Ethnic Heritage Museum
Tinker showcased Victorian Christmas traditions; two Christmas trees: a full green tree and a German feather tree, made of goose feathers, 2 – 3 feet high.
Erlander will showcase St. Lucia, with a crown of Lingonberry branches and candles. The home will be festooned with traditional Swedish decorations.
The Ethnic Heritage Museum has galleries showcasing the heritage of 6 cultures: Lithuanian, Italian, African-American, Irish, Polish and Hispanic. The Lithuanian gallery includes a nativity scene hand carved from Beeswax. The Irish gallery is draped with holly and mistletoe. The focal point in the Polish gallery is Szopki, also called a fairy castle, an elaborate Nativity scene, sometimes as high as 6 feet. The Italian ceppo is a tiered pyramid shaped wooden fame, also called the Tee of Light. The Hispanic gallery features a tree decorated with straw and knit ornaments.
Holiday Happenings is on Dec. 14, from noon until 4:00.
Source: Northwest Quarterly magazine, Holiday 2014, Vol. 11, No. 6. pp 217 – 221.