Save the Date for Illuminate: A Celebration of Light Across Cultures - Tuesday, December 15

Illuminate is an opportunity to bring many traditions into the same room on the same night to celebrate the many ways light is celebrated across cultures. It's a hands-on evening of learning for students, families, and faculty. As the days get shorter, we gather to explore how people around the world use light to mark hope, knowledge, and love, and we make something together. 

Illuminate depends on what families bring. Last year that included Diwali, Hanukkah, luminarias, and Lunar New Year, along with stations where families made Philippine parol star lanterns, Swedish Saint Lucia crowns, German Laternen, Indian clay diyas, and more. One station was about the simple joy of birthday candles and wishes.

One of the things that makes Illuminate special is that the activities come from our own families sharing traditions that are meaningful to them. We're looking for more families to help shape this year's celebration by hosting a maker station.

So far, four families have offered activities exploring cooking with fire in Latin American traditions, lanterns for Lunar New Year, Hanukkah candles, and Diwali diyas. We need 10 more families to host stations to make the event successful.

Think about the ways light is part of your family's traditions. It might be lighting candles for a holiday, gathering around a fire, making lanterns, or simply making a wish before blowing out birthday candles. We'd love to hear what comes to mind for your family and how you might turn that into a simple, hands-on activity for others to enjoy.

You don't need to be an expert or have everything figured out. The Community, Equity, and Inclusion team is happy to help you develop an idea, plan your station, and provide supplies. Please follow this link if you’d like to sign up to host a maker station.