Multicultural Holiday Parties
Hosting a Party to Share Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, Yule
Jun 25, 2009 Victoria Anisman-Reiner
Holiday season may seem intimidating when friends, neighbors, colleagues, or even a child's friends come from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities. Making the effort to celebrate the season in multicultural style by honoring Christmas, Yule, Kwanzaa, Diwali, and Chanukkah can make a warm, joyful holiday party where everyone feels at home.
Why Throw a Multicultural Holiday Party?
Winter is ushered in each year with the pomp and circumstance of Christmas season. Every street is covered in Xmas decorations in gold, red, green and white, while radio stations circulate Christmas music and shoppers go wild preparing gifts for family and friends. Even those who aren't Christian can get caught up in the spirit of the holiday – but many find it alienating to see another culture's holiday so prominently celebrated, while theirs are virtually ignored.
Most offices, schools, and social groups throw a holiday celebration of some kind. A Christmas party can make friends and officemates feel invisible by alienating them from the celebration. On the other hand, a multi-faith party that celebrates several different cultures' winter traditions is a much more inclusive way to ring in the holiday season.
Whether it's a children's party or an office celebration among adults, a multicultural holiday party is a unique opportunity to learn about other parts of the world and taste the foods, cultures, and history of other people.
Décor for a Multi-Faith Winter Party
It's not difficult to do a bit of research online or at the library and dig up some of the traditional colors and trappings of the various winter holidays. If there's no time to prepare decorations for every holiday in advance, ask guests to bring a banner, tablecloth, or other symbol of their own holidays.
Part of the party can focus on hanging these decorations and give everyone the chance to talk about their cultural background and what the holidays mean to them – a fun and educational way to make sure every guest who wishes to can take part in the party.
Some of the traditional colors and symbols of the holidays include:
- Christmas – holly, Xmas tree, red, green, white, gold
- Yule – holly, Yule log, Santa Claus, green
- Hanukkah or Chanukkah – menorah, hanukkiah, dreidel, blue, white, gold
- Diwali – candles, sweets
- Kwanzaa – African textiles and batiks, fruit
- Solstice – the sun, candles
It's possible to tie these decorations and color schemes together with a theme of winter snowflakes and candles.
Foods at a Multicultural Holiday Party
As with the decorations, the best way to go at a multicultural holiday party is with a mixture of traditional foods from each culture. Since it's hard to do all that cooking on your own, a potluck meal is an easy option that invites everyone to share some of their own culture's traditional foods and symbols.
Some of the traditional holiday foods include:
- Christmas – roast turkey or goose, fruitcake
- Yule – beans, black-eyed peas, roasted chestnuts, sour pickles, apples
- Hanukkah – potato latkes, chocolate gelt
- Diwali – papadum, lentil soup (dahl), vegetable curry, traditional Indian sweets
- Kwanzaa – fresh fruits, peanut soup, foufou, okra, yams
A traditional holiday party is something every person grew up with, and it's very special to be able to share those traditions with others while learning about their holiday celebrations.
Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali Holiday Candles
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