Dec. 7 - Celebration of Lights Promotes Unity

Rider University will usher in the holiday season with its 13th annual Celebration of Lights on Thursday, December 9 at 4:30 p.m. in the Bart Luedeke Center Cavalla Room.

It brings together students, faculty and staff from Rider's Lawrenceville and Westminster campuses for this multicultural holiday observance. In all the observances, light is a common bond in the different holiday traditions and, for the Rider community, a point of unity.

As in previous years, the holiday stations will include Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day, and the seasonal customs of the Muslim faith. Students from various campus organizations and different walks of life will share holiday traditions, food, music, prayers and stories in a festive display of Rider's diversity. The Posada, a Latin American community holiday tradition, will tie the stations together with a musical procession by students in the Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity.

Dr. William Guthrie, professor of education, returns to open the ceremony with Native American folklore stories and will then create fire by natural means. That flame will be used to light Rider's unity candle - a tradition now in its 11th year. The flame from the Rider candle will then light the candles of those in attendance.

"What many people on campus find so enjoyable about this program is that it is purely celebratory," said Don Brown, director of the Center for Multicultural Affairs and Community Service. "We all celebrate the holiday season in our own way. This program brings us together to share the diverse traditions."

This year for the first time, a table will be displayed highlighting the mission of Rider's Midnight Run to help feed and clothe the homeless. Donations for men's gloves and hats are being requested. In addition, Rider Vibes, an eight-member acappella singing group, will provide a selection.

Dr. Walter Perry, dean of students at Westminster Choir College, will lead participants in the singing of "Let There Be Peace on Earth." Haley Baum, president of the Student Government Association (SGA), will present opening remarks. Jamiyl Mosley, area director of residence life, will read a poem. The gathering will conclude with the unity song, "Let There Be Peace on Earth."