25% OFF ALL EARRINGS AND RINGS!! Stfirlmci Silver & Semi-Precious Slones J-BfiRS Pfof#s$aon*I Hi if Supptos 1 Sato 1?33AWef344 2447 Collect Holiday Glasses! Holiday Full Meal Deal $'999 Inc lodes ouf Homestyte Single Butgpr, ft*-., tbo/ vift dr ml and S O! Da*y Queen sundae plus this great holiday glass by I abbey • l«l* *< f>«i<*. ■(>*•'*# I * #>*r « *«•***» « Jt.ui to brazier 9itL]2sJti. ■> IV Ort Aff 00 Cflprngw *90? OQ Cwp *4f*» WN Ptwn^j^ ., S a gift'certificates JUST ANOTHER WAY BIG TOWN HERO IS DIFFERENT & BETTER DIVERSITY Continued from Page 7D day of the school year It is actually the celebration of the Jewish new year The Jewish calender, which is 5,753 years old, is set by the moon cycle The Jewish holidays have been a point of con tention between Jewish professors and students because “there is a lack of respect on the part of UO." said Waxman, co director of the Jewish Stu dent Union. Would they dare schedule an exam on Christ mas, Easter or Good Eriday7" Waxman said "The first day of classes would never be on Christmas Contrary to popular belief, Hannukah is not the Jewish version of Christmas Ezra Bookstem, co director of JSU. said Hannukah is actually a cele bration of military victory It signifies a rebellion in the times of the Syrian control of Jerusalem The victory was supposed to take place one month ear lier for Sukkot. but instead it ended Dec 20 Hannukah is actually a celebration of Sukkot. which is an eight day harvest festival ending Oct 19 For Mexico natives or those of Mexican descenl. Christmastime means partylime The celebration is called posadas For posadas, groups of people re enact the birth day of Jesus Christ Two people in the group, who dress as Mary and Joseph, go door to door looking for a place to spend the night. They are turned down until they come to a pre chosen house where they are welcomed inside Then the entire group enters, and a big party is held with many friends, family members and food Many Catholic churches in the United States have posadas and a Spanish mass The mass is Christ mas Eve at midnight MEChA member Elizabeth Lopez said her family has people over to the house and prepares a large dinner At 9 p m the children are put to bed, then at midnight they are awoken and they all open their presents In Singapore. Christmas is the time to shop Much like here, Christmas carols begin to be played in the middle of November, and the buildings are lit up from basement to top floor as well as the streets And lucky for students there, the academic year is finished "On Christmas, people go to church, even non Christians." said Shing "Then we party all night with a sumptuous dinner At Christmas we definitely have food and lots of parties " Once Christmas has passed, it's time to get ready for New Year's preparations to begin In Singapore both the traditional and Chinese New Year are cel ebrated This year the Chinese New Year is in Jan uary, though it can also be in February Toepholo Seasonal music is a pari of many celebrations, such as this performance by Jefferson Middle School's choir In the EMU last year. Steve Muraoka, co-director of the Asian/Pacific American Student Union, said all Asians celebrate the New Year in one form or another. The Japan ese follow the regular calender and celebrate in a similar manner as the United States. The Vietnamese have a candle dance, and the the Chinese have a lion dance "Asian Americans take a little bit from each cul ture," Muraoka said. "We celebrate our heritage but still function as Americans " Although most people automatically think of New Year's as a time to drink and stay up late, for Jew ish people it has a different connotation "Historically, the New Year is when Russians killed Jews,” Waxman said. "But even in Israel it's a big holiday that has been Americanized " Waxman said even though people celebrate the holiday, rabbis in Israel don't like it and prefer to call the holiday Sylvester In the United States that would be like calling it Bob or Tom. In Germany, New Year's Eve is like our Fourth of July Cities are lit up by fireworks that can be seen from anywhere in the city, Alsen said The streets are empty of cars so that people can walk around (reefy and the fireworks are used to scare away evil ghosts for the New Year It seems as if people everywhere have come to have some sort of celebration at this time of year In some countries, the holidays are an excuse to eat and shop, but in all countries they are a symbol of family and friends Currie Fend on We have Christmas Wreaths, Candy Canes, Nutcracker, Christmas Trees and many, many more ideas to make your holiday party mucho festive! Call us today and find out how 484-6977. BABALLOONS 1044 Willamette • 484-6977 • Mon - Sat 10-8 Merry Christmas from Santa Ray Inviting you all to com© enjoy some Chnstmos cheei at my die; *d