Hundreds of people crowded into the Portland Public Library’s Rines Auditorium on Saturday to celebrate six different holidays, each one drawing on the symbolism of light. The sixth annual Season of Light celebration included food, arts and crafts, a silent auction and raffle all centered on Christmas, Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, Diwali, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and the winter solstice. The auditorium pulsated with music and laughter as the adults chatted and the children rushed from table to table tasting foods and inspecting the displays. “For us it is important to show both the commonalities and differences,” said Virginia Dearani, founder and executive director of the One Tree Learning Wholistic Learning Center, which sponsored the event. One Tree is a South Portland-based umbrella organization for the Roots and Fruits preschool, Seeds Institute and Community Branches Project, which focus on multicultural programming. Dearani said the annual event, which is free, quickly outgrew its previous location and moved to the Portland library a few years ago. Families donated traditional holiday foods and artifacts for each of the six holiday displays, which included information about how each holiday is celebrated and how it is connected to lights. The festival attracted a multicultural crowd, including Kash Dutta of Portland, his wife, Michelle Lohutko, and their daughter Paisley, 7. Lohutko is Polish-American and Dutta was born in India, where he remembers celebrating Diwali, a Hindu festival. Lohutko said they enjoyed last year’s Season of Light, so that they decided to return. “We loved it.

Sections:  u.s.   
Topics:  Maine   Cumberland County   Portland   

 

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