The University will kick off the holiday season tonight with multi-cultured performances that will end with the lighting of the LSU Christmas tree in front of the Memorial Tower for the LSU Candlelight Celebration.
The event will begin in the Claude L. Shaver Theatre in the Music & Dramatic Arts Building with performances by multiple University groups such as the Ballroom Dance Club at LSU, the LSU Gospel Choir and the Cantabile String Quartet. Performances also include presentations by Hillel at LSU and the African American Cultural Center to demonstrate and explain the multiple religious celebrations taking place this holiday season.
Michelle Spielman, marketing strategist for Communications and University Relations, coordinated the event this year and said the LSU Candlelight Celebration continues to draw larger numbers of attendees each year.
“We had over 500 people last year,” she said. “The Shaver Theatre only holds 350.”
Spielman described the event as a way to come together to begin the holiday season with a collection of members of the community. She said the Christmas tree even comes from within the Southern Louisiana community, from Windy Hills Farm in Ethel, La.
Lakeitha Poole, interim coordinator of the African American Cultural Center, said presentations like this representation of Kwanzaa demonstrate how different religious celebrations are important to the University.
“We try to make sure that our representation of Kwanzaa gives people an idea of what the holiday is all about and why it’s an important part of LSU,” she said. “It’s more of a learning portion of Candlelight Celebration we get to do.”
Poole said the cultural showcase will highlight the seven principles of the holiday with the traditional Kinara, a candleholder similar to the Menorah in Jewish Hanukkah traditions. The holiday begins the day after Christmas and runs through Jan. 1, with each day representing one of the principles lit on the Kinara. While Poole has helped organize the presentation in the past, she said she’s excited to represent the African American Cultural Center at the event this year.
“This year, for me, being able to do it myself, I want to make sure it’s very lively, and anyone who attends will feel a part of the experience and leave with a little bit of knowledge — but feel a part of the LSU community as well,” she said. “You don’t have to be African American to celebrate this holiday. I hope that people see [the presentation] differently every year.”
The event will close out with LSU’s auditioned chorus Schola Cantorum performing classic holiday chorales as well as other festive tunes that may be unfamiliar to some, according to John Petzet, an assistant professor of Choral Studies conducting the group’s performance.
“This is specifically Christmas music,” he said, comparing this performance to other longer, more diverse ones. “There’s obviously something about the Christmas season that touches human hearts. … We’re just ornamenting the trees with a few musical selections.”
LSU Christmas tree lighting will follow these performances in front of the Memorial Tower. Spielman said the celebration will also provide refreshments from vendors like Jason’s Deli and CC’s Community Coffee with items like coffee and hot cocoa. The event will take place from 5 to 6 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
