From the Feast of the Seven Fishes to an annual game of Just Dance, many students enjoy traditions that are more specific to their families rather than an overarching holiday. With only two weeks left before the start of winter break, students shared the yearly holiday traditions they鈥檙e looking forward to.聽
Sofia Garrigo, a first-year pre-pharmacy student, celebrates Her family celebrates the 12 days of Christmas leading up to the arrival of the three wise men on Three Kings鈥� Day, which is Jan. 6.
鈥淥n the 鈥榩artridge in a pear tree鈥� [day] we鈥檒l each get one little pear, and we’ll have it as a snack during the day,鈥� Garrigo said. 鈥淚t’s really cute and as the days go along, we’ll have for five golden rings, we’ll have five onion rings. So the food slowly gets bigger and bigger.鈥�
Garrigo also celebrates Christmas with some of her friends over dinner each year. She began a tradition of dancing with a ribbon for her friend鈥檚 family in the seventh grade and plans on continuing it this year.
鈥淗er mom was like, 鈥極h, if you want seconds, you have to work for it.鈥� We’re like, 鈥榊ou know what, we will.鈥欌�� Garrigo said. 鈥淲e made a whole little dance. And she was like, 鈥榃ait, that was really good.鈥� And we’re like, 鈥楾hat was so fun, let鈥檚 do it every year.鈥欌��
On Christmas Eve, Nikki Rindone, a first-year pre-athletic training student, goes to her grandparents鈥� house and they celebrate
鈥淲e’re Italian, so we all do the Feast of the Seven Fishes,鈥� Rindone said. 鈥淚t’s a really big affair, and we open gifts, and Santa Claus comes for the little kids.鈥澛�
The tradition is what it sounds like 鈥� they make seven different fishes, though the menu differs from year to year, according to Rindone.
鈥淗alf the time we don’t actually get all seven on the menu, but 鈥� we like salmon,鈥� Rindone said. 鈥淵ou can differ your fish a little bit. We do shrimp and salmon pretty consistently.鈥�
First-year engineering student Maraki Yared is traveling to Ethiopia to celebrate Christmas with her family. She described the festivities there as 鈥渕ore cultural than anything.鈥�
鈥淲e gather with family and friends and keep that Ethiopian traditional food, and then traditional Ethiopian dances and songs,鈥� Yared said.
Ericka Suber, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, looks forward to decorating for Christmas. Her family hangs lights around the house, imitating the appearance of icicles. One year, they put the lights on a tree as well.聽
While the rest of the family seemed to like it, her grandma did not and took them down. In another instance, Suber鈥檚 uncle set up a big inflatable decoration in the middle of the lawn.
鈥淓veryone loved it, [but] my grandma hated it and took it down too,鈥� Suber said.
Other features of their festive display include mechanical reindeer and 鈥渓ittle mini Christmas trees鈥� decorated in lights.
鈥淲e love it, but my grandma likes to keep it simplistic,鈥� Suber said.
Isha Vyas, a senior biology major, recounted a tradition of listening to her dad鈥檚 old CD of Frosty the Snowman as a family.
鈥淗e insists on playing [it] every single Christmas, so he likes to play it, and then we’ll sit there and listen to it,鈥� Vyas said. 鈥淚t makes him happy, so we all oblige. It can be hard getting us all in the same room 鈥� but it’s really nice.鈥�
Nikhil Madaka, senior bioengineering major, and her sister always play Just Dance 2018 over winter break. Some of their favorite songs to dance to include 鈥�24K Magic鈥� and 鈥淔ight Song.鈥�
鈥淭hat’s our thing that we do because we’re both free then,鈥� Madaka said. 鈥淭hanksgiving break isn’t really a time where we’re all like, 鈥極h let’s do stuff.鈥� We’re both really busy. But winter’s the break when we can do things we want to do.鈥�