Amish Country Blog

Children are invited to the Elkhart County Historical Museum to learn about the holiday customs immigrants have brought to Elkhart County.  This children’s activity day will be held on Saturday, December 12th from 10:00-4:00 and will feature crafts and activities for all to enjoy.

“The holiday season is full of fun and festive traditions and many of these traditions have been brought to us from cultures around the world,” says Curator of Education Rebecca Oestreich.  “This activity day will teach kids the history behind some of their favorite customs as well as introduce them to new traditions they can take and try out at home”.

For example, children will have the opportunity to explore the Swedish tradition of St. Lucia, the African American celebration of Kwanzaa, the European practice of St. Nicholas coming to fill shoes with treats, and the German immigrant custom of hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree.  “The Christmas tree pickle is a fun game where parents hide a pickle somewhere on the Christmas tree.  The first child to find the pickle gets an extra present and good luck all year long,” explains Oestreich.  It was originally thought to have come from Germany, but the tradition is now believed to have been started right here in the United States by German immigrants.

The children’s activity day will also focus on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  “The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a holiday celebration brought by Mexicans to our area.  It coincidentally falls on December 12th so we will be having special readings of Tomie DePaola’s book The Lady of Guadalupe throughout the day along with a craft,” says Oestreich.  “Additionally, one lucky child will win the DePaola book to take home.”

Admission to the Children’s Activity Day is $1/child.  For more information, please contact Rebecca Oestreich at 574-848-4322 or Rebecca@elkhartcountyparks.org.

- Rebecca Oestreich-Elkhart County Historical Museum

Posted by Jessica Barnhart December 7th, 2009
Technology Marketing Manager, Elkhart County Visitor Center in Amish Country Northern Indiana.

Tags: Amish Country, Bristol, children activities, Elkhart County, Elkhart County Historical Museum, Holiday Customs

This entry was posted on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 9:12 am and is filed under Elkhart, Elkhart County, Elkhart Events, Entertainment, Things to do in Amish Country, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.