Multi-cultural Holiday Crafts: Family Days

At this multi-cultural holiday crafts Family Day, families may create Italian, Native American, and Jewish traditional crafts, and the museum will be open for exploration. Children and parents may make a La Befana paper stocking, which reflects an Italian holiday tradition that is celebrated on the eve of Epiphany, January 5.  La Befana, an old woman, searched for the manger and baby Jesus, but unable to find him, left presents for other children instead. It is still celebrated in Italy today. Participants can create their own Winter Count artwork, a Native American tradition that documents major events during the year. Artists can draw symbols and events that are personally significant and what they want to remember about the year. Lastly, families can decorate a wooden dreidel, a four-sided spinning top, with paint or markers. It is a game played during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.  The museum has several examples of traditional dreidel designs and supplies and directions of how to play the dreidel game.