Augustana College - Rockety I Yearbook (Rock Island, IL)

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Christmas time at Augustaha. like almost everywhere is rich with tradition, Stu- dents and tacuitv aiike tetebrate the Swedish heritage of the college with the Sankta Lucia festival. Sankta Lucia is not actually part of the Christian Christmas celebration, but is the Festival of Lights in which the northern Laplanders of Sweden celebrated the return of the sun to the far north after weeks of totai Clarke ness. On December 13, Sahkta Lucia Day, the Standanavian Club presented Swede ish folk songs and dances m a ceremony culminating with the crowning 0f Sahkta Lucia. Lisa Hahsen reigned with her wreath of candles in that honor. The food service too Joined in the ceie- bration. Instead of the usual cafeteria fare, students were treated to a reai smorgasbord, complete with ail the tra ditional Swedish trimmings; smoked sal- mon, potato sausage new potatoes, and glog. Ahdreeh ahd Westeriih C.A.'s took the Sahkta Lucia role in their own hands later that night as they prowled the dorms Singing and deiivering cookies and treats to the residents. Besides the traditional Swedish testivai, the roots of Augustana Coliege are Members of the Stahdanavian Ciub and Swedish 101 students an iom forces to make Augusranats own Festival of Lights one of the finest parts of Augieis Christmas celebration Augustana Chair direttor, Dr. Morrison. directs the Oratorio SOCTEW in their performance of Handers Messiah . Traditions Fill Augie's Holiday Calendar of Events remembered in the actuai Christmas Hoiir day, The Campus Ministry arranged a spe- ciai ChriStmas service at the hlStOriC Jenny Lind chapel in Andoverl iliihois. The chapei was built somewhere between iBS'I and 1854 by Swedish immigrants. The church is the 'methEF church of the Augustaha synod 0f the Lutheran church which first organized Augustana Coilege and Semi- nary in 1860. This year's service began in the original chapei then the entire cone gregarion of worshippers processed out- side to the new chapel buiit Oh the same site. A seDarate, but very special part of Christmas at Augustaha is the annual Dresehtation of the the Handei Oratorio Society of Hahdei's NMESSiah . The group gave three performances; December 9, 10, and a matinee 0h December 11. And finally we return to the Christmas Stan the first indication to man that the Messiah had been born. Dr. Harrv Neison, 0f the Augustana mathematics and astronomy departments gave a 42 min- ute show in the Observatorv, recreating the sky as it was seen by the Wise Men 2.000 years ago. The show rah daily from December 7 through December 22 Christmas 29

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