It was a sunny Wednesday afternoon at about half past two, and the St. Louis Priory School’s cross country team was out for a practice run near the 1200 block of Conway Road near Williamsburg Road. Although it seemed like merely a routine practice, one misstep and fall had fatal consequences when seventh grader Brandon Hsueh fell into the road, where he was almost immediately run over by a woman driving an SUV.

Although Brandon was immediately rushed to the hospital, his situation was already dire. Two days later, Brandon died on Sept. 30 at 12:50 A.M.

The situation was one of the nightmares of coaches and parents of athletes alike—it was one where a child simply fell into the road, and there was nothing a driver in an oncoming car could do to prevent themselves from hitting him or her. The driver of the SUV was not distracted or speeding—there was just no way she could have stopped her vehicle in time.

Brandon was an optimistic kid, interested in video games, cello, piano, karate and tennis. According to the Monday Morning Highlights at Priory on Oct. 3, “Most of all, during his all-too-short a time with us here at Priory, he was known for a smile that was big enough and bright enough to light his way down the hallway.”

However, Brandon’s death remains present in hearts and minds of many, not only as a tragic accident, but also as a reminder and lesson. According to Kurt Werner, the head cross country coach at CHS, such an incident can be very traumatic.

“It [Brandon’s death] terrified me as a coach because that’s like the ultimate . . . worst case scenario, a kid just stumbles out in the middle of the road and a car has no chance of stopping,” Werner said.

Fortunately, the junior cross country team at Wydown Middle School only runs in very safe areas along Wydown Blvd. or Forsyth from Hanley to Skinker, where there is a wide running path, as well as on the track near Concordia Seminary.

For the CHS cross country team, about 75 percent of cross country practices happen in Shaw Park for the CHS cross country team according to Werner, but the team does venture out for longer runs on congested roads like Forest Park Parkway, Brentwood, Forsyth, Maryland and Ladue Avenue.

CHS cross country runners must sign safety contracts at the beginning of season that include precautions such as running on sidewalks when available and running on the left side of the road, facing traffic. Unfortunately, because Clayton is “land-locked” there’s not much opportunity to run in safer, rural areas.

“The students are well aware of [the congestion], but at the same time they do it on a daily basis and they are aware of the cars and the people,” Werner said.

The closest call Werner has had was at the intersection of Brentwood Blvd. and Forest Park Parkway, when the team was headed towards Meramec Elementary School.

“I had one car turning onto Brentwood . . . [making] a right hand turn looking left the whole time, not even looking on the sidewalk,” Werner said. “[And] even though we had the little walk guy, straight up and beeping and everything else telling us to go, I just grabbed some of the kids and sure enough he made the turn and went right on past. He probably would’ve hit about four of us. So it does happen once in a while and it’s always good that the coaches are usually out on the runs with students. I generally tend to definitely go on runs with the newer runners, freshmen in particular when we start hitting roads.”

Although Brandon’s coach was only 10 feet behind him when he fell into traffic, there’s a large difference between the CHS and Priory team.

“I have about 45 to 50 on my team when we’re at maximum capacity, but at Priory, where you have to do a sport, you can have anywhere from probably 75 to 100 boys on their team, which is a lot for a couple coaches to look over,” Werner said.

The death of Brandon Hsueh has affected CHS cross country runners as well.

“I think it’s a tragedy, and it’s had a big impact on safety regulations and awareness of our surroundings,” junior Matthew Garrett, a member of the varsity cross country team, said. “Coach Werner cautioned us about safe running behavior, and he is very displeased when a runner attempts take a shortcut that has not been approved, and reprimands them for it. We haven’t changed our routes, but we’re now even more aware of the dangers present while running.”

Overall, Brandon’s death was not only was a closure of life, but the opening of discussion about more safety regulations for cross country teams. Brandon also helped save lives posthumously by donating his organs, an incredibly generous act that possibly saved the lives of many. According to the Monday Morning Highlights at Priory on Oct. 3, “A simple gesture of straightforward giving…but it is pure Brandon.”

The movie begins when Dexter (Sturgess) and Emma (Hathaway) try to have a somewhat failed one night stand after graduating college, then spend a day together and promise to keep in touch. Over the next 20 years, the movie plays out like a series of vignettes, in which the viewer is able to see a glimpse of their one day anniversary, July 14 whether they are together or apart. In a long, evenly paced way the movie allows the viewer to take breaths and not only explore the complexities of Emma and Dexter’s relationship, but also Dexter’s parents, played by Ken Stott and Patricia Clarkson and Dexter and Emma’s would be lovers, played by Rafe Spall and Romola Garai.
Overall, the witty and British dialogue between Hathaway and Sturgess is very well done and interesting to keep up with. It is easy for the viewer to develop an emotional investment in the character Emma, who is a quirky bookworm who wants to be a writer and comes from a modest family, as well as while Dexter is a flirtacious, fun loving and loud partier from a rich family who has a side that also wants to be good.
Coupled with the wonderful, artistically wrought cinematography, this film (even with its surprise ending!) captures the hearts of viewers in a British, artistic and emotional way.

John Krasinski as Ethan, from left, Ginnifer Goodwin as Rachel, Kate Hudson as Darcy and Colin Egglesfield as Dex in Alcon Entertainment's romantic comedy "Something Borrowed," a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (David Lee/Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures/MCT)

“Something old, something new/ something borrowed, something blue/ and a silver sixpence in her shoe” is how the old rhyme goes for a bride before she gets married. The chick flick “Something Borrowed” would be infinitely better if it “borrowed” more complex characters and a less simplistic plot.
“Something Borrowed” begins when the main character, Rachel (played by Ginnifer Goodwin) has a fling with her best friend Darcy’s (played by Kate Hudson) fiancée Dex (played by Colin Egglesfield). They both discover they’ve been in love with each other since law school. Rachel is the typical good girl, doe eyed protagonist of the film and was too modest in law school to think Dex would ever choose her over her partying, loud and egotistical friend Darcy. The rest of the movie commences in Rachel and Dex being indecisive about leaking their relationship to Darcy and them taking multiple high-end weekend vacations to the Hamptons. Rachel and Darcy’s smart alecky friend from childhood, Ethan (played by John Krasinski) annunciates the viewer’s feelings by asking Rachel if she’s going reveal her and Dex’s relationship or not. Rachel feels loyal to Darcy, however is conflicted because she’s in love with Dex.
The catch? Well, there’s many. Although the movie has the typical markings of an entertaining chick flick—a good cast, high end New York City and the Hamptons scenery, and a pretty cute plotline—it’s very superficial and the screenplay is simply subpar. The characters are extremely one-dimensional and lack depth, and overall the movie is unrealistic.
The first part that’s unrealistic is that Rachel might feel some sort of loyalty to Darcy, which is ridiculous. Darcy is annoying, loud and a huge partier, while Rachel is the opposite. It’s even a wonder that Dex would want to marry her.There is also the question as to why Dex’s old school, rich and proper parents would want him to marry a crazy partier like Darcy.
Of course, I think Hudson played Darcy’s role relatively well. However, it is the plot that makes her character so annoyingly simple. The viewer doesn’t even know her job—all that’s known about Darcy is that she parties, gets drunk and goes on weekend jaunts to the Hamptons. Darcy is not the only mystery character—the other characters are unknown, and for instance in the case of Egglesfield heartless and not worth remembering. Even though there are very few characters in the movie, none of their personalities are really explored at length. If there was more known about the characters, some of the unrealistic elements of the movie could be avoided.
Despite the superficiality of the characters, the acting in the movie is generally a thumbs up. A particular plus is Krasinski’s role as the sarcastic but likeable best friend. His humor plays well off of Goodwin’s, and he provides a fresh relief to the film.
Although the acting was somewhere from mediocre to pretty good in “Something Borrowed”, the simplicity of the characters and plot diminishes a potentially good movie. If the plot was more complex and had less “waiting”, I think that “Something Borrowed” could have been very good.

English teacher Amy Degenfelder shows of “Zeitoun,” one of the books for the Summer Reading Challenge.

While the construction of the new wing of CHS is drawing to a close at the end of this summer, CHS students will be exploring the theme of construction in the third annual Summer Reading Challenge. Both the English Department and a small organizing committee put the Summer Reading Challenge into action. The committee consists of English teachers Amy Chappuis and Jennifer Sellenriek and CHS librarian Lauran DeRigne.

The books on the list this year include “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathon Safran Foer, “3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man” by Matt Kindt, “Zeitoun” by Dave Eggers, “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley and “This Will Change Everything” by John Brockman.

The books were selected because they are all focused around this year’s theme, construction. In the summer of 2010 the theme was focused around identity, and in 2009 it was about overcoming adversity. When students return to school in the fall after reading one of the five book choices, English classes will hold discussions about the common themes in the books. Big ideas surrounding the books this year include how an author builds a book, how a person builds or rebuilds their life, and what the structures of life are.
The English department picks the books collectively.

“Mrs. DeRigne, Mrs. Chappuis and myself . . . read with [the theme] in mind,” Sellenriek said. “Mostly we take suggestions from the faculty and then after we have culled them, read them and thought ‘let’s read them for our big audience’, which is all of our students, faculty and staff, we make a decision. So we have the final decision in the book choice, but it is really a collective effort.”

Each year, the committee picks a classic, a contemporary novel and a nonfiction book and leaves two spots open to be any type of book. Although many schools have only one choice for students to read during the summer, Sellenriek supports the choice offered to students.

“A lot of schools just choose one and everybody reads the same, but we like the idea of choice, especially since it’s a summer read,” Sellenriek said. “I think it’s exciting to have a conversation going on where kids can talk about the same idea with different books, which we don’t necessarily do on a normal basis. We usually are all talking about ‘The Odyssey’ or ‘The Great Gatsby’, but during [Summer Reading Challenge discussions] we’re able to talk about the big idea.”

The Summer Reading Challenge was started in 2009. Sellenriek, along with a small committee of teachers researched other school’s summer reading policies. The committee decided to ask the English Department to not use Summer Reading Challenge books for assessments.

“We didn’t want it to be punitive and we didn’t want some kids walk in the door and fail a reading test at the beginning of the year,” Sellenriek said. “But obviously as English teachers we understand the power of the shared experience of reading a book together and talking about it.”

Not only is the experience shared for CHS students and the English Department, but also other CHS teachers are encouraged to read books from Summer Reading Challenge.

“In the past few summers we’ve encouraged all faculty members to read [a book from the Summer Reading Challenge] and so I’ve had great conversations with teachers about the books they’ve read,” Sellenriek said. “Also, other teachers have connected with students in their classrooms [about the books].”

The Summer Reading Challenge has received funds this year to buy every faculty member at CHS a book from this years Summer Reading Challenge. This is fortunate because next year, one day in the beginning of the year during 3rd period will be designated as a time to discuss the Summer Reading Challenge books, so that everyone in the school will be discussing at the same time although they may not be in their English classes.

The new type of discussion looks like it will be a great success to Sellenriek.

“I’m pretty excited, I think it’ll be a really cool cross grade, cross curricular activity,” Sellenriek said.

Overall, the Summer Reading Challenge offers a positive reading experience for CHS students. Many students have had good experiences with the Challenge.

“I feel that the Summer Reading Challenge is overall a good thing. I mean, you’re given the opportunity to find some pretty good books,” sophomore Joanna Shoemaker said.

Sophomore Willie Wysession agrees with Shoemaker.

“I really think it’s a fun and interesting challenge, and I like having options of good books to read over the summer,” Wysession said. “I especially liked the year we read ‘Catching Fire’ by Suzanne Collins because I thought it was a really suspenseful, exciting read.”

Sellenriek also thinks that the Summer Reading Challenge is a perfect way to usher students into the new school year.

“There’s no doubt that kids who read [the Summer Reading Challenge book] over the summer and who can be active in the conversation have a way to feel confident and connect early in the year, which I think is pretty cool,” Sellenriek said.

The project, Wings in the City benefits the non-profit organization, Wings, the BJC pediatric and palliative care program, and, more specifically, the Jennifer and Jim Koman Expressive Therapy program.

“We started the Wings in the City program as a way to bring the community together while raising funds for an incredible program,” Wings in the City committee member Sally Gelfman said.  “The butterfly is an iconic symbol of hope and beauty and is also the symbol for the Wings program.  Jennifer Koman saw a similar project in Florida with sea turtles and thought a butterfly project would be great for our city.  The money raised from this program will go specifically to the Jennifer and Jim Koman Expressive Therapy program.”

Wings in the City has worked with Wings, a non-profit organization, to have over 56 butterfly sculptures showcased throughout St. Louis and Clayton. (Elizabeth Sikora)

Each of the 56 butterfly sculptures around the St. Louis area has been created by local artists, in partnership with a sponsoring individual or organization. Mary Engelbreight is the event’s honorary artist has been a key leader in finding artists to create the butterflies. Artist’s designs were selected by a jury in March of last year.

Each butterfly is made of fiberglass, is 5 foot 4 inches and weighs about 250 pounds.

In the Wings in the City press release Barbara Westland, Executive Director of BJC Hospice said: “Wings in the City is such an exciting project. While it promises to raise awareness and important funds for the Wings program, it will be such a wonderful event for our community and sponsors, too. Our butterfly logo symbolizes both hope and grace.”

The Wings program was created in 1997, and it is a one of a kind program that gives palliative and hospice care to children with progressive or life-threatening illnesses, regardless of whether the family can pay or not. The Expressive Therapy program offers expressive therapy to patients and families during the exhausting and traumatic times of the illness.

Expressive therapy offers an alternative form of expression of feelings and thoughts to children undergoing life-threatening illnesses and their siblings who have many emotions running through their minds. Different forms of expression include various forms of art, ranging from drawing to stories to photography.

Expressive therapy—the healing of emotions through the creation of art—can be a relief to anyone, according to CHS art teacher Laura Sher.

“I think if a person has experienced some kind of deep pain or trauma then any type of creative outlet can be a vehicle for healing, whether it’s visual art, writing, music, dance or theater,” Sher said. “I think it’s very natural for human beings to express themselves creatively.”
Sophomore Alex Raymond-Schmidt agrees with Sher.

“It’s a great idea for kids to be able to express their feelings through art,” Raymond-Schmidt said.

Not only are the butterflies helping the Expressive therapy program, but even for their short showcase time—March to May 21—they enhance the Clayton and St. Louis area.

“I think that the butterflies really make Clayton look great, and make people aware that we’re not only are supporting the beautiful artwork but also we support a great cause,” sophomore Ravali Poreddy said.  “All the butterflies raise awareness, which is fantastic.”

After the butterflies have been premiered in several locations throughout the city and county of St. Louis, they will be rounded up again to be sold at the Art Takes Flight Auction May 21.

Snarf's sub shop serves sandwiches and other lunch items. The fresh bread, variety of sandwiches, and reasonable prices make Snarf's an appealing lunchtime option. (Globe Staff)

The sandwiches cannot be described as anything other than amazing. Wrapped up in clean white paper packaging and split in half, first biting into the fresh, warm and toasty bread is a joy. The bread is definitely the highlight of the sandwich, although the meat of the sandwiches always has fresh ingredients and delicious flavor.

The shop has three different sandwich sizes. The smallest size is the five inch, the medium is the 7 inch and the large is a 12 inch, and is made to order with whatever ingredients you decide. Overall, Snarf’s Sub Shop is what I would call a gourmet Subway.

However, it has a much more authentic feel because it offers organic and healthier options, and instead of eating ¨fresh¨, at Snarf´s you actually are guaranteed to eat fresh. Also, although Snarf is based in Colorado it lacks any sort of ¨chain¨ feel that Subway completely exudes, making it a pleasure to visit. Instead of generic chips and cookies, Snarf´s offers delicious organic chips, ice cream and milkshakes, as well as salads and soups.

All of the great food items come at easy and affordable prices, too. It costs $5.25 for a small, $6.50 for a medium and $9.75 for a large of their regular sandwiches. Although the prices air on the expensive side, they are not too bad for the great quality of the sandwiches.

The small, local location is great as well. Nestled next to the Loop, Snarf’s has a perfect location for shoppers to eat lunch. There is also outside seating, which makes sunny days a pleasure. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the cool and modern interior decorating makes Snarf’s a hip and yet homey sub paradise. And who could really resist that first bite into Snarf’s warm, delicious bread. Overall, Snarf’s deserves a round of applause for it’s wonderful sandwiching atmosphere. So ¨Snarf¨ up!

Although the club has existed at CHS for several years, it has become much more popular and dedicated this year under the eyes of two cross-country and track coaches Kurtis Werner and Pat Sullivan.

Junior Matthew Millet runs in the snow after school with other members of winter running club. Members look to stay in shape between sport seasons to upkeep their levels of performance throughout the year. (Meredith McMahon)

The club meets every day after school from 3:20 p.m. to around 5:30. Usually about six people or so show up every day. “It’s very, very rare that we ever skip a day, and when we do, most people make up the running at home anyways,” sophomore Derrick Stone said.

The club has been around for quite a while at CHS.

“The idea of winter running club was actually founded well before I arrived at the school district by former cross country runners,” Werner said. “I have taken more of a direct approach and become involved with my other assistant coach to allow cross country and track runners a chance to get in shape for the upcoming season.”

The club does some serious running practice, much of which is very similar to workouts done by the cross country and track teams. The workouts usually alternate between long runs (six to seven miles), average runs (three to five miles), and speed workouts, which are on the track, involving running 200 meter repeats to 400 meter repeats.

“We do speed work days where we try to hit fast, consistent times on the track,” Stone said.

Winter running club is very preparatory based.

“Running club differs from the track and field season because it is mainly getting prepped for the upcoming season and workouts aren’t as intense,” Werner said.

The training is a serious deal to junior Matthew Millet, a cross country and track runner.

“This club isn’t just about staying in shape,” Millett said. “It’s about getting faster. I don’t think just anyone would want to go run five to six miles or run intervals in this kind of weather.”

Although very serious to some members, the club is also open to many people who want to stay in shape during the winter months.

“We’ve had a lot of people, not even on the team, come out and join,” Stone said. “It can help you a lot on the off season. It can especially help soccer players train in the off season. It gives you much more endurance if you can do what we do each day.”

Sophomore Matt Garrett agrees that the training has helped him bridge the gap between running seasons.

“Last year I was not motivated to keep up a regular training schedule, and come spring I was in poor shape for track,” Garrett said. “This year people can show up to their sport in shape and ready to build up from there.”

Millett thinks that the club has definitely helped him stay in shape for track in the spring.

“Had I not decided to do this [winter running club], when track season rolled around, I would have spent half the season getting back into shape and the second half getting better,” Millett said. “This way I have the opportunity to not only use the entire track season to get faster, but also take full advantage of the winter season.”

Stone suggests that the track season this spring has a better outlook because many members have been training with the club.

“Last year we lost a lot of conditioning because we took too much time off during this part of the year,” Stone said. “I think our team will definitely be more of a threat [to other competing teams] during track season just like we were during cross country season this year.”

Garrett agrees that the winter running club has many positive effects.

“I would most definitely recommend the winter running club because it will give any athlete a competitive edge against those who didn’t train in the off season,” Garrett said. “Also, running is great workout for anyone who wants to exercise.”

The winter Running Club looks forward to a bright future.

“I think [the club] will stay so long as we have the dedication that we do now,” Stone said. “Coach Werner and Sullivan have done a great job of motivating us through the off season during the club practices.”

Garrett also looks forward to the years to come.

“I think that with future support from the cross country and track programs along with other students who want to stay in shape, this club will hopefully be around for a while,” Garrett said. “I think that it would be great for other CHS students to get involved in running all year long.”

No matter the religion, no matter the belief, light is a universal symbol for good: people all over the world celebrate using light each winter season in joyous festivities.

Christianity

As the holidays draw near and the winter season begins to creep upon us, light becomes a more and more valuable commodity to our everyday lives.  Whether it is the white Christmas lights twinkling in the trees in downtown Clayton or a fire roaring in the fireplace at home, it’s undeniable that as the weather gets chillier more light is used for warmth and security. In the winter, different religions use and take on the idea of light through celebration.

Christianity is one of these religions. Light is a theme in the Christmas story, which describes how the three wise men followed the Star of Bethlehem to find baby Jesus, who was just born. The star served as a guide to find Jesus, which symbolizes that Jesus is a guiding light. The Advent wreath is used in the preparation for Christmas as well.

“We [Christians] begin with one light and as the light of the world [the birth of Jesus] draws closer we light four lights,” Monsignor John Shamleffer of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Clayton said. “It is dimmer at the beginning of Advent and brighter at the end towards Christmas, and it’s done in a wreath setting to remind us that there is no beginning or end to a circle and that Christ, like a circle, is eternal.”

Light is used not only in decorations, but also as a larger idea in the Christian community.

“Light is considered a universal symbol for truth, for knowledge, and since God is automatically considered to be omniscient, he leads to light,” president of the CHS Fellowship of Christian Athletes John Holland said.

Light is a form of wisdom that connects it with the idea of God and holiness.

“Biologically, humans are not made to see in the dark,” Holland said. “Humans need a lot of light to be able to see anything… We have formed a link between light and knowledge. With darkness, however, one has in front of them the unknown… Darkness actually is the embodiment of ignorance.”

The idea of light is used prevalently in Christianity, and according to Shamleffer, Christians are like candles.

“We also see the importance of allowing the light to be in each person, that’s why at baptism the child is presented with a baptismal candle lit from the Easter candle, as a reminder that the light of Christ is in their life,” Shamleffer said. “Each of us can think of our light as being insignificant, and makes us think ‘what can we do?’”

Light is also used in other ceremonies. The Roman Catholic church celebrates the Easter Vigil. The priest lights the Easter Fire. As it grows dark, the priest lights the Easter Candle from the flame. Churchgoers carry candles, and when they enter the unlit church, the lights eventually illuminate the church. According to Holland, Christians are like candles, illuminating the world.

“Part of this whole celebration is a celebration of the light,” Shamleffer said. “The light represents the one who dispels darkness, Jesus Christ, and the darkness is the absence of God from our world.”

Light is a powerful substance that is used not only in ordinary life to illuminate the world around us, but it also gives us wisdom by letting us see clearly. Light, in many religions, is like God, in that it is an unexplainable, yet undeniable, truth.

Judaism

Light is used in Judaism and its celebrations. One example is Hanukkah, a popular Jewish holiday, filled with tradition, family, and of course, light. During the cold winter months, it is easy to find a Jewish family huddled around a twinkling menorah and celebrating the holiday together. Light brings the family together, and represents a history and a belief.

“Hannukah, a winter holiday remembering the rededication of the Temple in 165 B.C.E., is known as the ‘Festival of Lights,’” Saint Louis University Professor David Oughton said. “A candle is lit for each of the eight days as a sign of a miracle.”

The candles are held in a menorah, which lights the room. Families play dreidel, exchange gifts, and eat latkes. The attitude of the celebration is bright and warm, just like the candles it centers around. The light illuminates the celebration, spreading warmth and joy.

“The light is representative of the miracles as well as God’s light and faith and hope and all that good stuff,” senior Becca Steinberg said. “I think that light became a universal symbol of hope, knowledge, enlightenment, and other positive things because without light, you are helpless to really do anything at all.”

God, like light, helps Jews to see. He allows them to see what is right and what is good. Light is used to represent many things in Judaism, and according to Rabbi Hyim Shafner, even God himself. In many religious texts, God is referred to as light. Light is so significant that the first thing that God did to create the world was creating light.

“Perhaps our mission as humans is to bring light in a dark world,” Shafner said.

People are supposed to spread light, or as Steinberg said, hope, knowledge, and enlightenment. Hanukkah is a celebration that most people have heard of. However, according to Steinberg it is not the most important Jewish holiday.

“Hanukkah isn’t actually the major holiday for Jews,” Steinberg said. “It just happens to be a fun one and when Christmas was secularized, it got linked to Christmas, which is why it is so big. The holidays that are traditionally the most important are Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, which are actually in the fall.”

Before Christmas was made popular, Hanukkah did not even involve exchanging gifts. Even if Hanukkah is not the biggest or most significant Jewish holiday, it is still a very old tradition.

“It commemorates an event from several thousand years ago,” Shafner said.

Hanukkah celebrates a victory over the Greeks, and the miracle that followed.

“When they got to the temple to praise God, the temple had been totally decimated,” Steinberg said. “They wanted to light the menorah, but they only found one bottle of oil, enough to last for one day. The oil making process lasted eight days, so the second miracle was that the tiny bottle lasted for eight days.”

Just as it was back then, light is used to praise God in temples today.

“There is an eternal light in each synagogue that is always kept burning,” Shafner said.

Light is used in Judaism to represent God and his ideas. It is also used in celebrations such as Hanukkah, and spreads warmth and happiness.

Hinduism

Less advertised, though just as popular, is Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. Diwali is celebrated all over the world in numerous ways. People light candles, lamps, and even firecrackers and fireworks. It is a lively celebration that many people enjoy every fall.

“During Diwali people usually light rows of candles or clay lamps that are filled with oil,” sophomore Ravali Poreddy said. “This signifies the triumph of good over evil.”

Besides just lighting lamps, people celebrate Diwali by getting together with family and friends.

“We do fireworks with other families, plus we have dinner parties at people’s houses,” sophomore Varun Chakravarthy said.

Chakravarthy enjoys Diwali because he gets to see friends that don’t go to school with him.

Like most religious celebrations, Diwali is a time to celebrate people’s relationships as well as shared beliefs. Light is used to symbolize religious beliefs in numerous celebrations.

“Light is supposed to signify good, vision, and knowledge,” Poreddy said. “Darkness is supposed to represent ignorance and impurity because it blocks out light, which is supposed to be the source of light and knowledge.”

Chakravarthy has a different view of what light represents in religions.

“In Hinduism, I guess light represents life,” Chakravarthy said. “Most other religions also think of it that way.”

Others, though, believe that light is represented as a triumph over evil.

“Light is used in the ceremonies of different religions as a symbol of overcoming the darkness of sin or ignorance,” Saint Louis University Professor David Oughton said.

According to him, light allows a person to see spiritually as well as physically. Light guides people on the path of life.

Light is used as a symbol in Diwali, but the holiday also has a history to it. Light is used in Diwali because rows of lights welcomed Lord Rama back to his home after being banished for 14 years.

“It’s supposed to represent the coming home of one of our gods named Lord Rama. It was supposed to light up the passageway of Lord Rama to his village,” Chakravarthy said.

The light guided him home, as it guides people along their way today. This ancient event is still hugely important and significant. It is used to teach lessons, and just to bring people together through celebration.

“During his time away, Rama defeated the demon Ravana, and crowned Ravana’s brother, Vibishina, who was good, to be the new king of Lanka,” Poreddy said.

Diwali is celebrated around November because that is the time that Rama returned. This year it fell on Nov. 5. Outside of celebration, light is used often in Hinduism.

“Light is used a lot in prayer,” Poreddy said. “Usually whenever you pray either at the temple, or at home, people put out candles in front of their pictures.”

For people, religion can be described as a home—and, as described of Diwali, this light is both physical and spiritual. Whether light comes in the form of firecrackers or Advent wreaths, it is a beautiful way to enjoy the holidays, and all the people involved.

Islam

Light is a powerful idea that plays a role in many religions, including Islam. Not only can lights physically be seen around this time, but families find warmth being with each other. The Hajj, a Muslim celebration, celebrates sacrifice and service to the community as well as volunteering. Hajj is celebrated according to the Islamic calendar, and this year was Nov. 14 to Nov. 18.

It is part of the five pillars of Islam. These pillars include ‘shadadah’, or the basic creed of Islam: “I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”

The creed is a foundation for many other Muslim beliefs and practices. The other pillars include ‘salah’ or ritual prayer, ‘sawm’ or fasting during the month of Ramadan, ‘zakat’ or alms giving and finally ‘hajj’, the pilgrimage to Mecca.

During this holiday many people make a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, including roughly 35 to 40 people from the Greater St. Louis Area according to Imam Muhamed Hasic of the Islamic Community Center in St. Louis. In Islam, it is tradition that each adult Muslim who can afford it should travel to Mecca during Hajj. Muslims also spend time with family and extended family to celebrate.

“It’s harder to do it [get together with family] here, because most of my family lives back in Lebanon so we can’t really all get together,” sophomore Hassan Hossayrami said. “But in Lebanon we get all our relatives together from my mom and dad’s side. We usually have a barbeque, and all the kids do fireworks and stuff like that. It’s all about all the families being together.”

Lights are strung on the Minaret around the time of the holiday, Nov. 14, and at the Islamic Community Center in St. Louis the Minaret is lit up from Nov. 14 until Nov. 18.

“We use the Minaret as a marker to call for prayer,” Imam Muhamed Hasic said. “During this time of Hajj we put lights on the tower for a few nights.”

Hajj is not the only time that Muslims celebrate their religion.

“Another time which we celebrate is the marking of the end of the month of fasting, or Ramadan, which this year ended on Sept. 8,” Hasic said. “We put up lots of electric lights during that time also.”

Hossayrami describes Ramadan.

“It’s celebrated as the break from the fast of the Ramadan. The end of Ramadan is celebrated with family and you get a couple days off school but you don’t really do anything special besides eating again,” Hossayrami said.

The holiday that immediately follows Hajj is Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated in commemoration of the story of Abraham and his son.  God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, but when he agreed, God provided him with a ram instead. The holiday is celebrated on the third day of Hajj and lasts for four days.  To honor this story, they sacrifice animals, and donate the meat to the comunity. Every year the Islamic Community Center of St. Louis donates around 3 thousand pounds of meat to needy people from this holiday.

The holiday season is certainly a time of light, gathering and, most importantly, family. This theme of celebration applies to many different religions and cultures and is a strong bond between all the different religions.

By Meredith McMahon and Sarah Blackwell