By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
PLAINSBORO — Hoping to start a new tradition, Plainsboro Township’s annual holiday celebration will feature a puppet show — “The Town that Fought Hate” — featuring life-size puppets to help kick off the holiday season.
“The New Traditions” celebration has always featured international food and crafts that celebrate the diverse cultures that make up Plainsboro Township, but this year’s event will be enhanced by the puppet show.
Set for Dec. 5, the event will still highlight international foods and crafts. It will run from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Plainsboro Township Recreation Center at the Municipal Complex, said Leonard Celluro Jr., the township’s director of recreation.
“The Town that Fought Hate” is based on an incident that occurred in Billings, Montana in 1993, that involves Christians and Jews. Racist groups had distributed hate-filled literature that vilified Jews, blacks, Hispanics and other minorities in the town.
A vandal tossed a rock through the window of a Jewish family’s home, knocking over the menorah that is part of the Hanukah celebration. To combat hate and in defiance of the hate-mongers, Christian families displayed paper menorahs in the window of their homes.
Although there may not have been such incidents in Plainsboro Township, “we hope that the puppet show will show people how they can appreciate each other’s cultures,” Mr. Celluro said. And that is the goal of “The New Traditions” celebration, he said.
As it has in the past, “The New Traditions” will feature international foods, crafts and activities from the various cultures that make up the fabric of Plainsboro Township, Mr. Celluro said. Flags from many nations will be on display in the center hall of the Recreation Center, for example.
“It is still the same message — ‘Get out of your comfort zone,’” he said. “If you are Indian, go to the Chinese section. Learn about different cultures. To do that, we will have a ‘passport’ and you’ll get stamped for every section that you visit.”
The cultures or holiday traditions associated with Hanukah, celebrated by the Jews; Diwali, which is the Indian ‘festival of lights;’ Three Kings Day, celebrated throughout Latin America; the Mexican holiday known as the Day of the Dead; Kwanzaa, which is an African-American holiday; and the Chinese New Year — among others — will be celebrated. African drummers will be part of the Kwanzaa celebration, and children can get their faces painted at the Day of the Dead booth.
There will be strolling musicians in full Victorian garb singing Christmas carols, and there are plans for a horse-drawn carriage to take visitors for a ride around the Municipal Complex, Mr. Celluro said. The goal of “The New Traditions” is to encourage people to celebrate the various cultures.
“The play ‘The Town that Fought Hate’ is a different avenue to get the message out of appreciating other people’s cultures,” Mr. Celluro said. “In this town, there are all different cultures. Our pride is in our diversity. More important, it’s for the children (to learn about and appreciate other cultures). They are the future.”
