The Decree
since 1960 “of, by, andfor the Wesleyan community. ”
December 16, 2021
NORTH CAROLINA WESLEYAN COLLEGE, ROCKY MOUNT, NORTH CAROLINA 27804
Wesleyan Internationals Describe Xmas Traditions, Recall Memorable Gifts
Christmas traditions may vary
in countries around the world,
but two constants remain, no
matter the culture - fellowship
and plenty of food.
With the holiday approaching,
Wesleyan’s Internationals-students
and faculty-shared their family
traditions and recalled their most
memorable gift from Santa.
Ryan Cyusa
Kigali, Rwanda
Ryan Cyusa, a Wesleyan
student from Rwanda, described
a Christmas celebration that
would seem familiar to many
Americans—gift-giving, morning
church services and lots of food.
The junior, an exercise science
major, said the traditional holiday
meal is held
on Christ
mas Eve.
Sometimes
the fam
ily cooks at
home, while
other times
it heads to
a restaurant,
Ryan Cyusa
When cook
ing at home, the meal consists
of the following—isombe (made
of mashed cassava leaves and
different ingredients and spices),
ubugali (made of wheat flour and
consumed with isombe, tomato
sauce and beans); rice; plantains;
and many varieties of meat: beef,
chicken, goat, and pork.
After dinner, the family hangs
out at home until midnight when
there is an exchange of gifts.
Cyusa said that there is little
surprise. “Most times you know
what you’re getting for Christ ¬
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mas,” he said. “You just have to
wait for the actual day.” He said
that most gifts come from parents
to their children. "But in recent
years, we’re giving them gifts as
well,” he said.
Asked to name the best gift he
ever received, Cyusa said it was
a black-and-white nylon wallet,
with cash—Rwandan Francs—
inside. It was the equivalent of 20
American dollars, which seemed
like a lot to a 9-year-old.
"It was not much but the
thought of owning a wallet and
having money at such a young age
seemed crazy and made me feel
all grown up,” he said. He said
he kept that money for a year. “I
couldn’t bring myself to spend it.
I felt like it was sacred,” he said,
before joking, “I wish I could get
that gift again now. Haha.”
In most years Christmas is
a joyous occasion for Cyusa,
as extended family members
return from abroad for the
holiday. “We all get to see each
other again,” he said, adding
that his family attends church
services Christmas morning.
Cyusa did not return home for
the holiday last year, instead talk
ing to his family by phone. He
noted that the Covid quarantine
put severe limits on celebrations
in his country. While he’s unable
to return home in 2021 as well,
he hopes that "all goes back to
normal” for his family.
Daniel Elias
Lima, Peru
As with Cyusa’s family, Daniel
Elias’ family gathers for a holiday
meal and gift-giving on Christmas
Eve in his hometown of Lima, Pera.
$33,952 ($32,996 in 2021-22)
$ 5,505 ($ 5,350)
$ 6,758 ($ 6,568)
The environmental science pro
fessor said his family gets together
with grandparents, aunt and uncles,
and cousins.
During the
holidays,
Elias noted,
many fami
lies listen
to “vil-
lacincos,”
a type of
Christmas
music sung Dr. Daniel Elias
by kids.
“Many many many Peruvians
play villacincos,” he quipped.
Elias said that his family always
served turkey for Christmas Eve
dinner and that, on occasion,
pork leg was part of the meal. He
furnished the following additional
menu items from his family din
ners: Mash potatoes, apple sauce,
sweet potatoes, rolls, onion relish,
corn, Peruvian hot cocoa, and pa
neton, a traditional Peruvian sweet
bread that originated in Italy.
After the meal, the family sits
around the tree and then exchanges
presents at midnight. Children get
gifts from “Papa Noel,” he noted.
Elias said his all-time favorite
Christmas gift was a chemistry
set, which he received around
age 6. “It had always been my
dream to be a scientist,” he said.
It was an elaborate set, he
explained, with glassware, a tiny
burner, and various compounds
that allowed him to create
experiments and watch the reac
tions. Elias recalled trying differ
ent combinations in an effort to
make fertilizer for house plants.
In one composition he added
organic materials (fruit peels and
skins) and mixed them with salt
and water. “Then I set the mix
ture aside and forgot where I put
it,” he said. “It rotted and smelled
really bad. My mom had to turn
the house inside out to find it.”
Elias said that his family is
not among the many Peruvians
that attend Mass or other church
services on Christmas Day. Af
ter the busy Christmas Eve, he
said his family likes to relax and
enjoy leftovers as part of brunch.
Last year’s Christmas was
subdued, with Elias saying it was
a smaller holiday for many in his
country. “My dad couldn’t visit his
mom,” he said. “I know this was a
similar experience for many.”
Elias is optimistic that, with
more Peruvians vaccinated,
Christmas 2021 will be closer to
holiday celebrations of the past.
Now a resident of Rocky Mount,
Elias and his wife, Miranda, have
begun their own traditions with
sons Gabriel, 14, and Julian, 10.
But this year the family plans
a trip to Miami, where Elias’
mother has lived for the past
20 years. “She follows all the
Peruvian traditions,” he said.
Young Kim
Andong, South Korea
In South Korea, Christmas
is observed by Christians and
non-Christians alike.
Dr. Young Kim, associate
professor in political science,
said that for Christians, the
holiday is, of course, full of reli
gious significance, with Korean
Christians attending church
services on Christmas Eve and
Christmas Day. He estimated
that 30 percent of South Korea's
51 million citizens regard them
selves as Christians.
He added that in Seoul alone
there exist a total of 8,000
churches of all denominations,
with many Koreans adhering to
Buddhism and Confucianism.
As a non-Christian, and a native
of “the most traditional Confucian
town in Korea,” Kim said that his
family has always treated Christ
mas more like a national holiday.
He said that many Koreans will
use the day to travel and visit
grandparents and other relatives.
Kim said that parents give gifts
to young children on Christmas
morning, often putting them under
the Christmas tree. “They say the
gifts are from Santa Claus,” Kim
said. “But most kids know they’re
from their parents or grandparents.
The Santa Claus myth is rapidly
disappearing among kids.”
Rather than hosting family din
ners, Kim said that many Koreans
will eat at an upscale restaurant,
with Italian cuisine and steakhous
es among the most popular choices.
Many Koreans view Christmas
as an important day for couples,
who, Kim said, eat dinner at fancy
restaurants and exchange special
and often expensive gifts such as rings,
necklaces, boutique handbags,
iPhones, and PlayStations. “Some
lament that Christmas has become
too commercialized,” he said.
Entertainment is a key
element in the Korean holiday
season. Many like to watch
the Christmas-themed movie
“Home Alone,” which airs
constantly on television, hav
ing become a ritual for many
families and an annoyance to
others. In the 1990s and 2000s,
Christmas carols were played
in many public places—stores
and restaurants, etc.-in Seoul.
"I remember some comedians
singing carols in a funny way
and making quite good money at
that time," Kim said, adding that
more stringent copyright laws
have made carols less common.
Not all Koreans look forward
to Christmas, Kim said. “Not
because they’re anti-Christian,
but for personal reasons,” he said.
“Some find that Christmas puts an
excessive financial burden on their
shoulders because they have to
purchase presents and dine out.”
Christmas season can cause
angst for single Koreans as well.
"For them it’s a ‘cursed day,’” Kim
said. “They often joke T wish I
went to bed on the 23rd and woke
up on the 26th so that I don’t see
all the lovers on the street.’”
The holiday was different in Ko
rea during Kim’s childhood. Unlike
other Wesleyan Internationals, he
said he never received a Christmas
gift, though he often hoped Santa
Claus would visit his home.
“Until I became a middle
schooler, I still believed he would
give out gifts to well-behaved
kids,” he recalled, noting that in
letters written to Saint Nick, he
would detail his good behavior
and list the presents he wanted that
year. “But I didn't get any gifts
from Santa Claus or my parents.”
Though disappointed, Kim
said he was not hurt by Santa’s
snub. He said his situation was
not uncommon among his peers
at the time. “Most friends didn't
receive presents from Santa
either," he explained. “Back then,
Christmas was not a ‘serious'
holiday for many Korean families
and many parents simply couldn't
afford presents for their kids.”
But, Kim said, he did receive
small gifts from his church, on
Christmas Eve. He said that
many churches would hand
out treats like Moon Pies to
children. “For just one Moon
Pie, we stayed in a church for
several hours, singing and pray
ing,” he said. “I guess Christ
mas was a quite a good market
ing opportunity for churches.”
Kim said that life is return
ing to normal in Korea. Last
Christmas gatherings were
limited to four or five, masked,
individuals. "Koreans like to
hang out with family, friends
and colleagues, but that became
impossible with Covid,” he said.
But now, with some 80
percent of the Korean popula
tion vaccinated, more families
will feel comfortable getting
together with each other.
Kim said that his family
will wait until summer to visit
family back in Korea and will
spend Christmas at home in the
Raleigh area. He said that, un
like their father, his two daugh
ters should
expect to
find toys
and other
gifts from
their “wish
list” under
the tree on
December
25th. He
Dr. Young Kim
his young
est, Katherine, believes in Santa.
Halzyd Pupuleku
Bolzano, Italy
In Italy, the Christmas season is
steeped in tradition, as families en
joy together time and lots of food.
Halzyd Pupuleku noted that the
holiday season begins on December
8, the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception, and continues
through Christmas Day in his
Catholic-dominated homeland.
On Christmas Eve, relatives
gather for dinner and then head
to Mass at 10:30 that night. After
Mass, he said, the congregation en
joys the sweetbread panettone and
hot tea or mulled wine, as Christ
mas songs play in the background.
Pupuleku said that the family
later exchanges gifts at home.
In years when young children
are present, an adult will leave
church early to dress as Santa.
“Then, when we all arrive at
home, we start opening the
gifts,” he explained. “We open
one gift at a time respecting the
order from the youngest to the
oldest family member.”
When he was 6, Pupuleku
received what he considers his
most memorable gift—his first
Xbox 360, one that came with
a racing game. Need for Speed:
Carbon. He called that Christ
mas “bittersweet.” “It’s when
I discovered that Santa Claus
didn't exist," he said. “I remem
ber that, one day, I opened
See TRADITIONS pg 2