OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — From the Globe to Our Home is the name of a new exhibit highlighting holiday traditions from different countries at General Crook House Museum.
Kathy Aultz, the Executive Director of Douglas County Historical Society, worked with multiple community groups to put this exhibition together.
"We have probably 30 different countries represented in the exhibition and we have 19 different countries represented in the room," Aultz said.
Aultz sees the enthusiasm for the most wonderful time of year shared by different cultures.
"People that come and say 'I would love to share those Irish traditions' or 'I would love to share those Filipino traditions,' and so that's been really rewarding to work with those different groups," Aultz said.
Iuliia Grytsyk is Ukranian and decorated a tree for the exhibit.
"The part of the Christmas celebration that I remember the most, post old Soviet Union times when people struggled with finding original decorations, things like that. That's why we added many dried nuts, dried fruits and everything that was very handy. It was always part of the religion," Grytsyk said.
Grytsyk believes Ukraine has customs that share similarities with other places.
"A lot of things were handmade, they were done, kids will get together, glue together little pine cones, little nuts, there are many embroidered things that are behind me, like embroidered towels, that was part of the Christmas also," Grytsyk said.
Aultz hopes these decorations show a mutual love for the holidays, but she also shares another sentiment.
"The pride in sharing it and the eagerness to learn about the others, I think that's been universal. Everybody wants to learn about everybody else and everybody wants to share that information," Aultz said.
"We can always learn a lot from each other's culture, remembering our history and moving those traditional things from year to year is a great thing," Grytsyk said.
The exhibit goes until Jan. 14. Chinese New Year decorations will be up until Feb. 1. Tickets are $8.00 for adults and $3.50 for children.
Download our apps today for all of our latest coverage.
Get the latest news and weather delivered straight to your inbox.
