Decorations Reflect Ethnic and Religious Traditions

Reflecting Chicagoland’s ethnic diversity, holiday trees and cultural displays decorated and mounted by some 90 religious and ethnic groups are on display through the holiday season in the office of Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.

This is the 11th year of “Holiday Trees from Around the World,” a display for public viewing to January 9, 2015, in Room 112 of the Cook County Building, 118 N. Clark St., Chicago.

Sponsoring groups and individuals decorated three-foot-high Christmas trees in ways that show their own cultural traditions. In addition, displays from African American, Hindu and Jewish traditions and a Christian Nativity scene stand on counters through the Treasurer’s Office.

Pappas noted that with the traditional ornaments and tinsel, the trees have animals, flowers, fruit, balls, candles, plates, boats, stars and flags.

“These trees and cultural displays show the great diversity of Cook County, one of the nation’s most diverse regions,” Pappas said. The countries and traditions represented include:

African American, Albania, Armenia, Assyrian, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Canada-Quebec, Carpatho-Rusyn, China, Colombia, Cornwall, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala.

Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, India Catholic, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, Native American, Nepal, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Senegal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, Uruguay, Vietnam, Wales, Barbie.