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Living in the light Three religions will offer glimpses of their beliefs for the crowds visiting the Honolulu City Lights extravaganza, which opens tonight on the Honolulu Hale grounds.
Three religions will offer a look at
their values in the Honolulu City
Lights exhibit, which opens tonightBy Mary Adamski
madamski@starbulletin.comThere will be a Christmas Nativity scene, a Jewish menorah and a Baha'i pavilion honoring the diversity of world religions in an area set aside for private displays.
Unlike other American cities where the traditional Nativity scene has been banished from public property, Honolulu reached an accommodation with critics who objected that a Christian display violated the constitutional mandate against fostering religion. A lottery is held annually, open to nonprofit organizations, to fill the five 20-by-20-foot exhibition spots just Koko Head of Honolulu Hale.
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The two other holiday displays this year are by Kamaaina Kids, an agency that runs 10 preschools and 36 A+ after-school programs, and Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbians and Gays of Oahu, an advocacy group.Chuck Gooch described the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church display as "a Nativity scene with a slightly different twist." Cartoon characters of a camel and a mouse will lead people to circle the rough shed where cutout figures depict the story of Jesus' birth in a stable.
"The story line has the camel telling what it would be like to become a mouse, going from greatness to something so small and helpless. It's intended to draw a parallel with how God became man in the person of Jesus," said Gooch. He and his mother, Janelle Dryden, led the church team in creating the display, which aims to inform people who are not familiar with the story of the first Christmas.
Jesus is one of the historical religious figures represented by nine pavilion pillars in the exhibit by the National Spiritual Assembly of Baha'is in Hawaii. Also named are Buddha, Krishna, Abraham, Moses, Mohammed and Zoroaster. Baha'u'llah, a Persian nobleman who founded the Baha'i faith in the mid-1800s, and the Bab, his precursor, are also memorialized.
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"Our teachings tell us that there have been messengers from God as long as there has been a creation," said Lynn Ellen Hollinger. "The point of the whole thing is that all of these manifestations come from the same God. ... They are all valid, the teachings different according to the age and capacity of the people they were teaching."So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth" is the theme of the display, which also includes a plot of multicolored flowers representing "the garden of humanity. We preserve our diversity within our unity ... all kinds of images and parables that refer to the greater beauty of the multicolored group," Hollinger said.
The third religious display will not be erected until Dec. 9, the beginning of the Jewish Festival of Lights. Chabad Lubavitch of Hawaii will raise a tall menorah and stage a small party as a new candle is lighted nightly during the eight days of Hanukkah.
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"The message of the menorah is for all mankind, signifying religious freedom and tolerance," said Pearl Krasnjansky. "It has special meaning this year. The very essence of why foes attacked us was their intolerance. America is the symbol of liberty and tolerance, right over might we believe that."Most Jews celebrate Hanukkah with family gatherings, marking the victory of Hebrew freedom fighters over Assyrian conquerors, and reclamation of their temple, which had been defiled.
Krasnjansky said the Chabad organization "celebrates in a public fashion internationally" and has done so in Hawaii for 14 years. "The basic ideology is that doing good brings spiritual light to the world."
Children from toddlers to first-graders made ornaments for the carousel built by the Kamaaina Kids agency for its own display of diversity. "The theme is 'What does Christmas in Hawaii mean to you?' and the kids came in with a whole bunch of ideas," said Randy Shiroma, marketing director for Kamaaina Kids.
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The carousel includes Santa Claus in a canoe and, on the other side, a Nativity scene."All You Need Is Love" is spelled out on large gift boxes that encircle a Christmas tree in the PFLAG display. The internally lighted tree silhouette is made of multicolored cloth reflecting the rainbow flag, which is a gay pride emblem. "Every family gathering, regardless of the reason for celebration, needs to be open and loving with all family members," said Carolyn Golojuch. "Love within families needs to be open, honest and accepting of all family members."
Missing this year is a Buddhist display that has been shown at the Honolulu City Hall grounds since 1995. The scene of Buddha sitting beneath a bodhi tree when he achieved enlightenment will be on display through December on the grounds of Mililani Hongwanji Mission at 95-217 Kaloapau St. The mission entered a bid but did not get picked in the lottery, said the Rev. Akinori Morii.
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