Show Foreign Students Tell of Religions by Don Gerrard Tech Topics Editor Christmas means A midnight feast with thirteen desserts a thirty day fast and an all night meal to four Trade Tech students The students Jacques Grossi printing Provence France Abdul Zahir commercial art Kabul Afghanistan Preecha Vors- Vors auto mechanics Chach- Chach Thailand and Vee singh auto mechanics Bangkok Thailand bring different traits to Christmas as the students of Trade Tech know it For Jacques Christmas in his homeland includes a round of merry-making merry before midnight mass After the services the Christmas meal is served sometimes sometimes sometimes some some- times lasting till morning The custom custom custom cus cus- tom of Provence France has 13 desserts each one different This is why it sometimes takes all night to finish the meal says Jacques Besides the meal the folks in his hometown recreate the birthplace birthplace birthplace birth birth- place of Christ in their homes Each family builds a e to a nativity scene It Itis Itis Itis is constructed on a large table in inthe inthe inthe the family living room with surroundings surroundings surroundings sur sur- native to that section of Provence Since it rarely snows in Provence Provence Provence Pro Pro- vence says Jacques we ve use J moss for the background N Near ear the town to of Les Baux the scene is reenacted by the townsfolk on their way yay to mass Abdul Zahir as is the custom of the Moslems of Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghanistan Afghan Afghan- fasts for a thirty-day thirty period During this period no food or water vater is consumed between the hours of sunup and sundown sundo At the end of the fast each person person person per per- son sports new nev wearing apparel The purpose purpose of the fast in our religion says Abdul is to acquaint acquaint acquaint ac ac- ac- ac quaint everyone with the suffering across the world due to famine and Abdul whose first name is as common in his country as John is here spent last Christmas in Ardmore Oklahoma He was a foreign exchange student undergoing undergoing under under- going pilot training He has since decided in favor of an art career caneer er erand and is enrolled in the commercial arts class two Twenty year old Preecha V and Vee both of Thailand have a Christmas exactly like ours with the exception exception exception tion of the time They have the traditional turkey meal replete with trimmings tree and jolly St. St Nick I In n Thailand many families invite invite invite in in- vite the families of Americans into their homes to share in the festivities Servicemen who vho are unable unable unable un un- un- un able to be at home for the holidays are called upon to join the Thail- Thail anders in their meals The meal is normally held in inthe inthe inthe the late evening and lasts through the night for many of the families families families fam fam- state the two VO students Preecha enrolled in the auto mechanics class this September and attended East High last year to obtain his scholastic re re- qU Vee has been in America for four years and is in his second year of auto mechanics |