Happy Holidays in Pittsburgh

<i> THIS PROGRAM IS PART OF WQED'S PITTSBURGH HISTORY SERIES.</i> Sebak: AT THE END OF EVERY YEAR, AS THE DAYS GROW SHORT, THE WORLD AROUND PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, CAN SEEM GLOOMY AND BLEAK. AS THINGS TURN COLD, PEOPLE HERE, AS EVERYWHERE IN THIS PART OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE, RUN THE RISK OF TURNING GRAY, AFRAID THAT LIGHT AND WARMTH MAY NEVER COME AGAIN. Man: ♪ DECK THE HALLS WITH BOUGHS OF HOLLY... ♪ Sebak: BUT SINCE ANCIENT TIMES, PEOPLE HAVE WORKED AND PARTIED HARD TO FIGHT THE DARKNESS. PEOPLE USE LIGHTS AND CELEBRATIONS, DECORATIONS AND FAMILY GATHERINGS, TO BRIGHTEN THE EARLY WINTER NIGHTS. MY DAD SAID THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS AN UGLY GIRL OR AN UGLY CHRISTMAS TREE. WE SAW THE DOWNTOWN LIGHTS. IN THOSE DAYS, DEPARTMENT STORES HAD WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL WINDOWS IN THEM. Sebak: AND AT LEAST SINCE EUROPEANS AND OTHER NONNATIVES STARTED STAYING IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, THE ARRIVAL OF WINTER HAS BEEN BRIGHTENED BY A VARIETY OF CULTURAL ACTIVITIES. I REMEMBER THAT MY GRANDMOTHER USED TO GIVE US UNDERWEAR AND SOCKS. WE JUST PUT UP A TREE IN OUR HOUSE, AND JUST KIND OF -- JUST GO WITH THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT. GIFTS, FOOD, AND FUN -- YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? WHEN WE WERE KIDS, AND THE HOUSE STARTED TO SMELL LIKE FISH, WE KNEW CHRISTMAS WAS COMING. [ LAUGHS ] Sebak: WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE DO IN THE PITTSBURGH AREA TO OBSERVE HOLY DAYS AND TO HELP BRIGHTEN THE LONG NIGHTS AS ONE YEAR ENDS AND THE NEXT BEGINS... AND NOT JUST CHRISTMAS STUFF. THERE'S HANUKKAH AND KWANZAA, AND, AT THE START OF THE 21st CENTURY, RAMADAN FELL AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, TOO. SO, WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT A LOT OF ACTIVITIES CONNECTED TO THIS TIME OF YEAR. WE'LL CHECK OUT SOME HISTORY AND A FEW TRADITIONS. IT'S A BIG TRADITION JUST TO WAIT IN LINE. I DON'T THINK PITTSBURGH REALIZES WHAT A TREAT IT IS TO HAVE THIS ARTIFACT ON VIEW EVERY YEAR. Sebak: AND WE'RE GOING TO CALL THIS PROGRAM "HAPPY HOLIDAYS IN PITTSBURGH." NOW, OBVIOUSLY, WE CAN INCLUDE ONLY A SAMPLING OF THE ZILLIONS OF THINGS THAT ARE DONE AT THIS TIME OF YEAR. BUT WE ALWAYS HOPE THAT THERE WILL BE MORE SHOWS LIKE THIS ONE BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A GREAT TIME OF YEAR IN SPITE OF THE SHORTENED DAYS. IT'S JUST A NICE TIME WHEN IT'S DARK AND IT'S COLD OUTSIDE IN THE WINTER TO LIGHT A CANDLE. Sebak: AND THERE'S PLENTY TO SEE AND DO ALL AROUND THE CITY. IT SHOULD BE SNOWIN'! Sebak: THIS WQED SPECIAL WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY A GRANT FROM THE BUHL FOUNDATION, SERVING SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SINCE 1927. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT WAS PROVIDED BY THE HENRY L. HILLMAN FOUNDATION, THE TIPPINS FOUNDATION, AND, OF COURSE, BY YOU AND OTHER GIFT-GIVING MEMBERS OF WQED. Sebak: REALLY THE THING THAT OFFICIALLY KICKS OFF THE CITY'S HOLIDAY SEASON IS LIGHT UP NIGHT -- ALWAYS A FRIDAY EVENING IN NOVEMBER, BEFORE THANKSGIVING, ORGANIZED BY THE PITTSBURGH DOWNTOWN PARTNERSHIP. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE COME TO THE DOWNTOWN AREA TO SEE ALL THE BUILDINGS LIT UP, TO MINGLE WITH CROWDS, TO HEAR PERFORMERS, AND TO SEE SOME OF THE HOLIDAY DECORATIONS... MAYBE SOME BRIGHT SURPRISES. [ CROWD CHEERING ] THE GIANT TREE DECORATION ON THE CORNER OF STANWIX AND PENN IS OFFICIALLY CALLED THE UNITY TREE, BUT LOTS OF PITTSBURGHERS STILL CALL IT THE HORNE'S TREE AFTER THE OLD DEPARTMENT STORE THAT WAS IN THAT BUILDING UNTIL 1995. HORNE'S BEGAN THIS WHOLE BIG-TREE-ON-THE-CORNER TRADITION IN 1953, AND THERE'S BEEN ONE HERE EVERY YEAR SINCE EXCEPT FOR 1978 WHEN, TO SAVE ENERGY, IT DIDN'T GET PUT UP. BUT LIGHT UP NIGHT IS ALSO WHEN THE TREE OF LIGHTS IN POINT STATE PARK IS TURNED ON, A HOLIDAY GIFT FROM DUQUESNE LIGHT. AND ALL THE ACTIVITIES ARE CAPPED BY FIREWORKS, BRINGING LIGHT TO THE DARKNESS, TOO. ACTUALLY, AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, WHENEVER THERE'S AN EVENT OR A PARADE -- LIKE THIS COMMUNITY CELEBRATION IN GREENFIELD -- YOU'RE LIKELY TO FIND FIREWORKS EXPLODING AT SOME POINT OR ANOTHER. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Sebak: ALSO FOR LIGHT UP FESTIVITIES IN USX PLAZA, A BIG MANGER SCENE IS INSTALLED EVERY YEAR. IT'S A DUPLICATE OF THE BIG ONE IN THE VATICAN, CREATED BY THE SAME ARTIST. NOW, THERE ONCE WAS A MUCH SMALLER MANGER SCENE DOWN THE STREET IN THE ALLEGHENY COUNTY COURTHOUSE, BUT IN 1989, THE U.S. SUPREME COURT RULED AGAINST THAT RELIGIOUS DISPLAY ON PUBLIC PROPERTY, SO THIS BIGGER, IMPORTED ONE ON PRIVATELY OWNED SPACE IS AN IMPRESSIVE REPLACEMENT -- ALTHOUGH SIZE REALLY DOESN'T MATTER. IN FACT, SMALLER FIGURES CAN BE REALLY BEAUTIFUL, TOO. IN OAKLAND, AT THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART, ELISABETH AGRO IS A CURATOR WHO EVERY YEAR HELPS SET UP AND TAKE CARE OF THE BEAUTIFUL MINIATURE ITALIAN VILLAGE THAT INCLUDES MARY, JOSEPH, AND THE BABY JESUS AMONG LOTS OF OTHER FIGURES. Agro: IT'S CALLED A NEAPOLITAN PRESEPIO, AND THE PRESEPIO HAS A LONG TRADITION DATING BACK TO, I THINK, 356 C.E., WHEN THEY DECIDED TO HAVE THE FIRST CELEBRATION OF THE FEAST OF THE CHRIST CHILD. AND THEN AROUND 1254, ST. FRANCIS SORT OF POPULARIZED THIS IDEA OF THE CELEBRATION. IN THE 18th CENTURY, AND ESPECIALLY IN ITALY, IT'S WHEN ITS GOLDEN AGE, AND THIS IS THE RESULT, BASICALLY, OF THAT PERIOD. THESE FIGURES DATE FROM 1700 TO 1830, AND THEY'RE ALL MADE IN NAPLES. YOU FIND THESE SORT OF PRESEPIOS -- "PRESEPI" IS THE PLURAL -- THROUGHOUT EUROPE, BUT I WOULD SAY NAPLES IS SPECIFICALLY KNOWN FOR THEM, AND THROUGHOUT ITALY. IT'S AN ITALIAN THING, ALTHOUGH OTHER CULTURES DO MAKE THESE NATIVITY SCENES. Sebak: THIS ONE IS THE BIRTH OF CHRIST AS THOUGH IT HAPPENED IN 18th-CENTURY NAPLES. Agro: OUR CURATOR IN '56, HERBERT WEISSBERGER, WAS CONTACTED ABOUT A MAN NAMED CATELLO IN NAPLES WHO HAD THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF PRESEPI FIGURES AND WANTED TO SELL THEM. HE PROBABLY HAD LIKE, YOU KNOW, 12 MARYS, AND A BUNCH OF JESUSES, AND 3,000 TAVERN PEOPLE, AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF ANIMALS. AND WHAT HE DID WITH US WAS SEND OVER BLACK-AND-WHITES OF THE VARIOUS FIGURES IN STRIPS, AND THEN WE CHOSE WHICH ONES WE WANTED BY MARKING AN "X," AND SO WITH THE KIND GIFT OF THE WYCKOFFS WHO PUT UP THE MONEY, WE PURCHASED 117 FIGURES AND TWO SET PIECES TO CREATE THIS WONDERFUL THING. IT WAS PUT ON DISPLAY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 1957. Sebak: THESE FIGURES ARE ALL REMARKABLY REALISTIC. Agro: AND THERE'S, OF COURSE, THE VILLAGE FOLK AND THE PEASANT FOLK AND THE SHEPHERD FOLK, AND, OF COURSE, THERE'S THESE WONDERFUL TURKISH MUSICIANS. AND, UM, WHO ELSE? WE HAVE A FISHERMAN. SO EVERYONE HAS A JOB, SO TO SPEAK. I MEAN, I THINK ANYONE WHO MIGHT BE ITALIAN COULD LOOK AT THAT CHEESE SECTION AND FIGURE OUT WHAT EACH CHEESE IS. Sebak: THE OLDEST FIGURES FROM AROUND 1700 ARE LIKE STATUES WITH SCULPTED CLOTHING. THE FIGURES FROM ABOUT 1715 ON ARE MORE LIKE DOLLS WITH CLOTH COSTUMES. HERE'S AN ANGEL THAT WE HAVE, AND WHAT THE VACCARRO BROTHERS DID WAS THEY DEVELOPED THIS SYSTEM WITH JUTE CHORD, AND INSIDE IS A WIRED SYSTEM THAT ALLOWS YOU TO ROTATE THE ARMS... AND THE LEGS... SO THAT YOU CAN ANIMATE THEM OR MAKE THEM SEATED OR STAND, THEN WHAT THEY DID WAS THEY MADE A TERRA-COTTA HEAD WITH A BREAST PLATE AND ATTACHED IT VIA THESE HOLES, AND THIS IS AN ANGEL, SO IT HAS TWO SETS OF HOLES THAT YOU ALLOW TO ATTACH WINGS. I HAVE A WING RIGHT HERE. THAT ALLOW US TO STICK THE WING IN SO YOU CAN GET THE EFFECT OF AN ANGEL IN FLIGHT. THE EYES ON THE FIGURE ARE GLASS SO THEY REALLY LOOK QUITE REAL. ITS FACE, AS YOU CAN SEE, IS QUITE BEAUTIFUL. I MEAN, IT'S VERY MUCH AN 18th-CENTURY THING. I MEAN, IF YOU THINK ABOUT PAINTINGS OF THAT PERIOD, THEY HAVE THAT LOOK, YOU KNOW. YOU CAN SEE THIS ANGEL IS BLOWING IN THE WIND 'CAUSE ITS HAIR IS FLUFFED. IT'S QUITE A WONDERFUL THING. AND THEY'VE PUT SOME PINK ON HIS SHOULDERS. THEY LOOK ALIVE WHEN THEY'RE OUT THERE. Sebak: ELISABETH SAYS THE CARNEGIE'S COLLECTION HERE IS RIVALED IN AMERICA ONLY BY THE PRESEPIO AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM IN NEW YORK. Agro: THEIR COLLECTION WAS ALSO FROM MR. CATELLO. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO IS THEY HAVE A FEW MORE FIGURES. BUT WE HAVE SOME FIGURES THAT THEY WOULD COVET IN A SECOND. AND I'VE SPOKEN TO THE CURATOR THERE, AND WE'VE, YOU KNOW, "OH! IF I COULD ONLY HAVE YOUR LITTLE MUSICIANS," AND, LIKE I SAID, THEIR ANGELS ARE THE BEST, BUT THEY ARE ON PAR WITH EACH OTHER. WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE HERE IN PITTSBURGH TO HAVE SUCH A TREASURE. I THINK IT ALSO IS KIND OF NICE THAT WE'RE HERE IN THE HALL OF ARCHITECTURE, AND SAINT-GILLES -- THE PLASTER CAST OF SAINT-GILLES IN FRANCE -- IS BEHIND IT, AND ALTHOUGH THE DATING IS OFF, IT STILL GIVES IT A SENSE OF A VERY OLD AND EUROPEAN KIND OF FEEL TO IT. BUT IT DOES, IT GIVES IT A NICE BACKGROUND. Sebak: AND, EVERY YEAR, JUST AFTER THANKSGIVING, ONCE THE PRESEPIO IS UP, EVERGREEN TREES ARE BROUGHT IN. Agro: THESE TREES ARE -- THEY'RE A GIFT OF THE WOMEN'S COMMITTEE. THEY PUT THEM IN THE BACK OF THE PRESEPIO, SORT OF TO GIVE IT SOME GREENERY AND MAKE IT SEASONAL. Sebak: THE SEASONAL TREES INCLUDE FIVE GIGANTIC ONES THAT ARE DECORATED BY SEVERAL COMMITTEES FROM THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART'S HISTORIC WOMEN'S COMMITTEE, AND THEY ALWAYS INVITE FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO COME FOR FIRST LOOK. MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW CALLED THE OTHER DAY, AND SHE SAYS, "ARE WE GOING?" I SAID "SURE, WE'RE GOING." AND SHE SAID, "IT STARTS THE SEASON!" THIS IS THE PREVIEW PARTY OF THE CHRISTMAS TREES, AND PITTSBURGH IS HERE. AND WE MADE ALL THE HORS D'OEUVRES OURSELVES, JUST US. ONE TIME WE HAD SOMEBODY ELSE DO IT, A CATERER, AND PEOPLE HAD A FIT. I UNDERSTAND THAT A LONG TIME AGO THERE WERE AS MANY AS 20 TREES THAT WERE PUT UP, BUT THEY WERE, OF COURSE, NOT AS LARGE AS THE ONES WE SEE NOW, NOW THERE ARE ONLY THESE FIVE ENORMOUS TREES. NORMALLY YOU HAVE A CHRISTMAS TREE THAT'S ONLY LIKE MAYBE 5 FEET, 4 FEET, 6 FEET. WELL, THESE ARE TYPICALLY 25 FEET. IT TOOK ABOUT 10 MEN TO DRAG ONE TREE IN. YOU CAN'T TAKE YOUR REGULAR LITTLE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS AND PUT THEM ON THESE TREES. YOU'VE GOT TO THINK BIG! IT TAKES ABOUT THREE DAYS -- THREE TO FOUR DAYS. PUTTING THE TREES UP THEMSELVES ARE VERY COMPLICATED. BRING IT DOWN. Man: COMIN' DOWN? YEAH. READY? Sebak: AND EVERY YEAR, THE DECORATIONS FOLLOW A THEME. ONE YEAR, IT MIGHT BE BROADWAY MUSICALS OR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE OR CHRISTMAS THROUGH THE WORLD. WE DID THE MILLENNIUM ONE YEAR. WELL, I THINK THERE'S A SECRET COMMITTEE, AND THIS SECRET COMMITTEE COMES UP WITH A THEME. LAST YEAR WE DID "GOODNIGHT MOON," AND I WENT HOME AND MADE THE BUNNY, GOT THE BED, MADE THE OTHER STUFF. IT WAS FUN. WE DECIDE IN MAY, START MAKING THE DECORATIONS IN JUNE, WORK ALL SUMMER AND IN THE FALL -- AS LONG AS WE HAVE TO, WE WORK. THIS ONE, WE JUST KEPT RIGHT ON WORKING BECAUSE WE NEVER GOT FINISHED. Sebak: THE TREES ARE SO TALL THAT LIGHTING AND DECORATING ARE BIG JOBS. WELL, THERE'S SCAFFOLDING. WE HAVE THE FINE ARTS WORKSHOP GUYS AND THE ELECTRICIANS FROM THE CARNEGIE MUSEUMS. AND THE MEN GET UP, AND THEY'RE SO PATIENT WITH US. WE SAY, "NO, AN INCH OVER HERE, DROP IT," AND THEY DO IT! EVERY YEAR THEY DO IT FOR US. AND THEY GET UP THERE, THEY'RE 25 FEET UP ABOVE THE GROUND, AND THEY RIG IT UP AND PUT THE LIGHTS ON, AND THEN WE PUT THE ORNAMENTS ON. WE DO THE BOTTOM PART. [ LAUGHS ] I THINK I'VE DONE 23 OR 25 TREES -- A PART OF, OR DESIGNED THE WHOLE THING, OR SOMETHING, AND THIS IS A GROUP FROM SEWICKLEY THAT DID THE "PETER PAN" TREE. I WAS ASKED TO JOIN ONE OF THE TREES, ON ONE OF THE COMMITTEES, AND I WAS HAPPY TO. I DIDN'T REALIZE THEY WANTED MY HOUSE TO DO THEM IN AT THE TIME, BUT INDEED. WELL, I'M HERE BECAUSE MY WIFE, AND, ACTUALLY, IN MY BASEMENT, THEY BUILT AND DESIGNED AND MADE ALL THE STUFF FOR THESE TREES. I LOVE WORKING ON THE TREES. I WAS BROUGHT IN BY FRIENDS TO START WORKING ON A TREE ONCE, AND I GOT HOOKED. [ LAUGHS ] I HELP THEM SOMETIMES BUILD SOME OF THE TOPS OF THE TREES, AND THIS YEAR I DID THE MAST FOR THE "PETER PAN" TREE. AND I DON'T GET INVOLVED. I SAY, "IF YOU NEED HELP, I'LL HELP YOU," BUT THIS IS THE LADIES' JOB, IT'S NOT MY JOB. THIS IS THEIR PROGRAM, AND THEY DO IT WELL. WELL, I'VE KNOWN ABOUT THE TREES ALL MY LIFE BECAUSE MY MOTHER WORKED ON THEM 30 YEARS AGO. SO I REMEMBER WATCHING THEM IN THE KITCHEN. WE SIT AROUND MY KITCHEN TABLE, AND WE WORK ON THE TREES, AND WE HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME. WE SNIP AT EACH OTHER, AND WE SNARL AT EACH OTHER, AND WE LAUGH, AND IT'S A WONDERFUL BIT OF COMRADERIE. NOW A LOT OF PEOPLE START WORKING ON THEIR TREES IN JUNE. I DON'T START UNTIL SEPTEMBER, BUT I THINK IT DEPENDS ON YOUR SCHEDULE. Sebak: THE TREES GO UP IN EARLY DECEMBER, AND THEY STAY UP TILL EARLY JANUARY. THE HALL OF ARCHITECTURE IS THE SITE FOR MANY CONCERTS AND OTHER PARTIES THROUGHOUT THE SEASON. IT'S JUST A BEAUTIFUL PITTSBURGH TRADITION. AND IT'S FUN. IT PUTS ME IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT. AND IT MAKES LOTS OF MONEY FOR THE MUSEUM, AND IT BRINGS PEOPLE TO THE MUSEUM WHO MIGHT NOT ORDINARILY COME, AND IT'S A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. OH, I JUST LOVE IT. MY SON SAID TO ME ONCE, "MOM, WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU DIDN'T DO A CHRISTMAS TREE?" UM, NOT MUCH. [ LAUGHS ] Sebak: WELL, AS DECEMBER STARTS, LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE PARTIES. OUT IN CHURCHILL, WE FOUND FAMILIES CARRYING CASSEROLES INTO THE BLACKRIDGE CIVIC CENTER FOR A SPECIAL GATHERING. IT'S CALLED A<i> JULETREEFEST --</i> A CHRISTMAS TREE PARTY. Woman: THIS IS OUR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY THAT WE HAVE FOR ALL THE SCANDINAVIANS IN PITTSBURGH AREA. IT BRINGS ALL PEOPLE WITH ANY ROOTS IN SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES -- DENMARK, FINLAND, NORWAY, SWEDEN -- IN TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS WHICH IS A REALLY IMPORTANT HOLIDAY FOR ALL SCANDINAVIANS. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF YOU'RE NORWEGIAN OR A SWEDE OR ICELANDIC PERSON OR A DANE OR A FINN. TOGETHER, WE JUST THINK WE'RE -- LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT'S FUN! BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY TIME WE GET REAL SCANDINAVIAN TREAT. LOTS OF PEOPLE MARRIED AMERICANS, AND THEY DON'T LIKE ALL THE STUFF WHAT WE MAKE. PEOPLE COME OUT OF THE WOODWORK FOR THIS. SO WHEN YOU COME HERE, EVERYTHING WHAT YOU'RE USED TO IN SCANDINAVIA IS HERE. Sebak: THE SCANDINAVIAN SOCIETY OF PITTSBURGH HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR OVER 20 YEARS. AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT, THERE ARE SOME UNUSUAL THINGS TO EAT AND DRINK. THIS IS THE HORS D'OEUVRES TABLE, ONLY IT'S NOT CALLED HORS D'OEUVRES. IT'S, UH, IT'S JUST SNACKS, IT'S THE APPETIZERS. PEOPLE HAVE GOT THEIR GLOGG, PEOPLE HAVE GOT THEIR SCHNAPPS AND BEER. THIS IS PICKLED HERRING. WE CALL IT<i> SIL.</i> WE EAT HERRING EVERY WAY. [ LAUGHS ] GLOGG IS -- ACTUALLY, IT'S A PRETTY SYRUPY-SWEET WINE DRINK. IT'S SERVED HOT, AND YOU JUST DRINK IT BY THE GALLON. THE YOUNG PEOPLE COME WITH THEIR PARENTS. AND USUALLY THEY QUIT COMING WHEN THEY GO TO SCHOOL, AND THEN, AFTER A FEW YEARS, WHEN THEY GET ADULTS, THEY COME BACK. [ LAUGHS ] Sebak: THE KIDS HERE TODAY -- AND EVERYBODY ELSE -- ARE EXCITED ABOUT THE PAGEANT OF SANTA LUCIA WHICH IS ALWAYS PART OF THIS PARTY. IN SWEDEN, OF COURSE, LUCIA IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT COMES AT THE DARKEST DAY OF THE WINTERTIME, AND HERE LUCIA BRINGS LIGHT. Woman: IT'S SORT OF A PAGAN TRADITION, A CELEBRATION OF LIGHT, IF YOU WILL. Woman #2: TRADITIONALLY, IT'S CELEBRATED ON THE 13th OF DECEMBER. Woman #1: EARLY MORNING, LUCIA WILL COME AND SING WITH HER MAIDS AND SING SOME OF THE SONGS WE DID. Man: IT'S KIND OF INTERESTING BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL SANTA LUCIA WAS AN ITALIAN. Woman #1: IT'S REALLY ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE ONE LUCIA, BUT BEING HERE WITH ALL THE LITTLE GIRLS WHO LIKES TO BE LUCIA, WE HAD MORE OF THEM. SHE IS THE MAID OF LIGHT. Man: BUT SHE BECAME POPULAR IN SWEDEN BECAUSE OF THE GREAT SONG, AND BECAUSE SHE WAS A BLOND BEAUTY, AND WITH THE CANDLES AND THE LIGHT... Woman #1: IT'S A VERY FAVORITE OF ALL SWEDES, JUST BECAUSE OF THE DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT AND THE SINGING, AND IT BRINGS VERY STRONG FEELINGS, TOO. Sebak: AND THERE ARE WONDERFUL SMELLS COMING FROM THE KITCHEN. OKAY, WE HAVE ALL THE HOT FOOD HERE PEOPLE BRING. IT'S LIKE A POTLUCK. YOU DON'T EAT THIS KIND OF FOOD EXCEPT ONCE A YEAR. HERE WE HAVE A HAM -- IT'S GETTING WARM. AND THEN WE HAVE A JANSON'S TEMPTATION DOWN THERE. JANSON'S TEMPTATION -- WHICH IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES -- A POTATO DISH WITH ANCHOVIES IN IT. Man: I DON'T GET IT AT HOME, SO... AND, OF COURSE, SCANDINAVIANS ALWAYS HAVE MEATBALLS. AND THEN THERE IS A TRADITIONAL FISH CALLED LUTEFISK. THIS IS LUTEFISK WHICH IS A FISH THAT IS... SMELLY. COOKED IN LYE. IT IS A TRADITIONAL SPECIALTY. YOU EITHER LIKE IT OR YOU DON'T. [ LAUGHS ] WHEN IT HAS BEEN IN THE LYE FOR "X" NUMBER OF WEEKS, THEN YOU PUT IT IN COLD WATER TO TAKE MOST OF THE LYE OUT. IT'S SOMETHING LIKE BACCALA. I LOVE IT. I HAPPEN TO LOVE IT. BUT IT HAS A PRETTY NONSPECIFIC TASTE. BUT IT'S WITH WHAT YOU PUT IT ON, AND THAT'S THE TEXTURE. Woman: IT'S LIKE JELLYFISH. <i> JA.</i> IT'S LIKE JELLYFISH, REALLY. YEAH. Sebak: EVENTUALLY, THE FISH AND ALL SORTS OF FOOD ARE PUT OUT ON A SORT OF SMORGASBORD. "SMORGASBORD" IS A SWEDISH WORD ACTUALLY. AND THIS IS<i> LEFSE</i> WHICH IS A NORWEGIAN PANCAKE WITH A FILLING INSIDE. SEE, A SMORGASBORD IS ONLY CHRISTMAS DINNER. THAT LITTLE THING IS A RUTABAGA PUDDING. THESE ARE HALF-PICKLED CUCUMBERS. I GET REAL PEEVED AT PEOPLE WHO HAVE SMORGASBORDS ALL YEAR ROUND BECAUSE THAT IS NOT SMORGASBORD. SWEDISH MEATBALLS WITH LINGON WHICH IS SOMETHING LIKE A CRANBERRY. AND SO THE SMORGASBORD FOODS ARE FOODS THAT CAN BE LEFT OUT ALL DAY, AND YOU JUST EAT AS YOU GET HUNGRY. [ UP-TEMPO ACCORDION MUSIC PLAYING ] Man: AND ON CHRISTMAS EVE, WHICH IS THE BIG PARTY HOLIDAY OVER THERE, THEY GET UP EARLY AND THEY EAT ALL DAY AND DANCE AND DRINK. AND AFTER DINNER, AFTER NIGHT FALLS,<i> TOMTE</i> COMES, FOR THE CHILDREN MOSTLY. HE'S<i> TOMTE.</i> <i> JULEN</i> IS SAID, DEPENDING ON WHAT COUNTRY YOU'RE FROM. IT'S NOT SANTA, BUT IT'S THE SAME ESSENTIAL CHARACTER. HE LOOKS MUCH THE SAME, BUT HE USUALLY HAS A GOAT WITH HIM. BRINGING PRESENTS THEY OPEN AS SOON AS THEY GET THEIR HANDS ON THEM. <i> GUD JUL!</i> THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. HAPPY NEW YEAR'S. [ SPEAKING SWEDISH ] Man: AND THEN EVERYBODY DANCES AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE, SO IT'S A GREAT TIME. I CAME FROM NORWAY. I GREW UP THERE. SO FOR ME IT'S EASY TO CONTINUE. FOR OTHERS, IT'S A WAY TO HAVE SOME TIES WITH WHERE THEY CAME FROM. Man: IT'S AN INTERGENERATIONAL THING. YOU SEE ALL THE KIDS RUNNING AROUND HERE, AND YOU HOPE THAT THEY WILL, AT SOME POINT IN THEIR LIFE, BEGIN TO GET ACTIVE IN THE ORGANIZATION AND CARRY ON THE TRADITION. Sebak: PASSING ON ETHNIC TRADITIONS IS A BIG ACTIVITY AT THIS TIME OF YEAR, ALL WRAPPED UP WITH HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS, LIKE THIS ONE PUT ON BY THE LATIN AMERICAN CULTURAL UNION CALLED LACU. Roman: WE HAVE THE MOTHERS PREPARE THOSE COSTUMES AND TEACH THEIR CHILDREN, YOU KNOW, HOW THOSE ARE BEING MADE AND THAT TYPE OF STUFF. WE HAVE GRANDMOTHERS THAT ARE BEHIND THE SCENES AND ALL THAT KIND OF THING, TRYING TO UNITE THE FAMILY AND REPRESENT THEIR CULTURE. Sebak: THIS LATIN-AMERICAN EVENT IS BEING HELD IN OAKLAND AT THE FRICK INTERNATIONAL STUDIES ACADEMY. WAYNE WALTERS, ORIGINALLY FROM ST. THOMAS IN THE CARIBBEAN, IS THE PRINCIPAL HERE. WE'RE HERE FOR THE FIESTA de NAVIDAD WHICH IS A CELEBRATION OF DIFFERENT CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS IN DIFFERENT LATIN-AMERICAN COUNTRIES. Woman: WE LOOK FORWARD TO IT THE WHOLE YEAR. Roman: EVERY YEAR, WE TRY TO SHARE OUR HOLIDAY TRADITIONS WITH THE PITTSBURGH COMMUNITY. WE WANT THE COMMUNITY TO KNOW WHO WE ARE, EXPRESS OUR CULTURE BY FOOD, DANCING, AND MUSIC, AND DIFFERENT TYPE OF ACTIVITIES. Sebak: MANY OF THE ACTIVITIES HERE HAVE BEEN ARRANGED BY JUANA ROMAN FROM PERU. SHE'S THE SOCIAL COORDINATOR FOR THE CULTURAL UNION. Roman: GENERALLY EVERY YEAR, WE TRY TO GATHER TOGETHER EVERY 200, 300 PEOPLE, AND THEY'RE VERY ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY. WE'RE CELEBRATING LIFE. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE DOING. Walters: WE'RE SIMPLY HERE AS A PARTNER TO OPEN UP OUR DOORS TO PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES, CERTAINLY FROM THE LATIN-AMERICAN CULTURE, AND SHOW HOW WE CAN PARTNER TO BENEFIT BOTH PARTIES. WE ARE VERY HAPPY THAT THE SCHOOL PROVIDED A SPACE FOR US. IT'S A WONDERFUL KITCHEN, AND WE HAVE THE AUDITORIUM. YOU KNOW, IT'S WONDERFUL. Roman: EVERYBODY ANTICIPATES THE FOOD, MAINLY BECAUSE THEY ARE BRINGING IT FROM SO MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. YES, FROM PERU AND MEXICO AND PUERTO RICO AND BRAZIL. YOU KNOW, FROM EVERY COUNTRY. Roman: THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF IT IN PITTSBURGH, BECAUSE YOU SEE A VARIETY OF PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT LATIN-AMERICAN COUNTRIES THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS WHEN YOU ARE IN LATIN AMERICA, YOU KNOW, TO MEET EVERYBODY. I HAVE SEEN, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT WE HAVE SOME TAMALES. YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE FROM MEXICO, AND THAT'S A VERY SPECIAL DISH, YES. AND ALSO THE DISHES THAT YOU SAW THAT SALOME WAS PREPARING. THAT'S ALSO A VERY SPECIAL DISH FROM PERU -- THE POTATOES MADE LIKE THE STYLE OF HUANCAYO. HUANCAYO IS A CITY IN THE ANDEAN REGION OF PERU. AND THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED<i> "PAPAS A LA HUANCAINA" --</i> POTATO DISH FROM HUANCAYO. AND IT'S MADE -- THE GREEN STUFF YOU SEE, THE GREEN COLOR, IS AN HERB CALLED HUACATAY THAT GROWS IN THE ANDES, AND I WAS ABLE TO BRING SEEDS FROM PERU, SO I'M GROWING IN MY YARD. IT GIVES A SPECIAL FLAVOR. Sebak: THE SPECIAL FLAVORS ALL END UP ON THE LONG BUFFET TABLE, BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO GET TOO STUFFED BECAUSE RIGHT AFTER DINNER, THE DANCING STARTS. [ LATIN MUSIC PLAYING ] Roman: THE DANCE PROGRAM IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART FOR US BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN EVERYBODY JUST FEELS THE BEAT, AND EVERYBODY WANTS TO GET UP AND DANCE. I KNOW IT'S SALSA MERENGUE, BUT, UM, DON'T ASK ME TO DO IT. Roman: IN THE BEGINNING WE'RE GONNA HAVE A CAMPESINO DANCE, AND THESE CAMPESINO DANCES COME FROM THE RURAL AREAS OF CUBA, SO, GENERALLY, YOU ARE MORE FAMILIAR WITH MONTUNO, CHA-CHA-CHA, AND ALL THOSE KIND OF STUFF, BUT THIS ONE IS A REALLY RURAL DANCE, AND IT'S MAINLY BEING DANCED BETWEEN A GRANDMOTHER, THE SON, AND GRANDCHILDREN. SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE THEM ALL IN ACTION, AND THAT'S HOW WE'RE GONNA OPEN THE NIGHT IN TERMS OF DANCES, THEN AFTER THAT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A CHILOé. THAT IS ALSO AN ANDEAN TRADITIONAL DANCE FOR THE HOLIDAYS IN CHILE. [ MARACAS CLACKING ] AFTER THAT COMES THE FLAMENCO. THE FLAMENCO DANCERS ARE COMING. THEY'RE GONNA DO RUMBA FLAMENCA. AND AFTER THAT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A DEMONSTRATION OF TANGO, OF CLASSICAL TANGO. AND, UH, JUST TO FINISH WITH EVERYTHING, WE'RE GONNA HAVE SANTA CLAUS, BECAUSE THE KIDS LIVE IN AMERICA, THEY LOVE SANTA CLAUS. AND THEN, AFTER THAT, YOU HAVE THE BIG PIÑATAS THAT EVERYBODY THINKS THAT THEY ARE FOR BIRTHDAYS, BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY FOR CHRISTMAS, FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON. THAT'S GONNA BE OUR END OF THE EVENING. Sebak: THE EVENING MAY END, BUT THE DIVERSITY GOES ON. ON ONE SUNDAY IN EARLY DECEMBER, WHEN THE NATIONALITY ROOMS AT PITT HAVE THEIR OPEN HOUSE, IF YOU WALK INTO THE CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING, YOU MAY BE SURPRISED. Man: IT IS A SURPRISE BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY OTHER NATIONALITIES YOU DON'T THINK OF AS MAINSTREAM NATIONALITIES -- LIKE THERE ARE LOTS OF POLES IN PITTSBURGH, LOTS OF SLOVAKS, LOTS OF GERMANS, LOTS OF IRISH, BUT YOU FIND A LOT OF THE OTHER NATIONALITIES, AND IT'S REALLY GREAT TO HAVE THIS MIXTURE AND TO SEE THEIR PROGRAMS, TO SEE THEIR CULTURE. Langer: WE CALL IT A HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE BECAUSE EVERY NATIONALITY CELEBRATES CERTAIN HOLIDAYS, AND THEY DON'T ALL JUST CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS. SO WE CALL IT A HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE SO THAT EVERY ETHNIC COMMUNITY CAN PARTICIPATE. IN NOVEMBER, OUR HOLIDAY, DIWALI, JUST PASSED, THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS, WHICH IS LIKE THE INDIAN NEW YEAR. SO THAT WAS LIKE OUR -- LIKE, WE PUT UP LIGHTS ALL OVER OUR HOUSE AND PRAYED. ACTUALLY WE'RE THE POLISH ROOM COMMITTEE. I'M THE CHAIRMAN OF THE POLISH ROOM HERE AT THE UNIVERSITY, AND ALL OF THE TABLES HERE ARE BY PEOPLE WHO HAVE ROOMS IN THE UNIVERSITY. Sebak: THE ROOMS ON THE FIRST AND THIRD FLOORS HERE CELEBRATE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES' ARCHITECTURES AND CULTURES. Langer: EVERYBODY LOVES THEM WHO SEES THEM. AND WE ARE WORLD-KNOWN, NOT JUST KNOWN IN THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH. IN FACT, PEOPLE FROM OUT OF THE COUNTRY SOMETIMES KNOW MORE ABOUT THE NATIONALITY ROOMS THAN THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN PITTSBURGH. Sebak: WELL, ALL THE ROOMS HAVE BEEN DECORATED FOR VARIOUS HOLIDAYS, AND SUSAN LANGER, WHO'S IN CHARGE OF THE SPECIAL EVENTS HERE, SAYS THIS ONE'S THE BIGGEST. WE HAVE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 2,500 AND 3,500 PEOPLE WHO ATTEND THIS DAY, AND IT DEPENDS ON THE STEELER GAMES, OF COURSE. Man: IT'S GREAT FOR THE CITY. IT'S A FREE EVENT. IT'S GOOD TO HAVE PEOPLE COME AND SEE THE NATIONALITY ROOMS. AND IT'S WONDERFUL FOR THE WHOLE MULTICULTURAL CONCEPT. Woman: WE LIKE TO SEE ALL THE DIFFERENT CULTURES COME TOGETHER, AND IT'S REALLY NICE, ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF YEAR, FOR EVERYONE TO COME TOGETHER AND SHOW OFF WHAT THEIR CULTURE IS ALL ABOUT. Sebak: AND, AS USUAL, SOME OF THE BEST MANIFESTATIONS OF CULTURE ARE EDIBLE. THIS IS A<i> PACZKA.</i> IT'S A FILLED DOUGHNUT-TYPE OF CONCOCTION. I'M LOOKING FOR NUT ROLL, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH. GREEKS DON'T REALLY USUALLY MAKE THAT, SO WE ALWAYS LOOK FOR THINGS THAT OTHER CULTURES HAVE THAT WE ENJOY. WE'RE SELLING THE DIFFERENT POLISH HOMEMADE THINGS. WE HAVE KIELBASA -- THAT'S ALL GONE -- WELL, A COUPLE THERE. THE<i> PACZKI.</i> WE HAD TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF<i> CHRUSCIKI.</i> PITTSBURGH IS FULL OF HUNDREDS OF WONDERFUL ETHNIC NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES, AND THEY STILL PERPETUATE, AS MUCH AS THEY CAN, ALL OF THEIR HERITAGE. [ UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYING ] Sebak: THESE ARE THE GREEKS. Man: THERE ARE SOME TRADITIONAL DANCES JUST FOR CHRISTMAS OR NEW YEAR'S, BUT WE LIKE TO DO DANCES FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF GREECE, SO WE DO A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING. WE BELIEVE THAT THE GREEKS INVENTED DANCE. SO THEREFORE WE TRY TO PUT AS MUCH LIFE INTO IT. MOST OF OUR DANCES ARE PEOPLE HOLDING HANDS, SO EVERYBODY'S GOT TO HOLD ON, AND EVERYBODY'S GOT TO BE HAPPY, AND THE IDEA IS PROGRESS AND UNITY AND UNANIMITY OF OPINION. IT'S VERY DEMOCRATIC, IN ONE SENSE. Sebak: THE LINEUP HERE IS TOTALLY INTERNATIONAL, A UNITED NATIONS VARIETY IN ONE DAY. ONE OF THE MOST UNUSUAL GROUPS WAS A QUINTET OF SOUTH AMERICAN NATIVES WHOSE DANCE ORIGINATED IN THE 18th CENTURY. Man: WE ARE A PERUVIAN GROUP THAT WE REPRESENT A DANCE FROM THE CENTER PART OF PERU, IN THE HIGH MOUNTAINS. Sebak: THEIR JERKY MOVEMENTS ARE A MOCKERY OF EUROPEANS AS SEEN BY THE NATIVE SOUTH AMERICANS. IT'S A PARODY. Man: WE CALL IT IN SPANISH, IT'S A<i> PARODIA.</i> WHAT IT MEANS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN MAKE IN A LITTLE JOKE, YOU KNOW, ABOUT THE SPANISH BECAUSE THE SPANISH THEY DANCE WITH THE LADIES IN THIS WAY, BUT WE TRY TO DO THIS, AND WE EXAGGERATE IT. THE DANCE IS ALSO A CRITIC -- A VERY CRITIC TO THE SPANIARDS. AND WHEN YOU'RE USING A MASK, YOU ARE ABLE TO DO ANYTHING. NOBODY KNOWS WHO YOU ARE. BUT BEHIND THIS MASK, YOU HAVE A<i> MESTIZO --</i> "MES-TEE-ZO" --<i> MESTIZO</i> PERSON -- WHO ARE TRAINED TO IMITATE THE SPANIARDS. THAT'S IT. AND THIS IS ME. [ LAUGHTER ] ANOTHER<i> MESTIZO.</i> MY NAME IS MERCEDES, LIKE A MERCEDES-BENZ. I'M REED'S WIFE. GIVE AWAY MY FACE. HI. [ LAUGHS ] Sebak: SO WHAT WAS ONCE A DANGEROUS POLITICAL DANCE IS NOW A SORT OF FUN TRADITION. OH, YES, BECAUSE WE'RE DANCING AND GETTING -- WE LOSE A LITTLE WEIGHT, TOO. [ LAUGHTER ] AND THAT'S GOOD, TOO. Sebak: THERE IS SO MUCH TO SEE AND TASTE AND LEARN ABOUT SO MANY PEOPLES, ALL IN ONE GREAT HALL. Man: WE DO IT BECAUSE WE LOVE OUR CULTURE, WE LOVE OUR CUSTOMS, WE WANT TO KEEP THEM ALIVE. WELL, BECAUSE WE WANT TO PRESERVE OUR CULTURE, YOU KNOW. Man: I DO THIS BECAUSE IT'S AN IMPORTANT WAY TO GIVE BACK A LITTLE BIT OF THE HERITAGE THAT MY PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS TAUGHT US AS WE WERE GROWING UP, AND A WAY FOR US TO PRESERVE IT AND TEACH IT TO THE NEXT GENERATION. Sebak: THE PRESERVING OF HERITAGE IS ALSO OFTEN LINKED TO RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, AND EVERY YEAR IN SQUIRREL HILL, IN FRONT OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, THERE'S A SIDEWALK GATHERING AT SUNSET THAT STARTS THE JEWISH FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS KNOWN AS HANUKKAH, WHICH LASTS FOR EIGHT DAYS, NOW USUALLY IN DECEMBER, BUT SET BY THE ANCIENT LUNAR HEBREW CALENDAR. I WISH YOU HAPPY HANUKKAH. LOTS OF FAMILIES GATHER HERE TO OBSERVE THE OCCASION. I'D LIKE TO WELCOME EVERYBODY TO THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES FOR THE FIRST NIGHT OF HANUKKAH. OKAY? WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN IS WE'RE GOING TO SYMBOLICALLY LIGHT THIS BEAUTIFUL MENORAH UP HERE WITH A TORCH THAT SYMBOLICALLY COMES FROM ISRAEL. AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO SING THE BLESSINGS TOGETHER. Sebak: IT'S A COMMUNITY EVENT WITH A REAL FLAME CARRIED UP CLOSE TO THE MENORAH, BUT IT IS ALL SYMBOLIC BECAUSE THE 9 CANDLES HERE ARE ELECTRIC. THE FIRST LIGHT IS CALLED THE SHAMMASH, WHICH IS THE CANDLE THAT'S USED TO LIGHT ALL THE OTHERS -- ONE MORE EACH NIGHT. FAMILIES HAVE VARIOUS WAYS OF CELEBRATING EACH NIGHT. SOMETIMES WE HAVE A HANUKKAH PARTY ON HANUKKAH, AND SOMETIMES WE JUST GET PRESENTS AND LIGHT THE CANDLES. THERE'S 8 DAYS OF HANUKKAH. KNOCK ON THE DOOR. Sebak: ON THE 7th DAY, DAVID AND JANICE SILVERMAN IN CHURCHILL INVITED US TO THEIR PLACE. David: IT'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS. IT'S A GOOD TIME. IT'S A GOOD CELEBRATION. HAPPY HANUKKAH! HAPPY HANUKKAH! HAPPY HANUKKAH! David: IT'S SIMILAR TO CHRISTMAS, IT'S A TIME WHERE FAMILY AND FRIENDS GET TOGETHER AND ENJOY THEMSELVES. Janice: MY FRIENDS ARE NOT JEWISH, SO WE WANTED TO INCLUDE THEM, AND, YOU KNOW, A REALLY WONDERFUL EVENT FOR US. Sebak: THE SILVERMANS AND SOME OF THEIR GUESTS HAVE BROUGHT MENORAHS, AND EVERYONE GATHERS TO LIGHT THE CANDLES. THIS HOLIDAY ACTUALLY COMMEMORATES AN UNUSUAL EVENT IN 165 B.C. WHEN JEWISH WARRIORS BEAT AN OCCUPYING ARMY IN JERUSALEM. THEY THEN RECLAIMED AND REDEDICATED THEIR HOLY TEMPLE. THE WORD "HANUKKAH" MEANS "DEDICATION" IN HEBREW. AS PART OF THE REDEDICATION, THEY FOUND ONLY A SMALL AMOUNT OF HOLY OIL, BUT WHEN THEY LIT IT, IT AMAZINGLY BURNED AND GAVE LIGHT FOR 8 DAYS. AS A RELIGIOUS HOLIDAY, IT MAY NOT BE IN THE HIGH HIERARCHY. IT'S NOT LIKE YOM KIPPUR OR ROSH HASHANAH. BUT THIS IS MORE OF A JOYOUS HOLIDAY -- VERY FUN, A FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS. DID YOU BRING YOUR HOMEMADE APPLESAUCE? Sebak: OF COURSE, IT'S A FESTIVAL WITH FOODS, TOO. David: SOME OF THE TRADITIONAL FOODS ARE FOODS THAT ARE COOKED IN OIL, SUCH AS THE POTATO<i> LATKES,</i> OR POTATO PANCAKES. Janice: A TRADITIONAL<i> LATKE</i> IS JUST POTATO -- POTATO, ONION, EGG -- AND THEN YOU'D FRY IT. THEN YOU CAN GET MORE ELABORATE AND DO SWEET POTATOES, AND, LIKE I DID WITH THE MINI-ONES, INSTEAD OF SERVING WITH APPLESAUCE, YOU PUT SOUR CREAM AND CAVIAR, BASED ON THE TASTE AND WHAT THE KIDS LIKE AND WHAT YOU LIKE TO DO. Sebak: WELL, THE KIDS ARE ALREADY DOWN IN THE BASEMENT, AND WE ASKED ETHAN SILVERMAN TO SHOOT SOME VIDEO TO SHOW US WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE. Ethan: THEY'RE PLAYING DREIDEL. DREIDEL IS A GAME WHERE YOU PUT IN GELT. EVERYONE, PUT ONE IN. AND YOU SPIN A DREIDEL, AND THERE'S DIFFERENT LETTERS TO SEE WHAT YOU GOT. WHAT DID YOU GET? WHAT DID YOU GET? <i> GIMEL!</i> Sebak: IT'S AN OLD GAME OF CHANCE. THERE ARE HEBREW LETTERS ON THE FOUR SIDES OF THE DREIDEL, THE SPINNING TOP, AND EACH ONE HAS A MEANING IN THE GAME. IF YOU GET A<i> GIMEL,</i> YOU GET ALL THE GELT IN THE PILE. IF YOU GET A<i> HE,</i> YOU GET HALF OF IT. IF YOU GET<i> SHIN,</i> YOU HAVE TO PUT IN TWO. AND IF YOU GET<i> NUN,</i> YOU GET NONE. Sebak: THEY ANTE UP WITH WHAT LOOK LIKE SHINY GOLD COINS. Ethan: IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE MONEY, BUT IT'S CHOCOLATE -- KID MONEY, SORT OF. Sebak: ALL THESE KIDS ARE EXCITED BECAUSE THE GAME IS FUN, AND THEY KNOW THERE'S MORE TO THIS WHOLE HANUKKAH TRADITION. WELL, WE GET PRESENTS. David: TYPICALLY, EACH NIGHT, YOU GIVE A GIFT TO EACH OF THE CHILDREN. IT'S NOT AT ALL UNCOMMON FOR THE LAST NIGHT TO BE THE BIG GIFT. Sebak: BUT THIS WAS JUST THE 7th NIGHT. ON THE LAST NIGHT OF HANUKKAH, WE STOPPED IN AT TEMPLE SINAI ON FORBES AVENUE FOR THE BIG PARTY THERE ORGANIZED BY THE WOMEN OF THE CONGREGATION. THIS IS OUR ANNUAL HANUKKAH PARTY THAT WE RUN. IT'S A FAMILY EVENT. THE PARTY TONIGHT IS FOR FAMILIES -- KIDS AND THEIR PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS. Sebak: JAMES GIBSON IS THE SENIOR RABBI HERE. WE HAVE 200 PARENTS AND KIDS ALL RUNNING AROUND DOING ART PROJECTS, DOING PICTURE FRAMES. THIS SEEMS TO BE THE MOST POPULAR TABLE. THE KIDS ARE CREATING A HANUKKAH MENORAH OUT OF LifeSavers. SO THEY CAN EAT IT AS THEY'RE DOING IT. [ LAUGHS ] AND ALSO WE'RE MAKING WRAPPING PAPER TO WRAP OUR GIFTS. IT HAS TO BE SOMETHING FAST. PEOPLE ARE ENJOYING JUST BEING WITH THEIR KIDS AND CELEBRATING HERE AT THE TEMPLE SINAI FAMILY. AND WE'RE GOING TO LIGHT SOME CANDLES AND SING SOME SONGS AND EAT POTATO PANCAKES. 6, 8, 10. Sebak: AGAIN, THE HANUKKAH FOODS ARE OFTEN FRIED TO MAKE THAT CONNECTION TO THE ANCIENT STORY ABOUT THE OIL. Rabbi Gibson: A LOT OF PEOPLE IN ISRAEL EAT JELLY DOUGHNUTS CALLED<i> SUFGANIYOT,</i> WHICH ARE REALLY ALMOST DRIPPING WITH OIL. IT'S NOT OUR HEART-HEALTHIEST HOLIDAY, BUT IT IS CERTAINLY ONE OF OUR MOST FUN. CHILDREN HAVE TO BE REMINDED THAT HANUKKAH ISN'T JUST GETTING GIFTS. IT'S PART OF THE FUN OF COMMUNITY. Rabbi Gibson: LIGHT THE SHAMMASH FIRST. WE ASK EVERYONE TO BRING THEIR MENORAHS WITH THEM, SO THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF FIRE GOING ON IN THERE. IT SHOULD BE VERY BEAUTIFUL. Rabbi Gibson: AS WE PUT THEIR LITTLE HANDS LIGHTING THOSE CANDLES, THEY'RE MODELING -- THEY'RE INTERNALIZING -- SO THAT THEY CAN LEARN THE VALUES BY DOING NOT JUST BY RECITING A PRAYER OR A CREED. AND WE HOPE THAT THIS IS THE FOUNDATION -- THE BUILDING BLOCK -- FOR A NEW GENERATION OF COMMITTED JEWISH YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN. Sebak: THIS PARTY IS JUST ONE PART OF A TRADITION THAT COMMEMORATES THE ANCIENT VICTORY OF THE JEWS, THE RETURN TO THEIR TEMPLE, AND THE OIL THAT BURNED FOR 8 DAYS. Rabbi Gibson: IT'S A WONDERFUL LEGEND, BUT WE MUST NOT LET THAT OBSCURE THE REAL MEANING OF THE HOLIDAY, WHICH IS THAT THE FEW DEFEATED THE MANY, AND THERE WAS HOPE IN THE FACE OF DESPAIR, AND THAT WE GOT TO BE WHO WE ARE. AND EVER SINCE THEN WE'VE BEEN CELEBRATING HANUKKAH AS A TIME OF REDEDICATION OF OURSELVES. AND WE DO IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS WINTER WITH LIGHT AND WARMTH AND HOPE AND ALL THE WONDERFUL THINGS THAT DECEMBER HOLIDAYS HAVE. Sebak: LET'S FACE IT -- WONDERFUL LIGHT IS REALLY IMPORTANT AT THIS TIME OF YEAR. THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS. WE HAVE TWO GENERATORS IN HERE. Sebak: JIM BENTON IS AN ELECTRICIAN FOR ALLEGHENY COUNTY, AND FOR SEVERAL MONTHS EVERY YEAR, HE WORKS OUT HERE AT HARTWOOD ACRES, WHERE ECKERD DRUGS AND THE COUNTY'S DIVISION OF PUBLIC WORKS SET UP A HUGE LIGHT DISPLAY OVER THE HOLIDAYS. THIS IS 125. IT'S A PRETTY GOOD-SIZED GENERATOR. IT HAS TO BE TURNED ON THE SAME AS THE OTHERS. Sebak: JIM USUALLY WORKS WITH FLOYD ARGYLE, ANOTHER ELECTRICIAN, AND THEY TURN ON ALL THE POWER FOR THE LIGHTS. YOU HAVE A MAIN BREAKER IN THERE. TURN THEM ON. THIS IS A 400-AMP BREAKER THAT'LL SUPPLY ALL THE POWER OUT TO THE PANELS WE HAVE. EVERY DAY YOU HAVE TO GO AROUND AND FIRE UP ALL THE GENERATORS, TURN ON ALL THE PANELS. TO GET THE PLACE FIRED UP TAKES ANYWHERE BETWEEN A HALF-HOUR TO 45 MINUTES IF YOU HAVE NO PROBLEM -- WEATHER-RELATED. IF IT SNOWED, IT TAKES LONGER TO GET THEM FIRED UP. EVERY ONE OF THESE DISPLAYS GET RELAMPED. ALL BRAND-NEW BULBS -- THAT'S TOUGH. NOW, THE NEXT ONE GOES FROM HERE, ALL THE WAY ROUND THE BEND, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE FRONT. HE TAKES HALF THE PARK, I TAKE THE OTHER HALF, AND WE COME UP SLOW, AND WE LOOK AT EVERYTHING. IF SOMETHING'S OUT, WE GOT TO FIX IT. THAT'S THE WAY WE DO IT. WE USUALLY GOT THIS PLACE RUNNING PRETTY, YOU KNOW, UP IN THE HIGH 90s MOST OF THE TIME. IT'S A LOT OF WORK, YEAH. YOU GET TIRED OF IT. OH, YEAH. Sebak: BUT THESE LIGHTS ARE ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WHY PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THIS PLACE CALLED HARTWOOD ACRES. TOM DONATELLI, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS FOR THE COUNTY, KNOWS SOME HISTORY. IN 1967, THE LAWRENCE FAMILY DONATED THIS PARK LAND TO ALLEGHENY COUNTY, AND WHAT THEY ASKED US TO IS TO PRESERVE IT -- TO KEEP IT AS A -- SORT OF AS A NATURE CENTER. THE ONLY TIME IT'S NOT IS WHEN WE HAVE THIS LIGHT SHOW. Sebak: MICHAEL STEINMETZ, WHO DESIGNS THIS SHOW, KNOWS SOME HISTORY TOO. THE SHOW STARTED IN 1992, WHEN A GENTLEMAN BY THE NAME OF PAT DiCESARE, OF DiCESARE-ENGLER PRODUCTIONS -- HE APPROACHED JOE NATOLI -- AT THAT TIME JOE NATOLI WAS IN CHARGE OF COUNTY PARKS -- ABOUT THE IDEA TO DO THIS. AND THEY WERE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO GET THRIFT DRUG ON BOARD THAT YEAR AS A SPONSOR. I CAME ABOARD THE SECOND YEAR WITH THRIFT. AND SHORTLY AFTER THAT, ECKERD HAD BOUGHT THRIFT DRUG OUT, AND THEY PICKED THE PROGRAM UP, AND THAT'S WHEN THIS THING REALLY STARTED ACCELERATING. THIS SHOW IS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC. IT GOES TO CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS. Steinmetz: FROM START TO FINISH, IT'S A LITTLE OVER 3 MILES. WOW. HOW DO THEY GET ALL THOSE LIGHTS UP? SO IT'S A BENEFIT THAT I THINK PEOPLE COME BACK YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR. WE HAD ABOUT 100,000, 150,000 LIGHTS IN THE PARK, AND WE ALL THOUGHT THAT WAS PRETTY SPECTACULAR. WE'RE AT ABOUT 2.5 MILLION RIGHT NOW, SO IT'S COME A LONG WAY. Donatelli: I LIKE THE TUNNELS THAT FLICKER. WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THE TUNNELS, THEY'RE SOMEWHAT NICE. LOOK AT THE LIGHTS. Benton: OH, YEAH, YOU TALK TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE, EVEN YOUR FRIENDS -- HOW THEY LIKE IT. I LIKE A LOT OF IT, BUT AS LAYOUT DESIGNER, WHAT I CATCH MYSELF DOING EVERY YEAR IS I'LL LAY IT OUT, AND THEN I'LL LOOK AT IT ONCE IT'S LIT, AND I'LL SAY, "JEEZ, IF I WOULD HAVE DONE THIS OR IF I WOULD HAVE DONE THAT." I'M PRETTY CRITICAL OF MYSELF. BUT I THINK, FOR THE MOST PART, IT TURNED OUT REAL NICE THIS YEAR. Benton: EVERYBODY HAS DIFFERENT IDEAS, YOU KNOW. YOU SAY, "THIS ONE'S NICE, THIS ONE'S NICE." EVERYBODY HAS A FAVORITE. ME -- THAT TUNNEL RIGHT THERE. I DO THAT EVERY YEAR. I LIKE THAT. Steinmetz: WE PROBABLY HAVE A MILLION MINIATURE LIGHTS IN THE WOODS HERE. AND, YEAH, THAT'S VERY TIME-CONSUMING. NOT A LOT OF THE OTHER PARKS DO IT BECAUSE OF THAT, BUT I REALLY THINK IT ADDS A LOT TO THE SHOW. WHEN YOU COME THROUGH THIS PARK, IT'S CONSTANT ACTION. IT'S NO BIG PAUSE. YOU KNOW, MY MAIN JOB IS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYTHING THAT YOU SEE WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING THROUGH LOOKS GOOD OUT OF THE WINDSHIELD OF YOUR CAR. LOOK, THAT'S A DINOSAUR! Steinmetz: I'VE BEEN ALL OVER THE COUNTRY SEEING -- TO SEE A LOT OF PARKS, AND I THINK THAT THE FACT THAT THIS IS HARTWOOD ACRES, AND IT'S A BEAUTIFUL PARK BEFORE WE PUT LIGHTS IN IT, ACCOMPANIED BY THE QUANTITY OF LIGHTS, AND THE FACT THAT WE REALLY WORK HARD ON THE ANIMATION OF IT, I THINK REALLY SETS IT APART FROM THE REST OF THEM. WE HAVE PROBABLY ABOUT 40,000 TO 50,000 CARS GO THROUGH THE SHOW EACH YEAR. Steinmetz: I GUESS I WAS INSPIRED TO DO RED. I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT. I GET IDEAS THAT I JUST MAKE HAPPEN. RED SEEMED TO BE IT FOR THIS AREA THIS YEAR. THIS IS REALLY NICE WHEN THERE'S SNOW ON THE TREES AND EVERYTHING, AND A LOT OF PEOPLE TRY TO HOLD OFF UNTIL THERE IS SNOW. IT JUST LOOKS TOTALLY DIFFERENT WHEN THERE'S SNOW ON THE GROUND. Steinmetz: A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKE TO SEE IT WITH THE SNOW, BUT A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE WILL WAIT FOR IT TO SNOW, AND THEN A LOT OF TIMES WHEN IT DOES SNOW, IT'S SO ICY THEY CAN'T GET TO IT, SO I ALWAYS TELL EVERYBODY, "DON'T WAIT FOR THE SNOW. COME ON OUT." I LIKE TO LOOK AT IT IN THE SNOW. AND I LOVE TO SEE IT PACKED WITH CARS BECAUSE THAT MEANS THE CHARITIES ARE MAKING MONEY, AND THAT'S WHEN I LIKE TO SEE IT, TOO. CHRISTMAS EVE, EVEN THOUGH WE WORK HERE, WE END UP DRIVING THROUGH IT BECAUSE THEY STILL LIKE IT. BELIEVE IT OR NOT, YEAH. I SPEND MY CHRISTMAS HERE. I WORK HERE CHRISTMAS EVE. THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH. Steinmetz: WHERE YOU GONNA GO, SPEND AN EVENING WITH YOUR FAMILY IN YOUR OWN VEHICLE, DRIVE THROUGH, DONATE $10 FOR THE EVENING, AND THEN IT GOES TO CHARITY? I MEAN THAT'S JUST -- IT'S A GOOD THING. Sebak: IT<i> IS</i> A GOOD THING. AND LOTS OF PITTSBURGHERS LIKE LIGHTS ON THEIR OWN HOMES, TOO. SOME HOUSES END UP LOOKING LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A FAIRY TALE. THAT WAS MY 7-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER'S DECISION. SHE WANTED TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A GINGERBREAD HOUSE, AND FROM FAR AWAY, THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE. I BOUGHT IT, AND I HAD MY GRANDSON PUT IT UP FOR ME. AND THEN WHEN WE GOT THIS HOUSE, I SAID, "WELL, I GOTTA GO BONKERS ON THIS." THAT'S WHAT I DID. WE USED TO LIVE IN NORTH BRADDOCK. WE DID IT THERE, AND WE CONTINUED THE TRADITION. WITH THE HELP OF MY WIFE -- SHE'S THE ONE THAT GIVES ME A LITTLE PUSH, A LITTLE NUDGE. I ALWAYS LIKED DECORATING. I ALWAYS LIKED LIGHTS. NOW I HAVE A 3-YEAR-OLD GRANDDAUGHTER, MICHAELA, AND SHE LOVES LIGHTS, SO I FIGURED I'D JUST CONTINUE IT. MY WIFE AND I DO IT. WE LOVE TO DO IT. TO GET IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT. I THINK THE LIGHTS ARE BEAUTIFUL. BUT IT WAS A COOPERATIVE EFFORT. WE HAD NEIGHBORS COME BY, AND WE HAD TO LADDER UP TO THE PORCH AND THEN FROM THE PORCH ROOF UP TO THE PEAK. SHE TAKES CARE OF THE GROUNDWORK -- MOST OF IT -- AND I TAKE CARE OF THE HEIGHTS. I GO DOWN TO MY BUDDY'S HOUSE, BORROW HIS 32-FOOT LADDER, AND THEN I GET BUSY. SHE COMES OUT AND GOES, "I DON'T LIKE IT," SO I HAD TO CLIMB A LADDER AT THE TOP OF THIS CHIMNEY. I WAS SCARED TO DEATH. I REALLY WAS. AND I'LL TURN THEM OFF MAYBE, IT DEPENDS, SOMETIMES 11:00. IF MY WIFE'S HOME, THEY GO OFF AT 9:30. "THE ELECTRIC BILL'S GOING UP." I THINK WE STARTED SOMETHING HERE. THIS WHOLE STREET DIDN'T HAVE MUCH. I THINK WE STARTED A TREND, THOUGH, ONCE WE MOVED HERE. Sebak: WHY DO YOU THINK PEOPLE DO THIS? BECAUSE WE'RE PSYCHOS. I DON'T KNOW. FOR US, IT'S A BIG HOLIDAY-SPIRIT THING. AND WHAT WE'VE NOTICED IS EVERY YEAR IT'S NOT JUST US. I THINK IT'S THE GRACE OF GOD AND SOME OTHER THINGS, BUT SINCE WE STARTED TO DO THIS, THE WHOLE STREET STARTED TO DO IT. PEOPLE CALL ME "GRISWOLD" OR WHATEVER, BUT, UM, I'M REAL HAPPY WITH IT. I'M REAL HAPPY WITH IT. EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE I GOTTA SNEAK LIGHTS OUT BECAUSE MY WIFE GETS A LITTLE CRAZY. WE HAVE PEOPLE STOP. THEY LOOK. SOME PEOPLE WALK UP AND KNOCK ON THE DOOR AND ASK IF THEY CAN TAKE PHOTOS. IT'S NICE, THOUGH. PEOPLE WALK UP AND DOWN THE STREET AND JUST SAY, "THIS IS GORGEOUS. IT'S BEAUTIFUL," WHICH GIVES ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO RUN BACK IN THE HOUSE AND SAY, "TOLD YOU!" [ LAUGHS ] I PUT THE LIGHTS UP, AND I'VE BEEN HERE FOR 32 YEARS. NEIGHBORS -- THEY'RE ALL PRETTY RECEPTIVE, ESPECIALLY MY NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBOR, TOO. HE BOUGHT THE HOUSE OFF OF ME, SO I TOLD HIM, "YOU KNOW, THIS IS TRADITION. YOU GOTTA KEEP IT UP, YOU KNOW." WE SORT OF HAVE A LITTLE COMPETITION. SHE GIVES ME IDEAS, I GIVE HER IDEAS. WE'RE OUT, BOTH TOGETHER, WORKING ON THIS. NEXT YEAR I GOT A DIFFERENT PLAN, BUT I'M NOT TELLING FRANK. EVERY YEAR I SAY I'M NOT GONNA GET INTO IT TOO HEAVY, BUT THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT GOING INTO A WAL-MART OR A Phar-Mor AND SEEING CHRISTMAS LIGHTS THERE. THERE'S, LIKE, A LITTLE ADDICTION PROBLEM THERE. THIS MIGHT BE IT. WE'RE GONNA DO DIFFERENT THINGS NEXT YEAR, BUT NOT MUCH. LIKE I SAID, I ALMOST TOOK THEM DOWN TODAY, BUT I HAD TO GO OUT, SO THEY MIGHT STAY UP TILL RUSSIAN CHRISTMAS. Sebak: WELL, ONCE YOU'RE IN THE DECORATING MOOD AND THE OUTSIDE LIGHTS ARE UP, YOU'VE GOT TO START THINKING ABOUT A TREE. MERRY CHRISTMAS. AND IF YOU WANT A REALLY FRESH ONE, YOU MAY DECIDE TO CUT IT YOURSELF. ALAN DAMBAUGH AND HIS SON KEVIN HAVE A PLACE NORTH OF PITTSBURGH IN BEAVER COUNTY. IT'S CALLED LAKE FOREST GARDENS. MY MOTHER NAMED IT BACK IN 1939 WHEN MY MOTHER AND FATHER STARTED THE BUSINESS. WE'RE IN FOMBELL, PENNSYLVANIA, JUST A LITTLE WEST -- 4 MILES WEST OF ZELIENOPLE. WE'RE A WHOLESALE NURSERY. WE RAISE SHADE TREES, CHRISTMAS TREES, ORNAMENTAL EVERGREENS. OKAY. THIS IS COLORADO SPRUCE AND DOUGLAS FIR. Sebak: SELLING TREES IS THEIR FAMILY HOLIDAY TRADITION. YOU CUT YOUR TREE? YES. OKAY. THAT'S $37. I REMEMBER THE DAY THAT I GOT MARRIED, WE SAT IN THE BARN HERE ON THE 16th OF DECEMBER, AND THE GUYS WERE JAGGING ME. THAT WAS 34 YEARS AGO. Sebak: NOW ON ANY DECEMBER WEEKEND, THIS PLACE IS A MADHOUSE WITH TRACTORS AND WAGONS GOING TO AND FROM THE SURROUNDING FIELDS. Alan: WE TAKE THEM OUT IN THE FIELD, THEY CUT THEIR TREE, AND THEN WE BRING 'EM BACK IN. Kevin: EVERYBODY JUST LIKES THE WAGON RIDE. YOU LOOK AROUND FOR A TREE, TRY TO MARK ONE, 'CAUSE NORMALLY YOU FORGET ABOUT THEM OR CAN'T FIND THE ONES YOU LIKED AGAIN. OVER HERE! Alan: WE DON'T ADVERTISE A WHOLE LOT, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO PROMOTE A FAMILY EXPERIENCE, AND THAT'S WHAT IT IS. I MEAN, KIDS MAKE CHRISTMAS. OKAY, LET'S GET THIS ONE. WE HAVE DECIDED ON THIS TREE. I'M GONNA CUT IT DOWN NOW. I DON'T WANT TO DECIDE THAT ONE. THERE ARE OTHERS TO DECIDE. WE'RE GETTING THIS ONE. WE'RE HERE FOR OUR TREE. IT'S A FAMILY TRADITION. Man: IT WAS STARTED BY MY MOTHER-IN-LAW, SO NOW THAT SHE'S GONE, THE KIDS ARE STILL FOLLOWING THE TRADITION. Alan: PEOPLE LIKE TO CUT THEIR OWN TREE BECAUSE IT'S FRESHER. USUALLY WE PICK A TREE AT THE BARN AND THEN TAKE THE HAYRIDE. I HAVE MY KIDS HERE, MY BROTHER-IN-LAW, MY FATHER-IN-LAW, MY WIFE, MY NEPHEW. YOU KNOW, USUALLY THERE'S A LOT MORE OF US. THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR WE ONLY HAD TWO CARLOADS. AND SO WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR ABOUT 10 YEARS NOW. DO YOU WANT ME TO SAW? YEAH, HERE. YOU SAW. THEY'RE GONNA LOVE THIS. GET THIS ON FILM, GUYS. Alan: THEY GET TO PICK THE TREE THEY LIKE. I THINK WE FOUND ONE. WE'VE GOT A LEASH ON IT DOWN THERE IN THE FIELD. WHEN YOU HAVE THE WHOLE FIELD, IT'S A PSYCHOLOGICAL THING THAT YOU GET THE ONE THAT YOU LIKE. AND NOT EVERYBODY LIKES THE SAME TREE. YOU WANT IT DONE RIGHT? GET A WOMAN TO DO IT. YOU'RE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF AN OPEN FIELD. IT'S A LITTLE HARD. SOMETIMES THEY GET TOO BIG A TREE. LAST YEAR IT SCRAPED THE CEILING. WE HAD TO CUT THE TOP OFF. NOW IT'S TIME TO DRAG IT OUT OF HERE. Kevin: AND THEN WE'LL UNLOAD YOU AS YOU COME UP. WE'LL PUT THE TREE ON THE TREE SHAKER. WE'LL SHAKE ALL THE DEAD NEEDLES OUT AND GRASS AND DEBRIS. AND WE ALSO HAVE A HOWIE TREE BALER, WHICH PUTS THE STRING AROUND IT, SO IT'S MUCH EASIER TO HANDLE. Kevin: ACTUALLY, A LOT OF PEOPLE DO FORGET. YOU CAN PUT THE TREE RIGHT INTO YOUR HOUSE, BALED UP, AND IN THE TREE STAND. GET IT ALL STRAIGHTENED UP, AND THEN CUT IT OPEN AND YOU'RE READY TO GO. IT PUTS YOU IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT, YOU KNOW? CHRISTMAS IS A REAL EVENT. YOU GOTTA HAVE A REAL TREE. OH-HO! THERE YOU GO, YOU KNOW? MOVE RIGHT UP TO THE FRONT. [ ALL LAUGH ] Sebak: SO, THAT'S ONE WAY TO GET A TREE. YOU JUST HAVE TO HOPE IT DOESN'T FALL OUT OF THE TRUNK ON THE WAY HOME. BUT THERE ARE DECORATED TREES ALL OVER TOWN, AND THERE ARE NO RULES. IF YOU'RE IN THE SOUTH HILLS, HUNTING FOR SOME FINE JEWELRY, YOU MAY EVEN SPOT AN ODD, SHINY SORT OF TREE. THAT'S PART OF MY PERSONAL COLLECTION OF CHRISTMAS TREES. THAT IS A VINTAGE ALUMINUM CHRISTMAS TREE. Sebak: LOU GUARINO OWNS AND RUNS LOUIS ANTHONY JEWELERS, AND HE KNOWS ABOUT METAL TREES. THAT ONE'S PROBABLY FROM THE LATE 1950s. I HAVE THEM FROM THE LATE '50s TO MID '60s. THIS ONE I BOUGHT WITH THE ROTATING COLOR WHEEL AND ALSO A ROTATING STAND. THIS ONE, OF COURSE, IS SILVER, AND THE MAJORITY OF THEM ARE SILVER ALUMINUM, BUT I HAVE A GOLD TREE, I HAVE A GREEN TREE, I HAVE TREES THAT ARE GREEN AND RED COMBINATION, AND MY MOST RARE TREE IS A PINK ALUMINUM TREE, WHICH IS SET UP IN MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER'S BEDROOM. SO, OVER THE YEARS, I'VE COLLECTED A FEW MORE, AND MOST RECENTLY I'VE AMASSED MY COLLECTION OF 21 TREES VIA eBay. NOW, WHICH ONE IS THIS? THIS IS ANOTHER 7-FOOT ONE. MY 17-YEAR-OLD SON GOT ME HOOKED ON THE COMPUTER, WHICH I'M COMPUTER-ILLITERATE, SO HE GETS ME ONLINE, GETS ME TO THE WEBSITE FOR ALUMINUM CHRISTMAS TREES, AND I JUST KIND OF GO NUTS BUYING ON AUCTION. I TRY TO BUY THEM IN MINT CONDITION IN THEIR ORIGINAL BOXES. THE LITTLE BRANCHES ALL FIT INTO THEIR OWN LITTLE SLEEVES. AND I JUST THINK THEY'RE COOL. Sebak: THEY'RE ESPECIALLY COOL IN PITTSBURGH, WHERE MODERN ALUMINUM WAS FIRST PRODUCED, WHERE THE ALUMINUM COMPANY OF AMERICA WAS FOUNDED AND STILL HAS ITS HEADQUARTERS. Guarino: ACTUALLY, THERE ARE SOME THAT WERE MADE BY ALCOA, BUT I'M ASSUMING THAT AS TRENDS WOULD CHANGE, YOU KNOW, THE ARTIFICIAL TREES AFTER THIS BECAME GREEN PLASTIC, SO EVERYBODY WAS TRYING TO GET BACK TO A MORE NATURAL LOOK, I GUESS. IS THAT IT? YOU GOT ANY BRANCHES LEFT? NOPE. IT'S DONE. MOST PEOPLE -- THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE -- THERE'S SOMEWHAT OF A NOSTALGIA FACTOR WITH THEM. THEY REMEMBER THE TREE AS A KID. THEIR MOTHER HAD ONE, THEIR GRANDMOTHER HAD ONE. IT BRINGS BACK MEMORIES, AND IT'S KIND OF A COMFORT. SO I THINK IT'S A LOT MORE POPULAR THAN MOST PEOPLE REALIZE. NOW, MY MOTHER HATES THEM. SHE THINKS THEY'RE TACKY, PASSé. SHE HAD ONE. SHE'S OVER IT. SHE DOESN'T WANT TO SEE THEM ANYMORE. BUT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE LOVE THEM. Sebak: MANY PEOPLE LOVE ALL SORTS OF HOLIDAY DECORATIONS. THOSE PEOPLE OFTEN HEAD FOR THE NORTH SIDE, WHERE THE RESIDENTS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD KNOWN AS ALLEGHENY WEST OFFER A TOUR OF HOUSES EVERY YEAR IN EARLY DECEMBER. JOHN CANNING, WHO LIVES ON BEECH AVENUE, VOLUNTEERS AS A TOUR GUIDE AND SAYS THE ALLEGHENY WEST CIVIC COUNCIL CHARGES ABOUT 20 BUCKS PER PERSON. WE LIKE TO WALK DOWN THE STREET BECAUSE WE CAN GET A VIEW OF BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET. AND WHAT MAKES US VERY PROUD OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS THAT MUCH OF THE ARCHITECTURE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD LOOKS EXACTLY AS IT LOOKED WHEN IT WAS BUILT IN THE 1870s AND THE 1880s. Sebak: TOUR GROUPS ARE SMALL AND KEEP TO A SCHEDULE SO THEY DON'T BUMP INTO EACH OTHER. THE TOUR TAKES ABOUT 2 HOURS, 2 1/2 HOURS. WHAT GOES ON IN THE HOUSES VARIES FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE, BUT REALLY ALL OF THE HOUSES ARE DECORATED ACCORDING TO THE CUSTOMS OF THE INDIVIDUALS WHOSE HOUSE IS SELECTED FOR THE TOUR. THERE'S A THEME IN THIS ROOM, AND THERE'S A GRAPE THEME THAT STARTS WITH THE FIREPLACE HEARTH OVER THERE, AND FROM THAT WE HAD DONE THE FRIEZE AROUND THE TOP OF THE ROOM, AND MY DAD ACTUALLY ETCHED THE GLASS WINDOWS BEHIND US. Canning: MOST OF THE DECORATIONS THAT YOU'LL SEE IN OUR HOUSES ARE SORT OF VICTORIAN BECAUSE THE HOUSES ARE VICTORIAN, AND PROBABLY A LOT OF WHAT WE, IN THE EARLY 21st CENTURY, WOULD IDENTIFY AS CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS REALLY DEVELOPED 100 YEARS AGO DURING THAT VICTORIAN ERA, MAINLY BECAUSE MANY OF THESE TRADITIONS WERE BROUGHT INTO ENGLAND BY QUEEN VICTORIA'S HUSBAND FROM GERMANY AND THEN SPREAD FROM BRITAIN OVER TO THE UNITED STATES. AND BY THE END OF THE 19th CENTURY, CHRISTMAS WAS A BIG EVENT IN MANY PEOPLE'S LIVES. WE'D LIKE YOU TO START IN THE FRONT TWO PARLORS, AND YOU'RE FREE TO WALK UPSTAIRS. YOU HAVE AT LEAST 10 OR 12 MINUTES HERE. YOU'RE WELCOME TO TAKE A LOOK AT, ASK QUESTIONS. Sebak: THESE HOMES WERE ALL SLATED FOR DESTRUCTION BACK IN THE EARLY 1960s, BUT LOTS OF HARD WORK, PERSONAL INVESTMENT, AND A GRASS-ROOTS CONCERN FOR HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE HAVE CREATED A STRONG SENSE OF PRIDE AROUND HERE, LIKE IN THIS BIG, RED-BRICK, ROMANESQUE STRUCTURE ON LINCOLN AVENUE. Canning: ALEX AND AMELIO LIVE IN THE HOUSE ON THE FIRST FLOOR. IT'S REALLY AN APARTMENT HOUSE OUT OF ANOTHER ERA. BUT IT'S AN EXTREMELY WARM HOME. THIS HOME HAS BEEN ON OUR TOUR EVERY YEAR. Sebak: THERE'S BEAUTIFUL WOODWORK AND LOTS TO SEE IN SEVERAL ROOMS, ALL DECORATED AND GRACIOUSLY PUT ON PUBLIC DISPLAY BY ALEX WATSON AND AMELIO CECI, WHO STILL REMEMBER HOW THIS CHRISTMAS TOUR GOT STARTED BACK IN 1981. SOME OF THE NEIGHBORS DECIDED TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE COMMUNITY. THEY WANTED STREETLAMPS, SO THEY SAID, "LET'S HAVE A CHRISTMAS HOUSE TOUR." SO ALEX AND I DECIDED, "WELL, WE'VE GOT THE BIG HOUSE. LET'S DO IT." WE BOUGHT THIS HOUSE BACK IN 1960, BUT THIS IS NOT A MUSEUM. WE LIVE HERE. THIS IS OUR HOUSE. WE TRY TO CHANGE OUR DECORATIONS EVERY YEAR. THEY CHANGE THE HOUSES EVERY YEAR, MOSTLY. THE PEOPLE DEMAND THIS HOUSE ON TOUR. AND, OF COURSE, ALWAYS AN EFFORT TO RAISE FUNDS FOR PRESERVATION IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. Sebak: THE FUNDS FROM THE TOURS HAVE FINANCED SEVERAL COMMUNITY PROJECTS, FROM THE INITIAL STREETLIGHTS TO WHOLE BLOCKS OF MUCH-ADMIRED REVITALIZATION, LIKE HERE ALONG NORTH AVENUE. YOU DO NOT APPRECIATE YOUR HOUSE UNTIL YOU SEE THE PEOPLE COME THROUGH IT AND "OOH" AND "AHH." Canning: WE GET MANY "OOHS" AND "AHHS" IN TERMS OF "I NEVER KNEW A PLACE EXISTED LIKE THIS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF PITTSBURGH." Watson: WHEN YOU THINK OF THE NORTH SIDE, YOU CERTAINLY DON'T THINK OF HOUSES OF THIS GRANDEUR. I'D SAY IT'S THE NICEST NEIGHBORHOOD IN PITTSBURGH. Sebak: AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT FAR FROM ALLEGHENY WEST TO THE CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER, WHERE THE MINIATURE RAILROAD AND VILLAGE IS A HUGE HOLIDAY TRADITION FOR LOTS OF PEOPLE. IT'S JUST AMAZING TO ME. IT'S SO BIG. IT'S JUST AMAZING. Boy: I LIKE TRAINS. Woman: MY PARENTS TOOK US HERE SINCE WE WERE LITTLE. Man: I WOULD GO WITH MY GRANDFATHER. I WOULD GO WITH MY FATHER, MY BROTHER, THE WHOLE FAMILY. WE CAME WHEN IT WAS IN THE BUHL PLANETARIUM WHEN I WAS A CHILD. WE CAME AT CHRISTMAS FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS. Rogers: TRADITIONALLY, IT'S A CHRISTMAS DISPLAY. AND THEY COME AROUND THE HOLIDAYS, PARTICULARLY THE DAY AFTER THANKSGIVING -- IS OUR SINGLE BIGGEST DAY OF THE YEAR. AND WE'VE HAD FOLKS WHEN WE'VE HAD LINES AN HOUR OR TWO LONG. THEY WANT TO WAIT IN LINE. THEY CAME TO SEE THE MINIATURE RAILROAD, AND WAITING TO SEE IT IS PART OF THE TRADITION. Sebak: PATTY EVERLY ROGERS STARTED AT THE SCIENCE CENTER AS A VOLUNTEER IN 1991 AND IS NOW PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR THE MINIATURE RAILROAD. SHE WORKS CLOSELY WITH MICHAEL ORBAN, WHO'S THE MANAGER OF THE LAYOUT. THE RAILROAD IS SORT OF, IN MY MIND, LIKE A GIANT PATCHWORK QUILT, AND THE TRAINS ARE LIKE THE THREAD THAT TIES IT ALL TOGETHER -- THE QUILT OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA HISTORY. I'M NOT A NATIVE PITTSBURGHER, BUT THAT'S THE THING THAT STRUCK ME AT FIRST IS THAT THIS IS WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, JUST MINIATURE. Sebak: THE BASIC ERA OF THE LAYOUT IS A MIX, SORT OF 1890 TO 1930. Man: I LIKE THE MOVING LITTLE PEOPLE. Orban: WE HAVE A HUNDRED ANIMATIONS, WE HOPE, THAT WORK EVERY DAY. Rogers: AND EACH LITTLE HOUSE, EVEN IF IT'S A SCENE IN A BACKYARD THAT NOBODY'LL EVER SEE -- IT'S PROBABLY GOT A LITTLE SCENARIO PLAYING OUT. Sebak: MANY OF THESE SCENES ARE AS OLD AS THE LAYOUT, WHICH GOT ITS START IN A TOWN NOT FAR FROM DuBOIS. Orban: WE BEGAN IN 1920 IN THE HOME OF CHARLES BOWDISH OF BROOKVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA. Rogers: IT WAS IN HIS HOUSE, ACTUALLY -- IN HIS LIVING ROOM. HE CREATED IT UNDER A TREE. SOME OLD PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE SURVIVED. THE HOUSE ISN'T EVEN THERE ANYMORE. BUT WE HAVE THE HOUSE ON THE MINIATURE RAILROAD. WE REPLICATED IT AND INTRODUCED IT LAST YEAR WITH THE LINE GOING UP. Sebak: CHARLIE BOWDISH MOVED THE MINIATURE RAILROAD IN 1954 FROM BROOKVILLE TO PITTSBURGH, WHERE IT WAS PUT UP AND TAKEN DOWN EVERY YEAR UNTIL 1990 AT THE BUHL PLANETARIUM. IT WAS MOVED AGAIN HERE AS A YEAR-ROUND PERMANENT PART OF THE CARNEGIE SCIENCE CENTER IN 1992. Rogers: I WOULD SAY THAT MAYBE 40% OF THE MINIATURE RAILROAD ARE STILL CHARLIE'S ORIGINAL WORK -- MAYBE EVEN MORE THAN THAT. THE GENERAL STORE -- THIS IS A GREAT PIECE OF HIS BECAUSE HE FINISHED THE INSIDE -- IS ALL DETAILED. THERE'S MEAT HANGING ON THE RACKS. THERE'S BOLTS OF FABRIC. THERE'S A HORSE WAGGING ITS TAIL. THAT'S ACTUALLY MY HAIR, BACK WHEN MY HAIR WAS MORE RED, WHEN WE FIRST STARTED -- WHEN I FIRST STARTED AT THE SCIENCE CENTER. I DONATED IT. [ TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS ] THERE YOU GO. [ TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWS ] THESE ARE ALL LIONEL TRAINS, AND WE HAVE A GREAT HISTORY THAT GOES BACK. THEIR COMPANY IS 101 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR. WE'RE 81 YEARS OLD THIS YEAR, AND WE'VE ONLY RUN LIONEL TRAINS ALL THESE YEARS. MOST OF OUR TRAINS THEY'VE DONATED TO US. THERE'S FOUR TRAINS AND ONE TROLLEY ON HERE. SOMETIMES WE CAN OPERATE SIX TRAINS IF WE WANT. AND THE GUIDES ARE DELIGHTFUL BECAUSE THEY'RE SO ENTHUSIASTIC, AND THEY REALLY WANT TO SHARE IT WITH YOU. MOSTLY ALL OF US HERE WHO WORK ON THE PLATFORM AND WATCH IT AND RUN IT ARE ALL VOLUNTEERS. Sebak: RON FOX USED TO BE A FULL-SIZED ENGINEER. Fox: I STARTED OUT ON THE STEAM ENGINES IN 1947 -- HAND-FIRED AND STOKER-FIRED STEAM ENGINES, AND IN 1951, I WAS PROMOTED TO AN ENGINEER, AND I RETIRED IN '87. Man: I'M FROM COLORADO, AND SEEING ALL THIS STUFF IN PITTSBURGH ABOUT COAL MINING -- I JUST LIKE SEEING THAT. I LIKE DOWN OVER BY THE BASEBALL FIELD -- THE LITTLE TOWN. I LIKE THEM, TOO. I LIKE ALL ABOUT IT. I LIKE THE LITTLE KENNYWOOD -- THE LITTLE AMUSEMENT PARK. THAT'S MY FAVORITE PLACE. AND SOME THAT WERE RIDING ON THE ROLLER COASTER THAT WOULD MOVE AROUND IN IT. Orban: WE HAVE AMUSEMENT-PARK RIDES THAT COULD BE ANYWHERE IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. THEY WERE MOSTLY BUILT BY CHARLIE BOWDISH, ALTHOUGH WE'VE ADDED A FEW MORE SINCE THEN. THE FERRIS WHEEL, OF COURSE, WAS INVENTED BY GEORGE FERRIS, WHO LIVED IN PITTSBURGH FOR A WHILE HERE ON THE NORTH SIDE. AND WE ALSO HAVE A REPLICA OF THE LEAP THE DIPS ROLLER COASTER FROM LAKEMONT PARK, ALTOONA, PA. IT WAS MY NIGHTMARE TO BUILD 'CAUSE I'M NOT AN ENGINEER BY BACKGROUND, SO I HAD TO WORK OUT ALL THE MINIATURE BALLISTICS AND PHYSICS INVOLVED WITH IT. AND I DID TRY TO CHANGE THE LAW OF GRAVITY, BUT IT WAS HARDER THAN I THOUGHT. Sebak: [ CHUCKLES ] WELL, HOW<i> DOES</i> ALL THIS STUFF WORK? Orban: IT'S CUTTING-EDGE TECHNOLOGY. I ONLY BARELY UNDERSTAND IT MYSELF. LET'S JUST SAY IT'S MAGIC. I PREFER TO BELIEVE THAT. I REALLY DO. IT'S HAPPINESS, I THINK. IT'S MAGICAL FOR ALL AGES. I THINK PEOPLE ARE ENCHANTED BY MINIATURES. OH, IT'S COOL. I KIND OF NEED TO GO AGAIN TO SEE ALL THE DETAIL. YOU REALIZE YOU GET A MUCH BETTER PERSPECTIVE IF YOU SQUAT DOWN LIKE A KID. WELL, MAYBE WE'RE LIKE CHILDREN. WE LIKE THE TRAINS, AND THE COLORING IS BEAUTIFUL. Man: I THINK IT REMINDS YOU OF YOUR PAST. IT REMINDS YOU A LOT OF WHAT YOU SEE IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. Rogers: YOU CAN'T WORK ON IT AND NOT BE AFFECTED BY THE FACES ON THE PEOPLE WHO COME IN. Orban: AND I COULDN'T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE I WOULD RATHER DO. Man: I EXPECT I'LL BE COMING HERE, HOPEFULLY WITH GRANDCHILDREN, MANY, MANY YEARS FROM NOW. BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ANY BIGGER. IT'S FINE JUST THE WAY THAT IT IS. Sebak: THE WORLD IN MINIATURE MAY ALSO REMIND US HOW BIG OUR WORLD REALLY IS. AND, YOU KNOW, WINTER CAN SOMETIMES BE AN IMPORTANT TIME FOR MANY PEOPLE. IN BROOKLINE IN THE SOUTH HILLS, THE AHMED FAMILY INVITED US TO THEIR HOUSE, WHERE WE FIRST MET THE BOYS HASHIM AND HUMZA. WHOA. THIS IS REALLY COOL. IT WAS EASY TO CONVINCE HUMZA TO PLAY A BIT WITH OUR SMALL CAMERA. AND THIS IS MY BROTHER. HE'S PLAYING A GAME. AND THIS IS MY DAD. AND THIS IS MY MOM, WHO I CALL "UMMI." HUMZA. AND THIS IS OUR KITCHEN. MY MOM IS MAKING SOME YUMMY FOOD FOR US TO EAT. AND MY BROTHER IS PESTERING ME. I WANNA SEE. Sebak: THE YOUNG BOYS AREN'T REQUIRED TO FAST, BUT WASEEM AHMED AND HIS WIFE, HELEN, HAVEN'T EATEN ANYTHING ALL DAY AS PART OF THEIR OBSERVANCE OF THE MUSLIM HOLY MONTH OF RAMADAN. RAMADAN IS THE TIME OF THE YEAR WHERE WE BASICALLY OBSERVE THE FASTING FROM SUNUP TO SUNDOWN, AND THAT BASICALLY IS LIKE A SPIRITUAL REVIVAL FOR US. Humza: THIS IS THE FOOD WE'RE GOING TO EAT. HERE ARE SOME DATES. Sebak: THEY WILL EAT THESE TO MARK THE END OF THEIR FASTING TODAY, AS THEY DO EVERY DAY DURING RAMADAN. WE EAT EARLY IN THE MORNING BEFORE THE SUNRISE AND THEN NOTHING BY MOUTH -- NO DRINKING OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. AND THEN WE OFFER OUR PRAYER, WE OFFER THANKS TO GOD FOR GIVING US THE FOOD AND LETTING US FAST THE WHOLE DAY WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. THE BREAKING OF THE FAST IS A RELATIVELY QUICK BITE. OKAY. ARE YOU READY, HUMZA? ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO PRAY. Sebak: AND AS THEY DO EVERY NIGHT, THE FAMILY GATHERS IN THE LIVING ROOM, WHERE PRAYER RUGS HAVE BEEN SPREAD, AND, FACING EAST, THEY PRAY TOGETHER. [ SPEAKING ARABIC ] THESE EVENING PRAYERS THIS NIGHT TAKE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES, AND THEN THE FAMILY STARTS GETTING READY FOR DINNER. WE'RE SETTING OUT SPOONS, FORKS, AND PLATES. MY MOM IS BRINGING OUT THE RICE, AND, BOY, DOES THAT RICE LOOK GOOD. Helen: BECAUSE MY HUSBAND IS FROM PAKISTAN AND HE LOVES TO EAT, I LEARNED HOW TO COOK ALL THE PAKISTANI FOODS. THIS ONE IS CALLED<i> SAAG,</i> WHICH IS MUSTARD LEAVES AND SPINACH LEAVES. THIS IS CALLED<i> KUFTAS,</i> WHICH IS A TAKEOFF ON SWEDISH MEATBALLS. SO THEY'RE PAKISTANI MEATBALLS. THE THING ABOUT ISLAM IS THAT IT'S VERY DIVERSE. YOU HAVE MUSLIMS FROM ALL CULTURES, SO EACH CULTURE IS GOING TO HAVE THEIR PARTICULAR DISHES THAT THEY REALLY ENJOY. Waseem: IT IS A HAPPY HOLIDAY BECAUSE FOR MUSLIMS, IT'S A MONTH OF BLESSING. SO WE KIND OF PRAY A LOT DURING THIS MONTH -- EXTRA PRAYERS THAT WE GENERALLY DON'T HAVE TO DO REGULAR YEAR. Sebak: AS RAMADAN CONTINUES, THERE ARE SOMETIMES SPECIAL EVENTS, LIKE THE IFTAR, OR BREAKING OF THE FAST, AT THE MUSLIM COMMUNITY CENTER OF GREATER PITTSBURGH IN MONROEVILLE. ALL THE MOSQUES OF ALL THE PITTSBURGH AREA, WHICH ARE ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN OF THEM, DECIDED TO HAVE IFTAR TOGETHER AT THE CENTER. IN THE CENTER'S KITCHEN, AS IN MANY HOUSES OF WORSHIP, WOMEN ARE PREPARING TRADITIONAL FOODS, BUT THESE WOMEN ARE ALL FASTING AND CAN'T SAMPLE ANY OF THE FOOD THEY'RE MAKING. YOU CAN'T TASTE, NO, NO. YOU CANNOT. BUT YOU JUST HOPE THAT IT TURNS OUT GOOD, AND, WITH THE GRACE OF GOD, EVERY TIME IT DOES COME OUT VERY GOOD. THIS IS LAMB CURRY. ACTUALLY, IT'S GOAT. IT'S GOAT CURRY. THIS WOULD SERVE, I WOULD SAY, ABOUT 120 PEOPLE, 100 PEOPLE. YOU NEVER KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE GONNA SHOW UP. Sebak: IT'S A GOOD TURNOUT, AND EVERYONE BREAKS THE FAST WITH DATES AND A SNACK OR TWO. Man: MOST PEOPLE, I THINK WHEN THEY THINK OF FASTING, IT'S KIND OF A DREARY SUBJECT, OKAY? FOR THE MUSLIM -- WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO OUR LORD, OKAY? NOTHING STOPS FOR US. WE CONTINUE TO WORK. SO IT'S NOT A DREARY TIME FOR US. IT'S A TIME IN WHICH WE'RE HAPPY. [ CHANTING IN ARABIC ] Sebak: IT'S THE CALL TO PRAYER. [ CHANTING CONTINUES ] THE CROWD ASSEMBLES -- HERE, MEN DOWNSTAIRS, WOMEN UPSTAIRS, EVERYONE AGAIN FACING EASTWARD TOWARD MECCA. THE MONTH OF RAMADAN IS BASED ON AN ANCIENT LUNAR CALENDAR. IT ISN'T ALWAYS IN NOVEMBER OR DECEMBER. THE HOLY MONTH STARTS ABOUT 10 DAYS EARLIER EVERY YEAR AND THEREFORE MOVES SLOWLY THROUGH THE SEASONS. BUT AT THE TURN OF THE 21st CENTURY, IT HAS OCCURRED NEAR THE BEGINNING OF WINTER. [ MAN CHANTING IN ARABIC ] THE MONTH OF RAMADAN COMMEMORATES THE REVELATION OF THE HOLY BOOK, THE QURAN, TO THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD, STARTING IN THE YEAR 610. [ CHANTING CONTINUES ] TODAY WALTER SHAAHID IS THE HEAD OF THE ISLAMIC COUNCIL OF GREATER PITTSBURGH. Shaahid: OUR EMPHASIS IS ON, UM, WORSHIP, THE STUDY OF THE QURAN, BECAUSE THE QURAN IS BROKEN UP INTO 30 PARTS, AND EACH DAY WE READ A PORTION OF THE QURAN. SOMETIMES MUSLIMS GET A LITTLE LAX, LIKE ANYONE ELSE, IN READING THE QURAN AND THINGS OF THAT SORT, SO AT THIS TIME, YOU MUST READ. Sebak: AFTER THE PRAYER SERVICE, DINNER IS SERVED IN THE HALLWAY. THIS GATHERING OF SO MANY MUSLIMS IN ONE PLACE IS VERY UNUSUAL. Shaahid: FOR RAMADAN, WE USUALLY GO TO EACH OTHER'S MOSQUES. WE HAVEN'T HAD IT WHERE ALL ATTEND ONE MOSQUE. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE EVER HAD THAT OPPORTUNITY. Sebak: IT'S BECOME A PITTSBURGH TRADITION THAT ALL MUSLIMS GET TOGETHER TO MARK THE END OF RAMADAN WITH THE HOLIDAY KNOWN AS "EID ul-FITR," OR SIMPLY "EID." Shaahid: WE'LL BE HAVING OUR EID FESTIVITIES, OUR EID PRAYER, ON SUNDAY. WHEN EVERYBODY SHOWS, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL OCCASION BECAUSE YOU GET THE CHANCE TO SEE DIFFERENT DRESS, RACIAL GROUPS, CULTURES. IT'S VERY DIVERSE, SO IT'S A GOOD TIME FOR US. Sebak: THIS EID SERVICE OFTEN HAPPENS IN THE GYM AT TREES HALL ON THE PITT CAMPUS. IT'S A HUGE GATHERING, WHERE WE MET HUMZA ILYAS, NOW A MEDICAL STUDENT IN PHILADELPHIA. I MEAN, THERE'S THOUSANDS OF MUSLIMS IN THE PITTSBURGH AREA, SO IT'S NICE TO SEE EVERYBODY COMING OUT FOR A BIG GATHERING LIKE THIS. I WAS BORN AND RAISED HERE IN PITTSBURGH, AND I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS REAL LITTLE, I USED TO COME OUT HERE TO TREES HALL, AND THEY'VE BEEN DOING PRAYERS HERE FOR A LONG TIME NOW. THE THING ABOUT TREES HALL IS IT'S SO HUGE, IT CAN ACCOMMODATE A LOT OF PEOPLE. MOST OF THE MOSQUES THAT ARE IN THE AREA ARE SMALLER. SO THE WHOLE IDEA OF THE END OF RAMADAN AND THE CELEBRATION OF EID IS THAT THE COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER. THE WHOLE COMMUNITY COMES TOGETHER AND CELEBRATES. EVERYONE IS TIED TOGETHER BY THEIR FAITH, THEIR BELIEF IN GOD, THEIR BELIEF IN THE QURAN, AND THEIR BELIEF IN THE PROPHET. Man: THE BEAUTY OF ISLAM IS, BEFORE YOU START THE FESTIVITIES, PARTIES, YOU COME AND WORSHIP, SO THE SACRED AND THE SOCIAL GOES TOGETHER, SO WE COME AND THANK GOD, AND THEN WE GO AND PARTY. Sebak: FAROOQ HUSSAINI IS THE DIRECTOR OF INTERFAITH RELATIONS FOR THE ISLAMIC CENTER, AND HE AND HIS WIFE, KAREN, KNOW THAT MUSLIMS LOOK FORWARD TO THIS EID CELEBRATION. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS, A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL GO FOR A BRUNCH THAT'S SPONSORED BY DIFFERENT MOSQUES, AND THEN THEY'LL HAVE THEIR OWN FAMILY CELEBRATIONS. THE KIDS WILL BE GIVEN GIFTS. THERE WILL BE SO MUCH FOOD. AND THE BEAUTY IS, IF YOU GO TO DIFFERENT PLACES, THE TURKISH HAVE THE DIFFERENT FOODS, THE INDIANS HAVE THE DIFFERENT FOODS, THE PAKISTANIS HAVE THE DIFFERENT FOODS. I MEAN, IT IS LIKE A CULTURAL EXPLOSION. Sebak: IT'S ONE MORE BRIGHT AND JOYOUS CELEBRATION IN THE CITY. [ CROWD CHEERING ] BUT THE BIG BANG OF EVENTS AT THIS TIME OF YEAR INCLUDES MANY THAT AREN'T SPECIFICALLY TIED TO ANY RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. EVERYBODY GOES SKATING AT THE ICE RINK AT PPG PLACE. AND NO MATTER WHAT HOLIDAYS YOU OBSERVE, YOU'LL PROBABLY FIND SOMETHING INTERESTING ALONG SMITHFIELD STREET. WE CAME TO SEE THE WINDOWS. WE HAVEN'T BEEN DOWN FOR A LOT OF YEARS, BUT... Man: KAUFMANN'S DOES A GOOD JOB ON THEIR WINDOWS. THEY MAKE THEM NICE. THEY'RE REALLY NICE THIS YEAR. SHE'S A CIRCUS AFICIONADO. SHE LOVES THE CIRCUS. YEAH. [ LAUGHS ] IT'S DIFFERENT -- VERY DIFFERENT. WELL, IT'S INTERESTING TO SEE. 'CAUSE THEY MOVE, AND THE MUSIC. Woman: IT'S SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO COME DOWN AND DO EVERY YEAR. [ LAUGHS ] IT WAS, LIKE, ALWAYS THE TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS, NOW IT'S SOMETHING TOTALLY DIFFERENT. Neuser: EVERY YEAR, THEY'RE DIFFERENT. EVERY YEAR, THEY'RE THE SAME FIVE WINDOWS, MIND YOU. Sebak: JACK NEUSER IS THE VISUAL MANAGER OF THE DOWNTOWN KAUFMANN'S. HE TOOK US DOWN INTO THE FORMER BARGAIN-BASEMENT STORE, WHERE THEY NOW KEEP SOME OF THE OLD DECORATIONS AND MECHANICAL FIGURES FROM CHRISTMAS WINDOWS PAST. Neuser: YEARS AGO, WE HAD A LOT OF COMPETITION WITH HORNE'S AND GIMBEL'S -- EVEN BEFORE THAT, ROSENBAUM'S AND FRANK & SEDERS. EVERYONE DID A MECHANICAL OF SOME SORT. BACK IN EITHER THE '20s OR THE '30s, THERE WERE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWING MECHANICALS UNDER OUR CLOCK THAT WERE BASICALLY ON A TREADMILL-TYPE OF DEVICE THAT GEARS WENT UNDERNEATH THE BUILDING, AND THEY HAD DISPLAY PEOPLE ACTUALLY TAKING TURNS ON THE TREADMILL TO TURN THE WHEEL OF THE ANIMATION ABOVE. Sebak: WELL, DOWN IN THE BASEMENT, GEORGE ARNOLD, KAUFMANN'S WINDOW MANAGER, HELPS SET UP AND TEST THE BELOVED SET OF DISPLAYS EVERY YEAR. Arnold: IT'S LIKE A GREETING CARD TO THE CITY. THERE'S NO MERCHANDISE IN IT, AND IT'S JUST TO SAY, "HEY, WE'RE HERE, "AND WE WANT YOU TO HAVE A GOOD TIME. Sebak: HAVE YOU DONE THIS BEFORE? YEAH. NO. [ LAUGHTER ] Woman: I THOUGHT THEY WERE NICE THIS YEAR. THEY REMIND ME OF WINDOWS THAT I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS LITTLE. THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING FROM THE '60s. Neuser: THE MORE MOVEMENT, THE MORE LIGHT, THE MORE ACTIVITY YOU CAN GET INTO A WINDOW, THE MORE SUCCESSFUL YOU'RE GONNA BE. Arnold: THE MORE THINGS THAT ARE PLUGGED IN AND LIT UP, THE MORE PROBLEMS YOU'RE GONNA HAVE IN THOSE WEEKS BETWEEN LIGHT UP NIGHT AND YOUR TAKEDOWN. Woman: IT'S TRADITION. I ALWAYS BROUGHT MY CHILDREN TO SEE THEM FOR THE HOLIDAYS. AND IT'S SOMETHING I ENJOY DOING MYSELF BECAUSE I NEVER GREW UP. Woman: MY MOTHER WASN'T INTO THE DOWNTOWN SCENE, SO<i> I</i> AM, AND I'M GETTING MY CHILDREN INVOLVED. ONCE YOU DO IT ONE TIME, IT BECOMES A TRADITION AFTER THAT. WE FORGOT THEY WERE HERE. Neuser: THE MECHANICALS ARE ALWAYS ALL ABOUT CHILDREN ANYHOW. HE'S REAL EXCITED. HE WANTS TO GO BACK AND LOOK SOME MORE. IT'S OUR FIRST TIME DOWNTOWN FOR CHRISTMAS. USUALLY WE GO TO THE MALLS, BUT WITH THE FREE PARK, IT'S REALLY CONVENIENT TO COME DOWN HERE. AND PEOPLE ARE REALLY FRIENDLY. WE HAVE A FAMILY TRADITION THAT WE COME DOWN TO KAUFMANN'S, AND WE HAVE OUR PICTURE TAKEN WITH SANTA CLAUS. Man: IN THE '50s, EVERYBODY GOT DRESSED UP. NOBODY GETS DRESSED UP TO COME TO TOWN ANYMORE. THEY'RE A BUNCH OF SLOBS. Girl: WE'RE GOING TO KAUFMANN'S TO GO TO THE SANTA SHOP AND TO HAVE BREAKFAST -- I MEAN LUNCH. MY MOM AND HER FRIEND ARE GOING TO GO SHOPPING TOGETHER. I'M JUST HAVING A GOOD TIME TODAY. SHE BOUGHT UNDERWEAR, AND<i> SHE</i> BOUGHT UNDERWEAR. Man: WE'RE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO EAT NOW. THEY SAY KAUFMANN'S MAYBE HAS A RESTAURANT OPEN. THAT'S SOMETHING WE DID WHEN I WAS A KID, TOO. THAT'D BE FUN. HE'S REMINISCING, AND I'M PAYING. GETS YOU IN THE MOOD AND...PEACE, GOODWILL, AND EVERYTHING YOU SHOULD HAVE. Sebak: SINCE EVERYBODY'S BUYING PRESENTS FOR EVERYBODY ELSE, ALL THE PLACES TO SHOP SEEM BUSY. THE SUBURBAN MALLS ARE PACKED. BUT THERE ARE A FEW YEAR-ROUND FLEA MARKETS WITH VENDORS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE, LIKE THE WILDWOOD PEDDLERS FAIR ON THE YELLOW BELT IN THE NORTH HILLS EVERY SUNDAY. Woman: IT'S LIKE A TREASURE HUNT. Man: A LOT OF PEOPLE COME TO THE FLEA MARKET TO FIND ODD ITEMS THAT THEY CAN'T FIND ANYMORE. Man: RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN THE CHRISTMAS THING. SHOULD'VE BEEN HERE LAST WEEK. I HAD A LOT MORE. [ LAUGHS ] Man: AH, THIS IS OUR CHRISTMAS SELECTION. WE GOT EVERYTHING -- EVERYTHING AT CHRISTMAS YOU WANT. CLOSEOUT SPECIALS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. HAD A TRUCKLOAD. NOW I HAVE A "TRUCK-EMPTY." Man: I SELL A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING. I GOT EVERYTHING FROM CHRISTMAS TOYS, NICE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL TOMATOES... THIS IS ALL CHRISTMAS. IT ALL COMES OUT OF ESTATES THAT WE BOUGHT -- HOUSEHOLD ESTATES. Man: USUALLY THERE'S HISTORY BEHIND EVERY ITEM PEOPLE SELL. Man #2: I'VE COME HERE EVERY SUNDAY PROBABLY FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS. INSTEAD OF GOING TO CHURCH, I COME HERE. IT'S MY RELIGION. THE BIG PRESENTS ARE BOUGHT ALREADY, BUT NOW YOU'RE GETTING THE STOCKING STUFFERS AND THE LITTLE THINGS. Man: THE UNUSUAL STUFF. IF YOUR HUSBAND OR BOYFRIEND WANTS A WALLET, GO TO THE STORE AND BUY A WALLET. BUT IF YOU WANT THAT UNUSUAL ITEM THAT HE WANTS, COME TO THE FLEA MARKET -- IT'S THERE SOMEPLACE. Man: MOST OF THE CHRISTMAS STUFF WENT FAST -- FAST. Man: YOU MIGHT HAVE TO DIG, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO ASK, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO FIGHT ABOUT PRICE, BUT IT'S THERE. Man #2: I WAS WORKING WITH A GUY YESTERDAY -- HE HAD TONKA TOYS THAT WERE OLD. Man: YOU CAN BUY A GOOD GIFT AT A CHEAP PRICE. LOT OF FINDS OUT HERE -- GOOD FINDS, GOOD DEALS. Man: AND THEY WERE STRONG -- NOT LIKE THE THINGS YOU BUILD TODAY. AND SOME PEOPLE DIDN'T LIKE THE PRICE, BUT HE CONVINCED THEM THAT THEY WERE WORTH THE MONEY. OCCASIONALLY YOU FIND A STRING OF OLD BUBBLE LIGHTS. YOU CAN'T BUY THEM ANYMORE, BUT THEY'RE HERE. YOU JUST GOT TO ROOT THEM OUT. Man: THIS IS THE BEST PLACE TO BUY. [ LAUGHS ] ESPECIALLY DURING A RECESSION. Man: YOU COME OUT FOR THE FRESH AIR, TOO. SEE, IN THE MALLS, WHAT DO YOU GET? MALL AIR. [ LAUGHS ] WELL, TODAY WE FOUND A NATIVITY SET, BLESSED MOTHER. AARON, WHAT DID YOU FIND? WHAT DID YOU FIND, AARON? NOTHING. NOTHING. [ LAUGHS ] IT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR, AND HOW OFTEN DO YOU FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? Sebak: [ LAUGHS ] NOT VERY OFTEN. BUT IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR FOOD, AND CHRISTMAS IS JUST A DAY OR TWO AWAY, YOU'VE GOT TO GET TO THE STRIP. IT'S LIKE A FAMILY TRADITION. WE COME DOWN HERE EVERY YEAR. OH, IT'S EXCITING. IT'S CHRISTMAS -- YOU KNOW, A LOT OF PEOPLE HERE. Woman: THIS IS A TRADITION. EVEN IF I HAVE TO TAKE OFF WORK, WE DO THIS, UP AND DOWN HERE. IT'S CRAZY, AND THAT'S WHY WE LIKE IT. FOLKS, WE'RE GONNA LET YOU IN IN ABOUT THREE MINUTES, OKAY? WHY DON'T YOU COME IN HERE AND SEE THE CHEESE COUNTER. COME ON. WHOSEVER GOING TO THE CHEESE COUNTER, STAY TO THE LEFT. Woman: I JUST LOVE THE PLACE. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S THE CHEESE. IS THIS MINE, HON? Man: PROSCIUTTO, BUFFALO MOZZARELLA. WE'RE GONNA LET SOME IN NOW. THEY HATE ME. Man: PEPPER CHEESE, ASIAGO, BABY SWISS, AND YOU'RE DONE. Woman: I NEED GOUDA. Man: BECAUSE I'M THE ONE THAT HAS TO TELL THEM TO KEEP GOING TO THE LEFT, AND THEY'RE SMUSHING IN THERE. THERE'S YOUR GOUDA. YOU WANT ANYTHING ELSE? Woman: UH, UH, UH... I LOOK FORWARD TO THIS EVERY YEAR. THIS IS PITTSBURGH, AND THIS IS WHAT WE'RE ABOUT. WE EAT AND DRINK. Man: I LOOK FORWARD TO GOING INTO PENN MAC TO SMELL THE CHEESE, THE BREAD. IF THEY COULD MAKE AN AIR FRESHENER OUT OF IT, I'D PUT IT IN MY CAR. THEY HAVE A VARIETY OF SANDWICHES HERE -- PORK, CHICKEN, LAMB, BEEF -- ANYTHING YOU WANT. TODAY'S ONE OF THE DAYS THAT EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE ITALIAN. LOOK AROUND. [ LAUGHS ] WE START AT DeLUCA'S AT 6:30 IN THE MORNING. WE START FOR BREAKFAST. EVERYBODY IN THE WHOLE CITY OF PITTSBURGH COMES HERE NO MATTER WHAT. THEN WE WALK UP AND DOWN THE STRIP AND MAKE FUN OF EVERYBODY. [ LAUGHS ] IN THE STRIP, YOU CAN GET WHAT YOU NEED. THAT'S THE BACCALA WITH THE BONE. Man: THEN WE WAIT IN LINE FOR CHEESE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY SOME OF OUR KIELBASA? HOMEMADE. WE WAIT IN LINE FOR FISH. OH, YEAH, WE SELL A LOT OF SMELTS, SQUID... THESE CAN GROW TO BE 100 FEET LONG. THIS IS THE ONLY PLACE WE DON'T WAIT IN LINE. THEY SWIM BACKWARDS. WE GOT PRETESTED MISTLETOE, GUARANTEED TO WORK. WATER COMES IN HERE AND GOES OUT THERE, GOES BACKWARDS. A LOT OF CUSTOMERS COME HERE AND ASK FOR DIFFERENT CUTS. THEY WANT SOME SPECIAL CUTS, THICK CUTS. ALL KINDS OF FISH -- YOU NAME IT, WE CAUGHT IT. MEATBALL, PEPPERS, ONIONS, SAUCE, MYSTERY CHEESE. HERE WE GO. $4, HONEY. Woman: I ALSO WANTED TO BUY MY MOTHER A CHRISTMAS PRESENT HERE BECAUSE THEIR COFFEE IS JUST SO GOOD. THIS IS A REALLY GOOD SELLER. EVERYBODY LIKES THE CHILI LIGHTS. Woman: SAUSAGE FLIES OUT THE DOOR RIGHT NOW. AND THEN WE DO A LOT OF SLICING. BUILD UP GOOD BICEPS. OH, IT'S JUST THE ATMOSPHERE. IT'S PITTSBURGH. WHEN YOU'RE IN A HURRY, IT'S DIFFICULT. THEY PUT UP WITH THE CROWDS, THE INSANITY. Man: BUT IF YOU COME DOWN HERE WITH THE IDEA YOU JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN IN THE STRIP AND GET YOUR FOODS, IT'S A LOT OF FUN. 'TIS THE SEASON, RIGHT? THIS STUFF IS WORTH IT, ISN'T IT? YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! THANK YOU SO MUCH. EVERYBODY'S HAPPY. PEOPLE ARE VERY GENEROUS. AND THEY'RE STILL SMILING. Man: SURE, THE PEOPLE GET UPSET ABOUT THE CROWDS AND THE WAIT. BUT THAT'S WHY GOD INVENTED ZANTAC. AND IT'S FUN. I MEAN, PEOPLE LOVE TO BE WITH PEOPLE, REALLY. WALL-TO-WALL PEOPLE TODAY. PEOPLE ARE AN ATTRACTION. THE MORE PEOPLE YOU HAVE, THE MORE PEOPLE YOU GET. OH, THERE'S NOTHING BETTER THAN CHRISTMASTIME ON THE STRIP. THAT'S THE BIG ACTION HERE. Man: THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS IS MARVELOUS -- ALL PEOPLE, ALL RELIGIONS. BAH, HUMBUG. [ LAUGHS ] [ ACCORDION MUSIC PLAYS ] IT'S ONE OF THE BEST DAYS WE'VE EVER HAD FOR THE HOLIDAYS. NOT BAD. EVERYBODY'S RELATIVELY HAPPY. MERRY CHRISTMAS. <i> BUON NATALE.</i> <i> SALUD!</i> FRIENDS AND FAMILY! <i> SALUD!</i> [ SPEAKING ITALIAN ] Sebak: ALL THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE BUY GET WRAPPED OR SERVED, COOKED AND EATEN OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. ON CHRISTMAS EVE, IN SQUIRREL HILL, AT THE HOME OF GUY COSTA AND HIS WIFE, CATHY NIEDERBERGER, EVERYONE GETS READY FOR THE ITALIAN FEAST OF THE SEVEN FISHES. Costa: WE INVITE DIFFERENT RELATIVES AND FRIENDS TO COME OVER FOR DINNER, AND IT'S A LONG-STANDING TRADITION THAT MY DAD HAD AND MY GRANDPARENTS HAD, AND WE'RE TRYING TO CARRY IT ON. IT'S THE IMMEDIATE FAMILY, WHICH MEANS GRANDMA COSTA, HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN, AND THEN SEVERAL OF THE COUSINS AND AUNT ANITA, SO IT'S VERY NICE. Costa: MY MOM AND I SPENT THE DAY DOWN THE STRIP DISTRICT, BUYING EVERYTHING. Woman: THE BOYS ARE ALL GREAT COOKS. JOE'S A GOOD COOK. 'COURSE, JOE WORKS WITH FOOD. AND JAY'S A GOOD COOK. THEY<i> ALL</i> ARE. Niederberger: I DECORATE THE TABLE. IN FACT, ONE OF OUR COUSINS, MICHELLE, COULDN'T COME IN FROM CALIFORNIA THIS YEAR, BUT LAST YEAR, SHE BOUGHT A WHOLE BUNCH OF LINENS THAT WE'LL USE EVERY YEAR, SO THIS YEAR, WE'RE INAUGURATING THE NEW CHRISTMAS LINENS. Costa: MY DAD AND HIS TWO BROTHERS OWNED A GROCERY STORE. IT WAS CALLED COSTA BROTHERS, AND IT WAS IN THE LINCOLN-LARIMER SECTION OF THE CITY. AND DURING THE HOLIDAYS, MY DAD RAN THE FISH DEPARTMENT. Woman: MY HUSBAND WAS A BIG -- HE WAS ALWAYS A BIG... TRADITIONAL PERSON, YOU KNOW. AND HE WAS KNOWN FOR FEEDING PEOPLE. HE LOVED TO FEED PEOPLE. RIGHT NOW, I'M WORKING ON THE SHRIMP. AND THE CALAMARI... AND THE SMELTS. THE FRIED SHRIMP IS OUT HERE. AND THE BACCALA. WE'RE GONNA DO BACCALA TWO WAYS. ONE WAY, WE'RE GONNA FRY THAT, AND MY MOM MADE A BACCALA SALAD FOR MY BROTHER JOE 'CAUSE JOE LOVES BACCALA SALAD. AND CRABMEAT. WE HAVE STUFFED FLOUNDER WITH CRABMEAT. THEN WE'RE GONNA DO SMELTS. I'M NOT A BIG SMELTS EATER, BUT MOM WILL DO THE SMELTS. THIS IS FLOUR AND CHEESE. AND THEN WE JUST QUICK-FRY THEM. Costa: WE'RE GONNA HAVE MUSHROOMS STUFFED WITH CRABMEAT. THESE ARE STUFFED ARTICHOKES. THE CLAMS -- WE HAVE CLAM SAUCE. WE'RE GONNA HAVE LINGUINE WITH CLAM SAUCE, SO THAT GIVES US OUR SEVEN FISHES FOR TODAY. I LIKE ALL THIS FISH. COME ON, KIDS, COME ON. LET'S GO. WE'RE EATING. Costa: THE SEVEN SACRAMENTS IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, AND ALSO FOR YEARS, IN THE CATHOLIC RELIGION, YOU WEREN'T ALLOWED TO EAT MEAT ON CHRISTMAS EVE, AND THE ITALIANS PICKED IT UP WITH AN ODD NUMBER. SOME GROUPS HAVE IT 7, SOME GO TO 11, AND SOME HAVE 13, BUT WE'VE PRETTY MUCH BEEN STICKING AT SEVEN. FIRST WE'RE GONNA SAY OUR GRACE, BE THANKFUL FOR OUR MEAL WE HAVE TODAY, SO... Niederberger: ALTHOUGH I'VE TRIED THE SMELTS, I CAN'T SAY I'VE EVER TRIED THE BACCALA. Costa: WE TRY TO SERVE ALL SEVEN, BUT I'LL BE HONEST -- I DON'T THINK ANYBODY HERE EATS ALL SEVEN, EXCEPT FOR MAYBE MY MOM AND MY BROTHER. OKAY, FAMILY STYLE. PASS IT AROUND. DON'T BE SHY. Niederberger: BUT AFTER DINNER, WE WILL OPEN PRESENTS AND WE WILL SING SOME CHRISTMAS CAROLS. THAT'S BECOME A TRADITION THAT WE ALL REALLY ENJOY. Costa: THIS IS IT. FOR US, CHRISTMAS EVE IS IT. IT WORKS OUT WELL BECAUSE MY WIFE'S FAMILY, CHRISTMAS DAY IS THE BIG THING, AND CHRISTMAS EVE ISN'T ANYTHING. Niederberger: IT WAS TOTALLY NEW TO ME BECAUSE IN MY HOUSE ON CHRISTMAS EVE, IT WAS THE MOST PEACEFUL NIGHT OF THE YEAR. Costa: FOR US, IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE. WE GO THROUGH THE DINNER AND OPEN THE GIFTS, AND THEN CHRISTMAS DAY IS KIND OF BORING, BUT... Niederberger: WE WOULD GO TO 7:00 MASS AT THE LOCAL CHURCH, ST. JOE'S, AND COME HOME, AND IT WAS DARK OUT, AND THERE WEREN'T A LOT OF LIGHTS ON IN OUR HOUSE, SO IT WAS JUST VERY PEACEFUL. SO THIS WAS A WHOLE DIFFERENT VERSION OF IT. Sebak: THAT'S A WONDERFUL THING ABOUT CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS -- THERE ARE SO MANY VERSIONS... AND NO RULES. OF COURSE, SANTA CLAUS USUALLY VISITS ON CHRISTMAS EVE, AND BACK IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY, MEN WHO WERE MEMBERS OF THE SYRIA MOSQUE USED TO DRESS UP AND TAKE PRESENTS TO ORPHANS ALL OVER WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA ON DECEMBER 24th. IT'S A DAY OF GOODWILL AND GIFT-GIVING AND A NIGHT WHEN LOTS OF PEOPLE GO TO MIDNIGHT MASS, WHICH ISN'T ALWAYS AT MIDNIGHT ANYMORE. THERE ARE DIFFERENT TIMES AT DIFFERENT CHURCHES, BUT ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO ATTEND HAS GOT TO BE IN MILLVALE, AT THE CHURCH OF ST. NICHOLAS. OF COURSE, ST. NICHOLAS IS CLOSELY RELATED TO CHRISTMAS. Sebak: IT'S PART OF THE OLDEST CROATIAN CATHOLIC PARISH IN AMERICA, AND FATHER GABRIEL BADURINA AND HIS PARISHIONERS KNOW HOW TO MAKE THIS IMPRESSIVE. Father Badurina: THE PARISH CHILDREN WILL BE DRESSED IN ETHNIC CROATIAN COSTUMES, AND THEY ARE GOING TO BRING THE CHILD JESUS IN SOLEMN PROCESSION WHILE THE CROATIAN CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA WILL SING THE "HOLY NIGHT." AND WHEN THE BABY JESUS WILL BE BROUGHT TO THE PARISH CRIB, THE CRIB WILL BE BLESSED, AND THE OPPORTUNITY WILL BE GIVEN TO ALL TO START TO CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS IN THEIR OWN HOMES AS WELL. Sebak: AND IT IS AT HOME, OR IN THE HOME OF SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU, THAT SO MANY PRESENTS GET OPENED ON CHRISTMAS MORNING. IT'S A DAY USUALLY SPENT WITH FAMILY, AND SOMETIMES IT GOES SMOOTHLY AND PEACEFULLY. THEN BOOM! THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS, FOR LOTS OF PEOPLE, IT'S TIME TO GO SHOPPING AGAIN. IT'S HISTORICALLY THE TIME FOR RETURNING AND EXCHANGING AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE AFTER-CHRISTMAS SALES. DECEMBER 26th IS ALSO THE FIRST DAY OF KWANZAA. EARLY IN DECEMBER, AT THE URBAN LEAGUE OF PITTSBURGH'S CHARTER SCHOOL ON NORTH NEGLEY AVENUE, STUDENTS GATHER TO LEARN ABOUT THE SEVEN DAYS OF KWANZAA FROM A GROUP KNOWN AS CHILDREN'S WINDOW TO AFRICA, LED BY VALERIE LAWRENCE, WHOSE AFRICAN NAME IS ADENIJI. Adeniji: KWANZAA IS A CULTURAL HOLIDAY CELEBRATING OUR FAMILY, OUR COMMUNITY, AND CULTURE AND THE STRENGTH AND LEGACY OF OUR AFRICAN ANCESTRAL ROOTS. WHAT DID I SAY? HOW MANY CANDLES DID I SAY WE HAVE? SEVEN! SEVEN! SEVEN! SEVEN! Sebak: ADENIJI INTRODUCES THE KIDS TO THE OBJECTS, THE RITUALS, THE PRINCIPLES, AND THE REASONS FOR KWANZAA. Adeniji: IT IS A HARVEST CELEBRATION, AND IT MEANS "THE FIRST FRUIT OF THE HARVEST," AND THAT'S WHAT "KWANZAA" MEANS FOR OUR CELEBRATION. Sebak: THE OBSERVANCE OF KWANZAA INVOLVES A MIXTURE OF SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND PERSONAL ACTIVITIES, LIKE HERE AT THE HOME OF PATRICIA PUGH MITCHELL. WE'LL BEGIN NOW WITH OUR CANDLE-LIGHTING CEREMONY. TONIGHT WE ARE CELEBRATING THE SIXTH PRINCIPLE OF KWANZAA, WHICH IS KUUMBA -- CREATIVITY. AND WE ARE ALSO COMING TOGETHER AS FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND HAVING OUR KARAMU FEAST. AND WE COME TOGETHER TO OBSERVE THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES OF KWANZAA, THE NGUZO SABA, AND JUST A TIME OF REFLECTION. Sebak: WE ALSO WENT OVER TO THE CATHEDRAL OF LEARNING AT PITT, WHERE PROFESSOR LAURENCE GLASCO FROM THE HISTORY DEPARTMENT MET US IN THE AFRICAN HERITAGE CLASSROOM. HE KNOWS SOME HISTORY OF THIS RELATIVELY NEW CELEBRATION. Glasco: IT WAS STARTED IN 1966 BY A MAN ON THE WEST COAST, LOS ANGELES, BY THE NAME OF RON KARENGA, WHO WAS A CULTURAL NATIONALIST. HE FOUNDED IT RIGHT AFTER THE WATTS RIOTS OF 1966. IT STARTED OUT AS A WAY, AN AFFIRMATION OF BLACK NATIONALISM, BLACK SEPARATISM. BY THE '80s, INTERESTING THINGS BEGAN TO HAPPEN TO KWANZAA. ONE -- WOMEN TAKE IT OVER, TURN IT INTO A TYPE OF A FAMILY CELEBRATION, NOT A POLITICAL, CULTURAL, NATIONALIST ACTIVITY. THE THIRD PRINCIPLE, UJIMA, REPRESENTS COLLECTIVE WORK AND RESPONSIBILITY. Glasco: IT CHANGED IN THAT, AS THE WOMEN TOOK IT OVER, IT BECAME NOT SO MUCH HOSTILE TO CHRISTIANITY, BUT IT WAS SEEN AS SUPPLEMENTARY TO, OR COMPLEMENTARY TO -- SORT OF A "SOUL CHRISTMAS," IF YOU WILL. AND KWANZAA NOW HAS BECOME A WAY OF CELEBRATING AFRICAN-AMERICAN IDENTITY. IT'S NOT AFRICAN, IT'S NOT AMERICAN -- IT'S A COMBINATION. IT'S SORT OF LIKE A BLACK HANUKKAH, IF YOU WILL. IT'S SOMETHING THAT IDENTIFIES ONE AND MAINTAINS A RACIAL IDENTITY, BUT IT BECOMES PART OF THE AMERICAN MOSAIC AT THE SAME TIME. Sebak: WELL, PAT MITCHELL USED TO BE THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CULTURAL ORGANIZATION CALLED KUUMBA TRUST, WHICH WORKED ON A SPECIAL KWANZAA EVENT WITH THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM OF ART. IN THE YEAR 2000, WE INVITED DR. MAULANA KARENGA TO COME AND KICK OFF OUR CITYWIDE KWANZAA CELEBRATION. HE GAVE A LECTURE AT CARNEGIE MUSIC HALL IN OAKLAND, AND WE HAD OVER 700 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE. YOU KNOW, TO HAVE THE ACTUAL FOUNDER OF KWANZAA IN YOUR HOMETOWN IS NO SMALL FEAT. SOME OF THE THINGS WE HAVE, WE HAVE GIVEN TO YOU JUST BECAUSE AT KWANZAA, CHILDREN<i> ALWAYS</i> GET GIFTS. Adeniji: KWANZAA HAS PRINCIPLES AND IDEAS THAT WE CAN ALL USE EACH AND EVERY DAY OF OUR LIVES, 365, NOT JUST DURING THE 7 DAYS THAT WE CELEBRATE, AND SO WHETHER OR NOT YOU CHOOSE TO OBSERVE IT, THERE WILL BE A MOMENT IN ALL OF US WHERE WE PAUSE AND REMEMBER WHO HELPED US GET TO WHERE WE ARE, AND WE WILL SAY THANK YOU TO THEM, AND WE WILL TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO DO THE SAME THING, AND THAT'S KWANZAA. Mitchell: AND IT'S A GOOD FEELING, AND IT TIES APPROPRIATELY IN WITH THE OTHER HOLIDAYS, WITH CHRISTMAS AND WITH HANUKKAH, AND IT'S ALL ABOUT FAMILY. Sebak: FAMILY AND LIGHT, WHERE WE CAME FROM AND WHERE WE'RE GOING, BECAUSE AS KWANZAA ENDS, THE NEW YEAR STARTS. AND ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, LOTS OF PITTSBURGHERS NOW GO DOWNTOWN FOR THE EVENT KNOWN AS FIRST NIGHT. IT'S A CELEBRATION WITH LOTS OF ART AND ARTISTS, BUT NO BOOZE -- ALTHOUGH PLENTY OF GOOFY ENERGY. IT WAS FOUNDED HERE BY JAMEE TODD. Todd: IT STARTED IN BOSTON IN 1976. AND IT STARTED IN PITTSBURGH IN 1993. FIRST NIGHT 1994 WAS OUR FIRST YEAR. IT'S ALWAYS THE FIRST NIGHT. YOU KNOW? SO IT'S -- THIS -- [ LAUGHS ] Sebak: WELL, IT'S THE<i> LAST</i> NIGHT. IT'S THE<i> FIRST</i> NIGHT! IT'S THE BEGINNING... [ LAUGHS ] IT'S THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW YEAR, SO IT'S THE VERY FIRST NIGHT. Sebak: WELL, CALL IT WHAT YOU WILL. IT'S A HODGEPODGE OF PERFORMANCES AND EXHIBITS, ALL DOWNTOWN, SOME INSIDE, SOME OUTSIDE. YOU BUY A BUTTON, AND IT GETS YOU INTO EVERYTHING. Todd: THIS IS TRANSCEND PITTSBURGH. AND WE HAVE THE SCHOOL CHILDREN BUILD STATUES, REPRESENTING -- THIS IS MISTER ROGERS. I'M SURE YOU REALIZE HE'S PUTTING ON HIS SNEAKERS. NOW, THIS GUY IS ANDREW MELLON, CARRYING HIS MONEY IN THE BAG. WE ALL KNOW THIS FELLOW, OUR GREAT MARIO LEMIEUX. AND THAT'S SORT OF WHAT -- STREET INSTALLATIONS IS WHAT FIRST NIGHT IS ALL ABOUT, AS WELL AS EDUCATION, FOR THE KIDS TO LEARN ABOUT THE CITY. THEN, OF COURSE, THEY ALL COME DOWN TO FIRST NIGHT 'CAUSE THEY WANT TO SHOW THEIR MOM AND DADS WHAT THEY MADE. THIS GUY RIGHT HERE IS FRANK CONRAD, WHO STARTED KDKA, AND KORDELL STEWART IS OVER HERE, AND WE ALL KNOW WHO HE IS. Man: HE DROPPED THE BALL. OH! HE DROPPED THE BALL! HE<i> DID</i> DROP THE BALL. Sebak: THERE'S JUST A LOT OF ACTIVITY ALL AROUND DOWNTOWN. Todd: WHEN WE STARTED FIRST NIGHT, THE RESTAURANTS WERE NOT OPEN, THE HOTELS WERE DEAD. NOW THE RESTAURANTS LOVE THIS EVENT. THEY HAVE FIVE SEATINGS BECAUSE PEOPLE EAT AND THEN RUN OUT. Woman: THESE ARE NEW YORK HOT DOGS. FIGURE WE HAVE LIKE A ROCKEFELLER CENTER HERE, SO... Todd: SO THERE'S ALL KINDS OF DIFFERENT THINGS. AND THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT FIRST NIGHT IN THE NIGHT WHEN IT'S COLD AND THE CITY IS DRESSED UP FOR CHRISTMAS. SO IT'S A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE. IT'S WHIMSICAL, IT'S MAGICAL. YOU HAVE TO COME TO KNOW WHAT IT IS, 'CAUSE IT'S DIFFERENT THAN ANYTHING YOU'VE EVER EXPERIENCED. [ CROWD CHEERING ] AT MIDNIGHT, ON THE BRIDGE, WE HAVE THIS WONDERFUL FIREWORKS DISPLAY BY OUR WELL-KNOWN PITTSBURGHER GEORGE ZAMBELLI. PEOPLE JUST COME AND JUST LOVE IT. THEY LOVE IT. Sebak: NEW YEAR'S FESTIVITIES HAVE SOME VARIATIONS, TOO. USUALLY LATER IN JANUARY, PEOPLE START TO CELEBRATE CHINESE NEW YEAR, BASED, AGAIN, ON AN ANCIENT LUNAR CALENDAR. THE ORGANIZATION OF CHINESE AMERICANS -- PITTSBURGH CHAPTER HAS A SPECIAL EVENT. KAREN YEE IS ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS. TONIGHT IS OUR COMMUNITY CELEBRATION, WHERE THE CHINESE COMMUNITY INVITES ALL PITTSBURGHERS OR ALL WESTERN PENNSYLVANIANS TO COME AND JOIN IN THE CHINESE NEW YEAR CELEBRATION. IT'S THE BIGGEST HOLIDAY ON THE CHINESE CALENDAR. Shaw: IT'S THE BIGGEST HOLIDAY. IT'S JUST LIKE CHRISTMAS HERE. IT'S JUST LIKE A THANKSGIVING DINNER. EVERYBODY HAS TO BE AT HOME, SO, LIKE A FAMILY REUNION. Sebak: IT'S LIKE A COMBINATION HOLIDAY, WITH A FEAST AND A BIG COMMUNAL BIRTHDAY PARTY, TOO. IN CHINA, THEY DON'T CELEBRATE INDIVIDUAL BIRTHDAYS UNTIL ONE BECOMES 60. SO EVERY YEAR AT CHINESE NEW YEAR, YOU'RE ONE YEAR OLDER. Sebak: THERE'S SO MUCH TO CELEBRATE THAT CHIA-PIH SHAW SAYS CHINESE AMERICANS SOMETIMES STRETCH THE CALENDAR. Shaw: IT'S KIND OF HARD FOR US TO CELEBRATE THE ACTUAL CHINESE NEW YEAR ON THE EXACT CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY, BECAUSE THERE'S NO HOLIDAY -- SOMETIMES IT FALLS ON TUESDAY OR WEEKDAYS. Woman: READY -- GO. LEFT FOOT. ONE, TWO, THREE... Sebak: BUT THESE HOLIDAYS ARE, AGAIN, WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE LEARN ABOUT ANCIENT CUSTOMS AND RITUALS. Shaw: YOU ACTUALLY TRY TO MAINTAIN YOUR OWN CULTURE AND TRY TO TEACH. THESE KIDS ARE BORN IN THIS COUNTRY, SO WE TRY TO MAINTAIN THE HERITAGE, THE CULTURE, AND SO THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR BACKGROUND BECAUSE THIS IS A REALLY BIG CELEBRATION FOR CHINESE, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY. Sebak: CELEBRATING THE BEGINNING OF A COLORFUL NEW YEAR IS ANOTHER GOOD STRATEGY FOR FIGHTING THE DARK AND COLD OF WINTER. Man: STRIP, STRIP, STRIP! Sebak: BUT PERHAPS NO CULTURAL EVENT REQUIRES SO MUCH FORTITUDE AND RESILIENT WARMTH AS WHEN CERTAIN PITTSBURGHERS -- NOW USUALLY LED BY FRANK NELSON -- GATHER AT THE EDGE OF THE ICY RIVER ON JANUARY 1st. THESE PEOPLE CALL THEMSELVES POLAR BEARS. IT'S A LITTLE WARMER THIS YEAR THAN LAST YEAR, SO IT'S NOT TOO BAD. OH, YEAH. IT'S 10 DEGREES. FIRST WAVE WILL GO IN. IF YOU'RE STAYING IN, STAY IN. BUT MORE THAN LIKELY, EVERYBODY'S GONNA JUMP OUT. Man: THIS IS MY FIRST YEAR. MY SON DID IT LAST YEAR. SEEMS LIKE A LITTLE EXCITEMENT. GOOD WAY TO START THE NEW YEAR. EVERY YEAR, IT'S A TRADITION. Man: WHO'S GOING FIRST? US -- OLD GUYS. Woman: WE KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING TO BE JANUARY 1st -- DOWN AT THE RIVER, JUMPING IN. Man: THREE... TWO... ONE! DO IT! [ CROWD CHEERING ] Nelson: IT'S NOT BAD. IT REALLY ISN'T. I MEAN, JUST A LITTLE BIT OF ICE ON THE SURFACE, BUT THE WATER DOESN'T SEEM TO BE TOO BAD. IT'S ABOUT 38 DEGREES. Man: THREE! [ CROWD CHEERING ] [ LAUGHTER ] Man #2: JUMP IN, IT'S LIKE A RUSH. YOU COME OUT, THAT'S WHEN YOU START REALLY GETTING COLD, 'CAUSE THE WIND HITS YOU. THAT WAS AWESOME. IT'S COLD. RIGHT WHEN YOU HIT THE WATER, IT DIDN'T REALLY FEEL TOO BAD. IT'S WHEN YOUR HEAD POPS BACK UP, AND YOU REALIZE IT'S STILL COLD OUT HERE. Man: THREE! DO IT! [ CROWD CHEERING ] Man #2: IT'S NOT TOO BAD, THOUGH. IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND. I COACH SWIMMING AND DIVING AT WOODLAND HILLS, AND THEY SHOW UP. OH, I LIVE IN MONONGAHELA. I JUMP IN A CRICK OUT THERE. I GOT TALKED INTO DOING THIS. IT WAS POP'S IDEA. SUNDAY, I HAD TO BREAK THE ICE. THERE WAS ABOUT 4 INCHES OF ICE ON IT. Nelson: JUST A TRADITION, YOU KNOW. I STARTED BACK IN '66, WALKING FROM MT. WASHINGTON DOWN TO GO IN WITH THESE OLDER GUYS, AND NOW I'M ONE OF<i> THEM.</i> Sebak: IN THE 1950s, GUS BRICKNER GOT A LOT OF EARLY LOCAL TV COVERAGE FOR HIS NEW YEAR'S SWIMS, BUT THE TRADITION IS EVEN OLDER. RALPH UNGLO BROUGHT SOME OLD PHOTOS. THIS IS MY DAD...IN 1936. AND HE ACTUALLY WAS PRESENTED THIS HAT FROM THE ADAMS HAT COMPANY FOR DOING THE NEW YEAR'S DAY DIVE. AND MY SON WAS SO INTERESTED THAT HE THOUGHT HE WOULD COME TODAY AND DO THE DIVE. I FIGURED HE STARTED THIS POLAR BEAR CLUB, I MIGHT AS WELL FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS, RIGHT? I JUST WANTED TO DO IT -- I THOUGHT THESE GUYS ARE CRAZY, AND I FIGURED AT 16 YEARS OLD, WHAT DO I HAVE TO LOSE? Woman: EVERY YEAR, IT GETS BIGGER AND BIGGER. ONE YEAR, WE HAD 80-SOME PEOPLE JUMP IN FROM THE MON WHARF. Nelson: AND NOW THAT I'M 53, I CONTINUE TO ASK MYSELF, "WHAT DO I HAVE TO LOSE?" [ LAUGHS ] BUILDS UP YOUR CONSTITUTION. I HAVEN'T HAD A COLD IN THREE YEARS. DRANK A LITTLE BIT OF JACK, WOKE UP THIS MORNING, PUMPED MYSELF UP, AND JUMPED IN. IT'S COLD! AHH! BUT IT'S THE NEW YEAR! WAY TO START THE YEAR OFF RIGHT. Man: GO! Sebak: NOTHING LIKE A JUMP IN THE FRIGID RIVER TO START THE WHOLE CYCLE OVER AGAIN. ALL THESE WINTER TRADITIONS GIVE US REASONS TO KEEP GOING, TO HONOR OUR VARIOUS ROOTS, TO OBSERVE RELIGIOUS CUSTOMS, TO SEE SOME OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. I THINK PITTSBURGH'S A VERY TRADITIONAL TOWN, AND WITH THE HOLIDAYS, THEY REALLY LIKE IT. I THINK IT'S SOMETHING EVERYBODY LIVES FOR. Woman: MY KIDS CAN'T WAIT. THEY'LL START ASKING ME ABOUT WHAT THEY'RE GETTING FOR HANUKKAH NEXT YEAR AS SOON AS THIS YEAR'S OVER. EVERYBODY COMES BACK, AND WE'RE SO HAPPY TO SEE EVERYBODY AGAIN. WE'RE HAPPY WHEN IT BEGINS, WE'RE HAPPY WHEN IT'S OVER. Sebak: THE HOLIDAYS HERE IN PITTSBURGH, LIKE EVERYWHERE ELSE, ARE FULL OF WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITIES AND EVENTS, FRIENDS AND FAMILIES, BUT A BIG PART OF THE MAGIC HERE, AS ANYWHERE, IS WHEN ALL OF THESE THINGS COME TOGETHER TO MAKE THIS PART OF THE WORLD FEEL LIKE HOME. Sebak: EVER CONSIDER GETTING UP ON JANUARY 1st TO GO JUMP IN THE MON WITH THE POLAR BEARS? IF I LOOKED GOOD IN A BATHING SUIT, I WOULD. [ LAUGHS ] I COULDN'T DO IT. Woman: NO, NO, NO. HELL, NO. [ LAUGHS ] NOT ME. I'M AFRAID OF WATER. [ LAUGHS ] 'COURSE, IF THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF MONEY WAS INVOLVED, YOU NEVER KNOW. Girl: NOPE. WHY NOT? 'CAUSE I'D BE FREEZING. [ LAUGHS ] ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NOT. [ LAUGHS ] I HAVE CONSIDERED IT, BUT NOT IN THE RIVER, I'M A WARM-WEATHER GUY. THEY SEEM TO ENJOY IT, THOUGH. BUT I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED HOW THEIR HEARTS DEAL WITH IT. IF YOU'RE GOING TO DO THAT, YOU SHOULD GO TO MINNESOTA. Man: I'D LOVE TO DO IT. [ LAUGHS ] CRAZY PEOPLE DO THAT. THAT'S A CRAZY THING TO DO. I'M NOT THAT CRAZY YET, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? [ LAUGHS ] Man: I WOULDN'T JUMP IN THE RIVER JULY 4th. YEAH, I'D TRY IT ONE TIME. Man: I GOT LONG UNDERWEAR ON. I LIKE TO STAY THIS WAY. Man: IF YOU'RE WATCHING THERE, I WILL DEFINITELY LOVE TO DO IT. --<font color="#FFFF00"> Captions by VITAC --</font><font color="#00FFFF"> www.vitac.com</font> Sebak: THIS WQED SPECIAL WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY A GRANT FROM THE BUHL FOUNDATION, SERVING SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA SINCE 1927. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT WAS PROVIDED BY THE HENRY L. HILLMAN FOUNDATION, THE TIPPINS FOUNDATION, AND, OF COURSE, BY YOU AND OTHER GIFT-GIVING MEMBERS OF WQED.

Channel: WQED Pittsburgh

Views: 35,497

Keywords: wqed, WQED Pittsburgh, PBS, Pittsburgh PBS, Made in Pittsburgh, Public, Broadcast, community, Media, Wholesome, Local, Pennsylvania, Television, Pittsburgh, PA

Id: crNEerr71_0

Length: 98min 28sec (5908 seconds)

Published: Wed Dec 23 2020