BURLINGTON - The traditional "Festivals of Light" will feature various Champlain College community performers, musicians, storytellers and artists coming together to create a global holiday season celebration on Friday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. in Alumni Auditorium.

"The show lasts about two and a half hours (with an intermission - and there will be food!)," explained Eric Ronis, one of the organizers of the show. "The Festivals performances showcase diversity in three ways: diversity among the arts, diversity among religious and ethnic traditions, and diversity of who we are as a Champlain community," he added.

The event is presented by the Voices of DIVERSITY Project and sponsored by the Office for Diversity and Inclusion. Food is courtesy of the International Group on campus.

Among the performers, Toni-Lee Sangastiano (visual art); Parvin Pothiawala (Diwali traditions); Sarah Cohen (Hanukkah and the story of the Macabees); Ruben Ortiz-Rivera, Ellen Bernstein and Perro (Puerto Rican traditions/story); Nick Malutama (visual storytelling from the Congo);  Ray McCarthy-Bergeron (visual art); Howie Le & Maria Thach (Vietnamese New Year--traditions and changes); Lynda Reid (visual art, a personal multicultural journey); Champlain College Dance Team (dance); Doma Sherpa ("Loshar" and Nepalese traditional dance); Tommy Ngan (Chinese New Year and Winter Solstice celebration); Eric Ronis, Angela Batista, Sophia Morris-Pittman ("The Kwaanza Quandary"); Jack Holland and Brian Deerwester (music--winter/seasonal); Nick Stefani (film/celebrating winter); Kerry Kaye (spinning light).

"We will also be raising funds at the event for The Stracke/Reid Cultural Immersion Scholarship. This is the first Champlain College permanent endowment to provide financial assistance to Champlain College students studying at a Champlain Abroad campus for a semester or more. As the fund can only be tapped into for 5 percent of its value, donations to the foundation will build a larger support for students who desire to study abroad," Ronis said.

Champlain College was founded in 1878 and currently has nearly 2,000 undergraduate students. To learn more about Champlain College, visit www.champlain.edu

Festivals of Light, Friday, Dec. 5, 7 p.m. at Alumni Auditorium, Champlain College, Willard Street, Burlington. A multi-cultural celebration of the holiday season with presentations and performances from around the globe. Free and open to the public. For more information, 860-2727 or www.champlain.edu.