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This week, the Museum of Belize held a Cultural Christmas Program for children ranging from ages 6 to 14. This program was made possible by a partnership between The Museum of Belize and BEL, and it taught the children about the different Belizean Christmas traditions. The children were also taught how to make various Belizean Christmas ornaments like corn husk angels. Here's more on that event.

Alexis Salazar - Director of the Museum of Belize
"What it is is a partnership, a continued partnership between Belize Electricity Limited as a corporate sponsor, and the Museum of Belize. What we did was, it's an extension of our summer program. Our summer program was so successful this year that BEL approached us and said that we would like to do something for Christmas also. And we've always been wanting to, at The Museum of Belize, do these cultural creative industries related to ornaments and picture frames and so on that...and the corn husk dolls, that we wanted to integrate into a Christmas program. But we haven't necessarily had the funds to do it; so when BEL approached us, we jumped at the opportunity. To have these kids here for a week to do arts and craft related to traditional Belizean culture."

Reporter
"Okay. How did you select the children who participated in this workshop?"

Alexis Salazar
"We did an open call. Some of them are from our summer program. So, we just ask them to come back. We got in contact with the parents and the hope is to gradually make it bigger. But because of the space that we have, at the museum, we could only take a certain amount of children. What is is is a part of our yearly educational outreach, so our education officers have been going out to schools and doing outreach and saying what the museum has been doing; what is the function of the museum and then this falls in line with other projects where we look at tangible cultural heritage. So, projects like this will go on, not necessarily in the same manner, but having to do with the transition of culture from one age group to the next. So, we're hoping to roll it out for all of our houses of culture throughout the year."

Sheena Garnett - BEL Public Relations Officer
"First of all, we would like to thank the Museum of Belize for affording us the opportunity to support a cultural program. As a company, we look forward, or we actually look out for opportunities for us to partner and opportunities that will allow our employees to volunteer and support whatever programs that we sponsor. So, the Museum of Belize has their cultural program and we have been partnering with them throughout the year; for the Summer Program, as well for this Christmas Cultural Program."

Reporter
"Tell us about your experience with this workshop. How was it for you, did you like it?"

Meagan Lockwood - 11, Bernice Yorke Institute
"I think it was fun because we got to, you know, learn about how the arts originated from and I thought it was really fun."

Jaya Johnson - 13, Edward P. York HS.
"I also learned about the history; things I didn't know. It was fascinating and I loved the creating of the arts."

Reporter
"Is this the first time you guys came to one of these?"

Meagan Lockwood
"No, I've been here, I think two years ago. This is my first time from two years ago."

Jaya Johnson
"I came last summer; it is my second time."

Reporter
"What was your favorite project to make?"

Meagan Lockwood
"My one was the picture frames that we did. They were made from coconut sticks, I believe and two of them that hadâ€Â¦ the pictures were the Jankunu and Las Posadas."

Jaya Johnson
"My favorite one was the Goombay drum, also known as the Don Doh. It originated from River Valley and Gales Point. It has two sides."

The museum frequently does events like this and will continue doing them at the different houses of culture.