Are you looking to bring more cultural diversity to your students’ learning this December? If so, you may be wondering, what are some different December holiday celebrations around the world for students to explore. Keep reading for different holiday celebrations that take place around the world. Please note that list is not a comprehensive list. I tried to include as many holidays as I could find!
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Before we Dive Into the List of December Holiday Celebrations Around the World…
Before we dive into the list of celebrations, it’s important to think about how you want students to explore these December holiday celebrations around the world. Will students focus on one specific holiday? Or, perhaps you want students to explore different celebrations that take place in one specific region of the world. Another option could be for different groups of students to explore different holidays and to then share what they learned with their peers.
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I want to share some ideas about how to explore these celebrations. Here are just a few ways students could use project-based learning to learn about these different holidays:
- Create an interactive map. Start by having students research different holidays around the world. Students must compile their findings onto a Google document or on Google Slides (I prefer Slides for their usability and versatility). Then, on a separate Google Slide presentation, add a map of the world. You could then add boxes over the parts of the world that can then link to the various presentations that the students created.
- Create a poster campaign. Teach your school about these different holidays by creating posters that give information about these different holidays. You could even come up with a catchy tagline for the campaign such as “Does your holiday look like this?”
- Create a brochure about different holidays around the world
- Learn different holiday songs. Students can learn some songs that are sung during various holiday celebrations and perform them at your school’s holiday assembly or even record them to post on your school’s social media.
Keep reading for more ideas specific to each holiday!
Click here to read my recent blog post about awesome December project ideas!
December Holiday Celebrations Around the World-The List
New Year’s Celebrations
As a project, students could research and compare how people around the world bring in the new year and what it means to different cultures.
Ōmisoka /Ōmisoka /or ōtsugomori — a Japanese traditional celebration on the last day of the year.
Shogatsu -The Japanese New Year festival, known as Shogatsu, is one of Japan’s biggest events. It has come to be considered as big of an event as the Chinese New Year.
Winter Solstice celebration around the world
- Alban Arthan (Welsh)
- Blue Christmas (holiday) (Western Christian)
- Brumalia (Ancient Rome)
- Dongzhi Festival (East Asia)
- Korochun (Slavic)
- Sanghamitta Day (Theravada Buddhism)
- Shalako (Zuni)
- Yaldā (Iran)
Other December Holiday Celebrations Around the World
Bodhi Day
Bodhi Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, experienced enlightenment, also known as bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali.
Pancha Ganapati
Think of this as the Hindu Christmas. This holiday is a winter holiday full of family-centred gatherings, as well as five days of gifts for the kids. From December 21 to 25 Hindus worship Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed Lord of culture and new beginnings. Family members work to mend past mistakes and bring His blessings of joy and harmony into five realms of their life, a wider circle each day: family, friends, associates, culture and religion.
Hannukah
Hanukkah is a Jewish festival that reaffirms the ideals of Judaism and commemorates in particular the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem by the lighting of candles on each day of the festival.
Santa Lucia Day
Also known as Saint Lucy’s Day. Every year, people across Italy and Scandinavia celebrate the feast day of Santa Lucia, the patron saint of the blind and her hometown of Siracusa, Sicilia, on December 13. … Thus, Santa Lucia is venerated as the patron saint of the blind across the world. How you celebrate this holiday will depend on where you are located, as both Italy and Scandinavian countries celebrate this holiday differently.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture that is held from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually held on the 6th day. The Seven Principles of Kwanzaa include:
- Umoja (Unity) To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. …
- Kujichagulia (Self-Determination) …
- Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility) …
- Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) …
- Nia (Purpose) …
- Kuumba (Creativity) …
- Imani (Faith)
Yule
Yule is a festival historically observed by the German people. Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.
Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Each December 12th, the Mexican Catholic community of Scott County celebrates the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This celebration commemorates the appearance of Mary to the Mexican peasant Juan Diego in 1531 and includes a day of feasting and many gatherings for prayer.
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Final Thoughts
Did I miss any? Please comment down below with other December holiday celebrations around the world so that I can add them to the list.
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