8 Special Holiday Celebrations to Teach Your Students

Kirsten 0:00

This is The Social Studies Teacher Podcast, a show for busy elementary teachers looking for fun and engaging ways to easily add social studies into their classroom schedule without feeling overwhelmed or pressed for time. I'm Kirsten of The Southern Teach, an educator and mom who is passionate about all things social studies. I love sharing ideas and strategies that are low prep and easy to implement. So let's dive in together.

Kirsten 0:47

Hey there and welcome to another episode of the social studies teacher podcast. I am so excited about today's topic because we're diving into something I think we can all agree is both fun and important - teaching about holidays and celebrations from around the world in our classrooms. We may have our favorite holidays that we celebrate, but it's also key for our students to learn about different traditions. It's a great way to help build awareness and respect for the diversity of cultures and celebrations around the world throughout the year. So today I'm going to share eight special holidays from different cultures that your students may or may not have heard about. These celebrations are meaningful, rich in history, and can be a great addition into your classroom lessons.

Kirsten 1:39

Let's kick it off with some Lunar New Year. Celebrated in many East Asian countries, Lunar New Year is a holiday that honors gods and ancestors. It's filled with traditions like giving red envelopes, fireworks, and family gatherings. The festivities often last for two weeks, and students love learning about the vibrant parades and dragon dances. This is the perfect opportunity to talk about the significance of family and cultural values across generations.

Kirsten 2:09

Holiday number two is Mardi Gras. Who doesn't love a good Mardi Gras celebration? Originating in France, this carnival is all about indulgence before the fasting season of Lent begins. New Orleans is famous for its Mardi Gras parades, colorful beads, and delicious king cake. I love king cake, and I go out of my way to find it in the area I live in. This is a fun way to introduce your students to the concept of Lent nd how different cultures mark periods of celebration and reflection.

Kirsten 2:44

Holiday number three is Nowruz. This is also known as Persian New Year, and it's celebrated by Iranians and other Central Asian countries to mark the spring equinox. This holiday is a fantastic way to teach students about seasonal changes and how various cultures celebrate renewal, growth, and new beginnings.

Kirsten 3:07

Holiday number four is Holi. Let's add some color to your classroom with Holi, the Hindu festival of colors. This celebration is all about the triumph of good over evil. During Holi, participants throw brightly colored powders in the air and on each other. It's a joyful way to welcome spring and connect to the theme of renewal and rebirth.

Kirsten 3:30

Holiday number five we're going to talk about is Las Posadas. A favorite holiday from Mexico is Las Posadas, which reenacts Mary and Joseph's search for shelter before the birth of Jesus. This holiday happens in the nine days leading up to Christmas, and ends on Christmas Eve with a huge feast and gift exchange. Las Posadas is a beautiful way to introduce your students to the importance of community faith and the holiday traditions of Mexico.

Kirsten 3:59

All right, the next wonderful holiday we're going to highlight is Diwali. This is also known as the festival of light. Diwali is celebrating the victory of good over evil, and is a major holiday in Hindu, Sikh, and Jain traditions. It's filled with fireworks, oil lamps and beautiful rangoli designs. You can use this holiday to discuss the symbolism of light and darkness and how different cultures mark important moral values.

Kirsten 4:28

Holiday seven is St Lucia's day. So this primarily takes place in Sweden, and it's celebrated on December 13. St Lucia's day is marked by candle light processions and songs. It's a peaceful and reflective celebration that emphasizes the themes of light and hope during the darker winter months. This holiday is a wonderful way to discuss the significance of light in different cultural contexts.

Kirsten 5:00

And the very last holiday is La Tomatina. So we are going to end with a fun cultural celebration. This is a unique Spanish festival held annually in Bunol, and it is a massive tomato fight where participants are throwing tomatoes at each other for fun. While it might seem silly, La Tomatina is a celebration of joy and community spirit. It's also a great way to teach students about different ways people celebrate and let loose after periods of hard work or seriousness.

Kirsten 5:32

Now that we've covered some amazing holidays, let's talk about how you can teach these celebrations in your classroom. I've got three easy strategies that are fun and engaging for your students. The first idea is using Nearpod. I love using Nearpod because it allows students to interact with content directly on their own devices, whether you do it as a whole group or in self paced mode. There are tons of pre made activities about a variety of holidays, plus it's free for teachers. So it is definitely a win win.

Kirsten 6:09

The second idea is using WebQuests. WebQuests are another fantastic way to engage students. I like to use websites like Ducksters or Britannica Kids for holiday research. And if you're looking for something ready to go, you can always check out my holiday WebQuest bundle, which includes research activities for many of these celebrations. It's an easy way for students to dig into different holidays without much prep on your part.

Kirsten 6:38

And the final strategy that you can use is daily passages. For a quick daily approach, you can incorporate daily passages that practice reading comprehension while also introducing cultural celebrations. These passages can give students bite sized information on key figures and traditions, and it can make a great way to integrate social studies into your reading block. There are plenty of AI tools like chatgpt, where you can prompt the AI generator to type up a short paragraph in your student's reading level about whatever holiday even give coming up with questions. Along with it, multiple choice questions, if you want to do or short answer questions, just making sure that it is accurate information that chatgpt or whatever AI tool you use gives out.

Kirsten 7:31

Additionally, I did want to mention I have a four week unit that talks all about a variety of ethnic and cultural celebrations. The name is what it is. It's called cultural celebrations, and it is not only in my membership, but it can be purchased separately in my TPT store or on my website store. There's a ton of fantastic lessons, some of which I actually mentioned, such as Diwali, La Tomatina, Holi, Lunar New Year. So you can get a variety of holidays, not just winter holidays, it's a variety of different cultural and ethnic holidays that are celebrated around the world in a variety of times of the year. So if you want to check that out, I'll make sure to link it in the show notes.

Kirsten 8:24

And there you have it, eight special holidays to teach your students and a few strategies to help you do it. Teaching these holidays helps foster understanding, respect and excitement about the many traditions celebrated around the world. Thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode of the social studies teacher podcast, and I will talk to you again next week.

Kirsten 8:45

Thanks for listening to the social studies teacher podcast. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, hit that subscribe button and leave a review. I would love to hear your thoughts. You can also find me on Instagram at the southern teach I can't wait for you to join me in the next episode for more teacher tips and strategies.