We are a group of second grade students from Alabama. Our class is learning about different celebrations around the world. Below are descriptions of holidays and events many people celebrate in the USA. Please scroll to the bottom, click "Comments", and tell us about a different holiday or event that you celebrate.
Mother's Day and Father's Day:
In America, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are set aside to honor your mother and father. Presents and/or cards are often given to your special parent. Usually the day is dedicated to eating lunch and spending time with your mother or father.
Christmas:
In America, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th to honor the birth of Christ. Also, it is a tradition that on Christmas Eve, children are visited by Santa Claus who brings gifts and toys.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day:
In America, Martin Luther King Jr., Day is a day dedicated to celebrating the life of Martin Luther King, Jr.. He was a man who led peaceful protest to help gain Civil Rights for all Americans.
Thanksgiving:
In America, Thanksgiving is celebrated the fourth Thursday in November. It is a day set aside to give thanks for a wonderful year. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims from England who praised and worshipped God for surviving the first year in the New World.
New Year’s Eve:
In America, New Year’s Eve is celebrated December 31st. At 12:00 A.M. , everyone brings in the New Year with parties and fireworks.
Valentine’s Day:
In America, Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14th. People exchange candy, cards, flowers, or gifts with friends, family and their significant other.
Fourth of July or Independence Day:
In America, Independence Day is celebrated on July 4 to honor the day the American Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776. Celebrations include barbeques, outdoor picnics, and fireworks.
Easter:
In America, Easter is a day set aside in the Spring to honor the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is also a tradition that children are visited by the Easter Bunny bringing eggs and candy in baskets. Children dye, hide and hunt Easter eggs.
Halloween:
In America, on October 31, children dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating. Trick-or-treating is a tradition of children knocking on their neighbors’ door to get candy and other treats. Children also attend parties and carnivals on Halloween.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Eid al-Adha is an Islamic festival to commemorate the willingness of Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) to follow Allah's (God's) command to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Muslims around the world mark the occasion by wearing new clothes and ensuring that everybody in their community can eat a meat based meal.
Eid al-Fitr
For more than a billion Muslims around the world-including some 8 million in North America-Ramadan is a "month of blessing" marked by prayer, fasting, and charity.
Ramadan ends with the festival of Eid al-Fitr, Literally the "Festival of Breaking the Fast," Eid al-Fitr is one of the two most important Islamic celebrations (the other occurs after the Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca). At Eid al-Fitr people dress in their finest clothes, adorn their homes with lights and decorations, give treats to children, and enjoy visits with friends and family.
In France, July 14th, is our National Day. We celebrate the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 and the Fête de la Fédération on July
14, 1790. The storming of the Bastille by the Parisian people marked the end of the monarchy and the beginning of the French Revolution.
On that day, French flags (blue, white and red) are exhibited on official buildings and in the streets. Military parades march past on the Champs Elysée in Paris and in every village/town. In the evening, people watch fireworks and go to enjoy themselves in easy going ways. Dancing takes place everywhere in the country.
In Jordan in addition to above written Muslims celebrations, Christians also celebrate Christmas on the 25th December, where Christmas trees, decorations and presents under the tree fills the hearts of everyone with joy and happiness. Easter is also celebrated in Jordan the same way people in America do.
on the 4th of December many Christians also celebrate Saint Barbra day by making a special dessert from sweetened wheat with some candy and nuts on top of it, many people put their Christmas tree up after that date.
We celebrate our independence day on the 25th May.
Independence Day in Lebanon
Lebanon celebrates its Independence day on the twenty-second of November. The celebrations start with an army parade in Martyrs Square in downtown Beirut and then shift to the Republican palace in Baabda. Lebanese military cadets march through Beirut to mark Independence Day.
Our students celebrate Independence Day . They do different activities related to this event. They color flags, make crown flags and sing patriotic songs… Most important of all they express their love to our beloved country Lebanon ,each in his own way!
Every year on the Independence Day we remember our beloved martyrs, miss them and feel proud for their sacrifices.
Mother's Day in Lebanon
Mother's Day is celebrated on the twenty-first of March, on the first day of spring.
Activities to honour mothers are different for each family. Some children make breakfast for their mothers and serve it to them in bed when they awaken on Mother's Day. Others make little gifts, or buy special cards or flowers. Children prepare dinner as a surprise or mother is taken out to eat for her special day.
Last year, in our school, mothers were invited to spend a day with their kids.They made cards ,paper flowers,and candles.Then, they watched a short movie about their kids.Teachers performed a puppet show entitled Take Care of Moms.Finally, everyone sang Happy Mother's Day and ate cake.
Students also wrote letters and put them in hearts that they painted and decorated.Grade six students prepared cards for their moms and went to the postoffice. They sent them to their moms .On Mother's Day,moms were surprised by the post man at their door.
A mother does not have to be the woman who gave birth to you. There are many women who are still considered a mother to someone even though they did not give birth to him or her.
Mother's Day is so special to me...cause I have a very special mom and...it's also my birthday :)
Círio de Nazaré
On the second Sunday in October, Pará celebrates the largest and greatest religious event in Brazil; the procession of the Círio of Nazaré.Celebrated for 300 years, the event is based on the discovery of a statuette of the Virgin Mary which, it is believed, has been bestowed with miraculous powers.
Círio is celebrated as a long procession of faith, in which thousands of people follow the saint through the streets of Belém, in a manifestation that lasts around 5 hours for unity, emotion and devotion, with no distinction of social classes, to express the strongest devotion to the belief.After the procession, all the families get together to have a big meal. The typical food are: Pato no Tucupi and Maniçoba.
Círio de Nazaré is known as the “Christmas of the Amazon” because it’s a moment of congregation in which everyone is involved in the arrangements to receive the saint, in an atmosphere of fraternity with people becoming more sympathetic and happier.
The festivities are 15 days long, with religious celebrations, like the Children’s Círio, and its procession, held two Sundays after the Círio; cultural activities, visiting the Círio Museum, and leisure, with an amusement park at the Arraial de Nazaré.
Festivals in Nepal
Nepal is not only the land of mountains; it is also the land of festivals. There are more than 50 festivals celebrated in Nepal every year. While the national festivals have fixed dates, religious festivals are set by astrologers following the lunar calendar. The best part about the festivals in Nepal is that all the events are celebrated with the same enthusiasm and galore the way it used to be hundreds of years ago when people had no other means of entertainment.
New Year: It is known as “Navavarsha” in Nepal. Nepal has its official calendar that begins from the first day of the first month Baisakh. This very first day is observed as Nepali New Year which usually falls in the second week of April. People go for picnics, have get-togethers and celebrate the day socializing in various ways as this day is also a national holiday.
Lhosar (Tibetan New Year): This is the New Year of the Tibetans and Sherpas of Nepal which falls in February. The Buddhist monasteries in Kathmandu like Boudhanath and Swayambhunath are decorated with eye catching colorful prayer flags pulling the crowd. The people perform their traditional dances and welcome their New Year with feasts and family gatherings wearing all the new clothes and finest jewelries and exchanging gifts.
Saraswati Puja: Saraswati Puja or Shree Panchami is a day to celebrate the birthday of Saraswati – the Goddess of Learning. This is a day when people from school students to scholars worship their pens and books to please the Goddess and expect her favor in their studies so they become wise and knowledgeable. People also throng around the idol of Goddess Saraswati, especially in Swayambhunath and offer flowers, sweets, fruits, etc. On this day, small children are taught to read and write and people write on the stones and slabs with chalks and pencils. This day which falls between January/February is regarded as a very auspicious day for marriages too as it is believed that Goddess Saraswati herself blesses the couples. Normally it is the astrologers who fix the marriage date and time in Nepal.
Holi: This festival of water and colors that falls between February/March is also known as “Phagu” in Nepal. This day is observed to rejoice the extermination of female demon Holika who together with her King brother conspired to kill his son Pralhad, an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. This day, playful people especially the young ones wander through the streets in groups on foot or vehicles with various colors smeared all over them and the people in houses make merry throwing colors and water balloons at each other and also to these people on the streets.
Ghode Jatra (Festival of Horses): This festival takes place between March/April and a grand horse parade takes place at Tundikhel. Although this festival does not have much of religious aspects, a large number of people, even from outside Kathmandu flock around Kathmandu to witness the horse race and other exciting sports activities performed by the Army in the presence of the King and the Royal family.
Buddha Jayanti: Buddha’s birth anniversary is celebrated every year during May in Nepal. On this day people swarm in Swayambhunath and Boudhanath to pay homage to Lord Buddha and also visit Buddha’s birth place in Lumbini and chant prayers and burn butter lamps. Lord Buddha was born as Prince Siddhartha Gautam but he abandoned his luxurious life when he realized the misery of mankind and went in search of enlightenment.
Gai Jatra (Cow Festival): This festival of cow is celebrated every year in August/September. This is one of the most popular festivals in Nepal as it is full of humor, satire, comedy, mockery and shades of sadness too at the same time. And on this day satires and jokes on anybody is legal. As per the tradition, the family who has lost a relative during the past one year must take part in a procession by sending young boys in cow like attire and walk through the streets of Kathmandu lead by a cow. Cow is regarded as a Goddess and it is also the national animal of Nepal. This festival also purges many who have lost their loved ones as they get to console themselves as to they are not the only ones who have been bereaved and it also teaches to accept death as a part of life.
Krishna Janmastami: The birth anniversary of Lord Sri Krishna, believed to be the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu falls sometime in August/September. All the devotees assemble in Krishna Mandir, the ancient Krishna Temple in Patan Durbar Square and other temples with the idol of Sri Krishna and offer prayers, flowers, food, sweets and chant hymns too.
Teej: This is a Hindu married woman’s day for her man. This festival is celebrated in August/September. Women clad in beautiful red saris with shining potes (glass beads), singing and dancing is the sight almost everywhere in Nepal during the festival of Teej. On this day women observe a fast and pray Lord Shiva for the long, healthy and prosperous life of their husbands and their families. The unmarried women also observe this festival with unabated zeal with the hope that they will get to marry good husbands. From early dawn, women queue up in the multiple lines in Pashupatinath to offer their prayers to Lord Shiva.
Indra Jatra: This festival named after Lord Indra- the God of Rain and also the King of Heaven is celebrated by both the Buddhists and Hindus in Nepal in August/September. This festival lasts for eight days with singing, mask dancing and rejoicing. The chariot of Kumari – the Living Goddess is taken through the main streets of Kathmandu with much fanfare. On the first day, the King of Nepal also pays homage to Goddess Kumari. The crowd of excited people from performers to spectators engulfs the streets of Kathmandu during this festival. People get to enjoy various classical dances like elephant dance, lakhe – a very popular dance of a man with a mask.
In Germany, St. Nikolaus (Santa Claus) visits children on the night of December 5th. Children shine and place their shoes outside their front doors. St. Nikolaus comes by and leaves gifts in the shoes of the good children, and sticks for the naughty children.
At the beginning of February, Germans celebrate the beginning of Fasching, a celebration similar to Mardi Gras in the U.S. This holiday is celebrated with parades, concerts, street parties, and fun costumes!
Post a Comment