Winter Holiday Festivals

Instructor, Nov, 2000 by Ann Flagg

This holiday season, bring winter festivals from around the world into your classroom with fun crafts and learning activities. With this theme unit, your students will learn about Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, the Mexican tradition of Los Pasadas, and enjoy a special New Year's Surprises activity (see center poster). Begin by inviting your students' families to share some of the special holiday traditions they enjoy to make this unit even more special!

Diwali, The Festival of Lights

October/November -- Country: India

Diwali is the most popular Hindu festival of the year. It marks the beginning of winter for Hindus. This festival is dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of luck, wealth, and happiness. Clay lamps called diye are lit in homes all over India in hopes that Lakshmi will visit. Diwali lasts for two days, and on the second night, families feast, pray, and set off beautiful fireworks.

Diwali Balloon Poppers Introduce the customs of Diwali with this "fire-cracking" balloon activity.

To prepare your Diwali poppers, write quick facts about the holiday on small slips of paper.

Put one slip into each balloon and inflate. Let the balloons loose on the floor, and invite the children to sit on the balloons in order to pop them, collecting the pieces of paper as they go.

When the "fireworks" are over, ask each child to read a Diwali fact to the rest of the class. Calm everyone down by reading Ravi's Diwali Surprise (Modern Curriculum, 1994).

Diwali facts:

* Diwali is the Hindu New Year.

* The word diwali means "garland of lights."

* Prayers to Hindu gods are offered.

* People dress up in their best clothes.

* At least 50 diye light many homes.

* Friends exchange coconut candies.

Hanukkah

December -- Country: Israel

Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights. It is on eight-day holiday which commemorates the victory of a small group of Jews who recaptured Jerusalem. As the Hebrews worked to restore their temple, they found only enough oil to light the hanukkiya, on eight-branch candlestick, for one day. Miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days.

Candle Clock

In honor of the hanukkiya, make candle clocks! Burn one candle for 30 minutes. Compare it with a new candle and measure. The difference in length represents a half hour.

Using a permanent marker, ask students to make half-hour marks and designs on their candles. Invite them to take their candle clocks home to use for the holidays.

Chinese New Year, Celebration of Good Fortune

Between January 21 and February 20 - Country: China

The exact date of Chinese New Year changes each year. Before the celebration begins, Chinese people clean their houses to rid themselves symbolically of last year's bad luck. The colorful celebrations, featuring a fabulous New Year's parade, last for l5 days. Many events and rituals are concerned with bringing wealth, health, and happiness in the coming year. Red is the main color for clothes and decorations at New Year's, because red is associated with joy.

Good Wishes

Chinese children receive "lucky money" from their parents on New Year's morning. The money is slipped inside special red envelopes and the family name or a symbol of good luck is written on the envelope. Invite your students to make red envelopes to exchange with classmates. To make a red envelope, cut a red piece of paper into a five-inch square and fold in the corners. Give each child a chocolate foil-covered coin to put inside. Students can write "Kung Hei Fat Choi" on their envelopes, a New Year's greeting which means, "We wish you great riches." When the envelopes are distributed and chocolate eaten, read Sam and the Lucky Money) by Karen Chinn (Lee & Low Books, 1995).

New Year's Dragons

Make paper-bag puppets of Chinese New Year's dragons with your students! Have each child paint a paper bag red, green, blue, or yellow. Glue a small paper plate to the bottom of the bag for the face. Buttons make great eyes, and puffs of cotton can be smoke from the nostrils. Strips of cups from egg cartons can be the scales. Decorate the sides with construction paper designs. Add bright streamers and use them in your own Chinese New Year's Parade.

Los Posadas, Christmas in Mexico

Second week in December Country: Mexico

On the nine nights before Christmas, Mexican friends and neighbors gather together to act out the journey to Bethlehem of Mary and Joseph in a series of ceremonies called posadas. Families walk from house to house singing songs and asking for lodging. At each, house they are turned away, as Mary and Joseph were, until they reach the place were the evening's festivities are held. There is dancing and great food. The party ends with a pinata for the children.

Christmas Flower

According to Mexican legend, the poinsettia Was once a weed. Miraculously, it turned into a beautiful Christmas flower, so that a child could present it to the baby Jesus. For this tale, read Tomi de Paola's Legend of the Poinsettia (Putman, 1994) and then make colorful paper poinsettias to brighten your classroom. Cut two squares of red construction paper with 6" sides. Fold the squares in half in each direction to make diagonal lines. Then cut along the diagonal lines almost to the center of the paper. Fold a corner of each triangle into the center and staple to make a pinwheel. When you have made a second pinwheel, staple the two on top, of each other to make the poinsetta. Add yellow dots cut with a hole punch to make the center of the flower.