Holidays

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Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is called Chūnjié 春节: Spring Festival. The date is usually between the end of January and mid-February. (source) Find out the date this year by clicking here.

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Chuseok

Chuseok 추석 is an autumn harvest festival which lasts for 3 days (14th to 16th day of the 8th lunar month) in South Korea and 1 day in North Korea.

Dia de los muertos

Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead)

Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead) is a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1-2 to honor the dead.

Fiesta de San Fermin toros bull

Fiesta de San Fermín

The Fiesta de San Fermín is celebrated for a week (July 6-14) in Pamplona, Spain, to honor the city’s first bishop and patron saint, Saint Fermín. In this festival, people run through the town followed by bulls.

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Higan

Higan is a Japanese Buddhist holiday celebrated on both equinoxes where people visit the graves of loved ones.

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Hop-tu-Naa

Hop-tu-Naa, a Celtic holiday, is celebrated on October 31 on the Isle of Man.

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Indigenous Peoples' Day

This holiday is observed in the United States on the second Monday in October to honor the culture and accomplishments of indigenous people. The groups include people from these groups:

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Kwanzaa

So far, we have not found any Kwanzaa songs in the public domain. So, as we write any verses, we will add them here.

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Liichtmëssdag

Liichtmëssdag is celebrated in Luxembourg on February 2. Children walk around singing while carrying handmade lanterns. They go from door to door hoping to accumulate treats. The holiday dates back to pagan times, but is now associated with the feast day St. Blaise, which occurs the next day.

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Loy Krathong

Loy Krathong (or Loi Krathong) is a traditional annual festival in Thailand in the twelfth Thai lunar month (usually in November of the Western calendar). It is celebrated under a full moon and signifies  Loy Krathong means “floating basket.” The baskets are handmade from a slice of bread or a piece of the trunk of a banana tree and floated on a river. (source)

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Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras is celebrated in Louisiana (United States), especially in New Orleans every year on Fat Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, the day Lent begins.

Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated the third Monday in January (near his birthday on January 15) in the U.S. Since there are no songs in the public domain that specifically mention Martin Luther King Jr, here are some songs that celebrate his message.

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May Day

May Day is celebrated in several countries on May 1 to celebrate the coming of spring.

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Memorial Day

May Day is celebrated in several countries on May 1 to celebrate the coming of spring.

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Midsummer

Midsummer, a celebration of summer, is usually celebrated on or around the summer solstice.

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Nanakusa no sekku (Festival of Seven Herbs)

Nanakusa-no-sekku (七草の節句), or Festival of Seven Herbs, is a traditional holiday celebrated on January 7 in which a seven-herb soup is eaten to ward off evil spirits. (source)

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Obon Festival

Obon お盆 (or Bon) Festival is a 3-day Buddhist celebration in Japan to honor the dead in July or August.

St George's Day holiday

St. George's Day

St. George’s Day is celebrated on April 23 or 24 (or close to those dates) in many countries. (source)

St Lucia's Day-350

St. Lucia's Day

St. George’s Day is celebrated on April 23 or 24 (or close to those dates) in many countries. (source)

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St. Nicholas Day

St. George’s Day is celebrated on April 23 or 24 (or close to those dates) in many countries. (source)

St George's Day holiday

St. George's Day

St. George’s Day is celebrated on April 23 or 24 (or close to those dates) in many countries. (source)

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Sukkot

Sukkot is an 8-day harvest celebration where people live in wooden huts to remember the journey the Jews made after leaving Egypt. The Festival of Sukkot begins the fifth day after Yom Kippur. (source)

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Tanabata

Tanabata, “Star Festival” occurs every year on July 7. Children write their wishes on strips of paper, and the paper strips are hung on the branches of bamboo trees.

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Tango no sekku (Children’s Day)

Tango no sekku 端午の節句 (Children’s Day), which occurs on May 5. Koinobori (wind socks shaped like carps) are hung above homes with each family member represented with a different koinobori. (source)

Celebrations Visuals / Worksheet / Assessment

(See download at bottom of page.)

Lesson ideas

  • Discuss what “celebration” means. “Special occasion” and “Holiday” are synonyms. Ask students to name a holiday.
  • Play 3 sounds students have learned for different holidays.
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Books

(Click on images to purchase.)

  • Visuals (printable & digital), Assessment, Coloring Sheet
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