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Arbor Day
Birthdays
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.
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 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.
Fourth of July
Hop-tu-Naa
Hop-tu-Naa, a Celtic holiday, is celebrated on October 31 on the Isle of Man.
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:
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.
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.
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)
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.
May Day
May Day is celebrated in several countries on May 1 to celebrate the coming of spring.
Memorial Day
May Day is celebrated in several countries on May 1 to celebrate the coming of spring.
Midsummer
Midsummer, a celebration of summer, is usually celebrated on or around the summer solstice.
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)
New Year
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
St. George’s Day is celebrated on April 23 or 24 (or close to those dates) in many countries. (source)
St. Lucia's Day
St. Lucia’s Day is celebrated in Scandinavian countries on December 13 to honor St. Lucia (Lucy). It includes a procession with girls wearing wreaths with candles on their heads and boys wearing white. (source)
St. Nicholas Day
Also called the Feast of Saint Nicholas, it is celebrated in Christian countries in the West on December 6 and in the East on December 19. It celebrates the tradition of Nicholas of Myra from the fourth century. (source)
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)
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.
Celebrations Visuals / Worksheet / Assessment
(See download at bottom of page.)
Lesson Ideas
For Pre-K / Kindergarten, you can teach a few lessons on Celebrations since they often include music and other recognizable sounds. Ideas:
Books
(Click on images to purchase.)
- Visuals (printable & digital), Assessment, Coloring Sheet
