As we near the holiday season and winter break, one activity that can put students in the holiday spirit, while still being educational, is teaching about researching and asking students to use credible sources to find out how different parts of the world celebrate whatever holiday they choose, be it Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukah, or something else. Here are some Christmas customs from around the world to get you and your students started.
Netherlands
Greeting - Hartelijke Kerstroeten
Santa's Name - Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas), who wears a red bishop's hat and bishop's cloak and has white hair and a white beard. He arrives on a white horse with his servant, Black Pete, to put small gifts in children's wooden shoes.
Food - The Dutch people eat lots of marzipan, spiced ginger biscuits, tall chocolate letters, and "bankletter," which are initials made of pastry and filled with almond paste. When around the Christmas tree singing songs, they eat '"Kerstkrans"—a Christmas ring.
Gifts - On December 6, after hearing a knock at their door, children find a bag full of toys, nuts, and gifts.
Decorations - The Christmas tree is known as the Paradise Tree. Decorations of the season include dolls, musical instruments, fruit, candies, and lights.
Customs - The Dutch sing carols, the most popular one being "O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree."
Sweden
Greeting - God Jul
Food - Coffee, cakes, and special buns are served on Santa Lucia Day, December 13.
Customs - Santa Lucia Day honors Saint Lucy, who helped blind people. The oldest daughter in each Swedish household dresses in a white gown with a red sash, wears a crown of evergreen with seven candles in it, awakens the family with a song, and serves the
coffee, cakes, and buns. Each town and city also chooses a young woman to be Lucia for the day. She then serves coffee and food to the townspeople at schools, hospitals, and other public buildings. From these women, a national Lucia is chosen; followed by a parade, feast, and dance.
More activities for you and your students
Now that you have this data, let your students put the information in a comparison chart. Label the left side with the names of the countries and the bottom with the various information (ie: Greeting, Food, and so on). Then, fill in the boxes.
Let your students do research to find the information I left out.
Have students outline a research report on one of the topics.