1. Holidays Around
the World
Mrs. Peters 1st Grade Class

2. United States of America
Christmas on December 25
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White House pastry team makes a gingerbread
white house replica that is over 400lbs.
Decorate a Christmas Tree
Decorate the outside with lights
Hang up Christmas stockings
Christian Holiday
Hanukah-”Festival of Lights”
• 8 Day Celebration
• Light a Menorah-One candle each day
• Play Dreidel with gelt
• Jewish Holiday

3. United States of America (cont)
Kwanzaa
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African-American Celebration
Celebrated for 7 days
Each candle represents the principles or values
to live by
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Unity
Self-Determination
Collective work and responsibility
Cooperative Economics
Purpose
Creativity
Faith

4. India
Celebrates Diwali- Five Day Festival of
Lights
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Celebrated in October or November
On the first day of Diwali, housewives consider it auspicious to spring
clean the home and shop for gold or kitchen utensils.
On the second day, people decorate their homes with clay lamps and
create design patterns called rangoli on the floor using colored
powders or sand.
This is the main day of the festival when families gather together for
Lakshmi puja, a prayer to Goddess Lakshmi followed by feasts and
firework festivities.
On the last day of Diwali, brothers visit their married sisters who
welcome them with love and a lavish meal.

5. Scotland
• Celebrate Boxing Day on December
26
• Originated centuries ago to pack or
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“box” necessary items to help the
less fortunate.
Boxing Day Today- is the hunting
of bargains as many of the
retailers sell their wares at 'sale'
prices on this day

6. Germany
• Celebrate Christmas
• Hide a pickle ornament in the
tree
• Have a Christmas market
• Started Gingerbread house
tradition
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Started decorating a Christmas
tree with candles, paper
roses, and dried fruit.

7. Brazil
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Celebrate Christmas
Papai Noel brings gifts to the children
Have fireworks on Christmas
There is folk dancing and singing and the
festivities go on until January 6th, which
the Brazilians refer to as Three Kings Day.
January 6th is supposed to be the day
when three wise men visited Jesus to
bring him gifts.

8. Greece
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St. Nicholas brings gifts for the children.
On Christmas Eve boys sing carols from
house to house to the sounds of drums
and triangles.
The main symbol of the season is a
shallow wooden bowl with a piece of wire
suspended across the rim; from that
hangs a sprig of basil wrapped around a
wooden cross.
After 40 days of fasting, the Christmas
feast is looked forward to.

9. Italy
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The Christmas season in Italy goes for
three weeks, starting 8 days before
Christmas.
Children open presents on January 6th.
The presents are delivered by a kind ugly
witch called Befana on a broomstick.
Presents are left for good children in their
shoes or stockings.
Coal is left for bad children.

10. Mexico
• Celebrates Christmas
• A Poinsettia flower is a Christmas
tradition started in Mexico
• The main Christmas celebration in
Mexico is called las posadas.
• Children take turns trying to break
open the piñata.

11. Australia
• Celebrate Christmas
• Eat flaming plum pudding or mince
meat pie for dessert.
• It’s the beginning of the summer
season.
• Carols by Candlelight is held every
year on Christmas Eve.
• At many beaches Santa Claus
arrives on a surfboard.

12. China
• Christians celebrate Christmas
• Christmas trees, which they call
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"Trees of Light," are decorated with
paper chains, paper flowers, and
paper lanterns.
Santa Claus, whom they call Dun Che
Lao Ren (dwyn-chuh-lau-oh-run)
which means "Christmas Old Man."
The main winter festival in China is
the Chinese New Year, which takes
place toward the end of January.

13. Mrs. Peters First Grade Class
2013-2014