Have you ever wondered: what December holidays are celebrated around the world?
This question has come up for me personally and has been popping up in the schools I work as well.
So I took it upon myself to do a little research, and to create an ESL lesson for both my students and colleagues.
A couple of months ago, I began sharing cultural tidbits with the teachers at my school.
The information in the first email that I wanted everyone to know was about how to know which foods are Kosher and Halal approved. We have several Muslim students, and with the Halloween and other holidays this would have been an issue. If you are wondering the same thing, here is an article that provides this information in detail.
Then, I had a conversation with one of my Turkish students about where the name “turkey” comes from. In case you were wondering as well, here is a link to the article that explains this.
Since I found it so fascinating, I thought to myself – why not share this with my dear colleagues?
The response was overwhelmingly positive!
Let’s think about it: unless you are an ESL teacher, not many people really THINK to look up information about etymology of words, or dietary peculiarities, or cultural traditions of other countries.
But I’ve had teachers tell me they shared the articles with their students, and had spontaneous and engaging classroom discussions.
Others shared the information with their families and began doing even deeper research, or uncovered some interesting family stories.
So now we are in December. And this time, I decided to answer the age-old question that comes around every year – what OTHER December holidays besides the ones we are familiar with are celebrated around the world?
Well, it is a busy month for sure!
December holidays around the world
Below are some of the holidays that we are all familiar with, and some that might be new to you.
Hanukkah
We start off with Hanukkah, which is a Jewish Festival of the Lights. It falls at different times each year, and this year the 8-day celebration started on November 28 and will finish on December 6. During this Festival, a menorah candle is lit on each of the nights. It is a time for families to be together, exchange gifts, play games, and eat traditional foods such as latkes and donuts.
St. Nicholas Eve
St. Nicholas is a patron saint of Christmas and celebrations in his honor begin on December 5th into 6th throughout Europe. Like many other festivities this time of year, it centers around children and gift giving. St. Nicholas, or Sinterklaas, is dressed in red and white clothing and wears a thick white beard. He also carries a book with him where he takes note of children who had been naughty throughout the year.
In many countries, children leave shoes for Sinterklass to leave gifts. In Belgium, for example, children leave shoes near the fireplace. Usually they are filled with sugar cubes for St.Nicholas’ horse, and coffee for the man himself. In the Netherlands, children leave shoes by their bed in hopes to find them filled with sweets in the morning.
Bodhi
On December 8, people in Japan celebrate Bodhi. It is a holiday that honors the enlightenment of Siddhartha Gautama, and people spend it in meditation, and performing acts of kindness.
Yule
December 21st marks Yule, the winter festival which begins on winter solstice and lasts for 12 days. Honoring this day has been around since the 4th century. Yule is popular in Germany and the Scandinavian countries and is connected to the Norse god Odin.
A lot of Yule traditions are now part of Christmas celebrations such as hanging mistletoe, making evergreen boughs, decorating with holly, using lots of cinnamon, cloves and oranges.
Christmas
December 25th is Christmas Day. This holiday is a religious festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. People decorate Christmas trees, sing songs, and exchange gifts. And since it is a pretty widespread holiday, the traditions vary greatly throughout the world. To find out how other countries celebrate Christmas, here is an article that provides a wealth of information about this holiday.
Boxing Day
December 26 is Boxing Day. This festival is popular in Canada, Australia, the U.K. and New Zealand. It was believed that on this day the churches would give boxes of charity to the poor. It is an official holiday in many countries of the world, and typically people watch sporting events on this day.
Kwanzaa
On December 26-January 1, a celebration of Kwanzaa takes place. It is an African American holiday which celebrates black heritage and its rich culture. Similarly to other holidays this month, this festival combines harvest traditions, lights and community. The people light the candle, kinara, and pass a cup around. Each person says something positive about the African American community.
New Year’s Eve
And last, but certainly not least is the celebration of New Years Eve, which takes place worldwide from December 31st into January 1st.
December holidays in the classroom
When thinking about what to incorporate into an ESL lesson about the holidays, it is easy to get overwhelmed. Even just looking at the list I shared above, an ESL teacher might begin scratching their head: okay, but where do I even begin?
Here are several ideas that will help you out:
For your colleagues:
- Forward this article to the people in your school. Teachers are busy, and appreciate when someone shares information that helps both them and their students be open-minded and curious.
- Follow up if you have time and see if anyone has used this information for interesting classroom discussions.
- Share the image below
For your students:
- Ask your students to share if they celebrate any of the above holidays, and if so, to talk about their traditions. This is a great speaking practice even for absolute beginner English learners.
- Create a lesson about holidays or Christmas around the world.
- Here are suggested language teaching ideas for this type of lesson:
- Listening: watch a video about December holidays on YouTube. Then ask the students to share one thing that stood out for them
- Reading:
- Activity 1: read a short article about one of the holidays. First, the teacher reads out loud and everyone else follows. Then students do pair reading. Finally, students read individually. Then ask students to write down important points, or to discuss with a partner and share out with the class.
- Activity 2: Divide students into groups. Assign each group a different December holiday to read about. After they have read and discussed, they would share the main points with the class.
- Writing and speaking :
- Based on the above reading, students create a short presentation for their classmates
- Here are suggested language teaching ideas for this type of lesson:
Of course, food is a big part of any celebration, and would be a great topic for English language practice. Incorporate food into your lesson – whether sharing a recipe from a particular country, or even bringing some treats in (of course, always check with your school policies).
Interactive ESL lesson plan
Since it is a busy time of year, I would like to offer you a couple of ready-made lesson plans that will save you both time and energy!
Teaching with short stories is fantastic for practicing skills in all language domains and for teaching students in mixed level ESL classes. That is where The Gift of the Magi short story lesson comes to your rescue. You can check out more details about it by clicking right here.
And since we are talking about December holidays around the world, I have a reading lesson on just that! A lesson that incorporates vocabulary enrichment, reading about the holidays, and creating a presentation. All language domains? Covered. The lesson that can take several days (so you don’t have to plan for anything else)? All set! Teaching ideas and suggestions? You bet!
To grab your own copy of it, click this link and enjoy!.
You can find ALL of my Teachers Pay Teachers lessons and exclusive materials insideThe ESL Teaching Roadmap – a membership for middle and high school ESL teachers who work primarily with newcomers and mixed level classes.
Do you explore different holidays around the world with your English learners? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!