Understanding Diversity Through Holidays
· Note: Jehovah’s Witnesses do not participate in holidays (more information @ http://thejehovahswitnesses.org/things-jehovahs-witnesses-cant-do.php
September
5th- Labor Day
6th- Constitution Day (recognizes the US Constitution and those who have become citizens)
16th- Mexican Independence Day
21st- Autumn Equinox (completion of harvest)
October
3rd-4th- Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)
12th- Yom Kippur
Columbus Day (Spain celebrates Christopher Columbus and the nation of
Spain)
15th- Chinese Spirit Festival (give offerings to deceased whose wandering spirits may return at night to visit)
24th- United Nations Day
31st- Halloween
November
1st- All Saint’s Day (Christian holiday honoring the dead)
2nd- All Soul’s Day or Day of the Dead (Mexican celebration of life)
11th- Veteran’s Day (honors veterans and victims of all wars, anniversary of the end of World War I)
24th- Thanksgiving Day
30th- St. Andrew’s Day (Romania)
December
6th- Constitution Day (Spain)
8th- Chinese Laba Festival (celebrating the day Buddha attained enlightenment)
Immaculate Conception (Spain celebrates the birth of Mary)
21st- Winter Solstice (celebrates the death and rebirth of the Sun God)
21st or 22nd- Chinese Thanksgiving/Winter Solstice Festival
25th- Christmas Day (the celebration of Jesus’ birth)
25th-1st- Hanukkah (commemorates the rededication of the Temple in 165 BC after its desecration by the Syrians)
26th-1st- Kwanzaa (a celebration of African-American cultural heritage and traditional values)
January
1st- New Year’s Day
1st- Chinese New Year (Chinese Spring festival)
6th- Three Kings Day (Mexico- marks the culmination of the 12 days of Christmas and commemorates the three wise men)
15th- Chinese Lantern Festival (last day of Chinese New Year celebration, celebration of first full moon)
16th- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (celebrates the life and achievements of Martin Luther King, Jr.)
24th- Unification Day (celebrates the unification of Romania)
February
12th- Lincoln’s Birthday
13th- Black Love Day (African American holiday of atonement, reconciliation, celebration and love shown towards the Creator, Self, Family, Black community and Black race)
14th- Valentine’s Day
20th- President’s Day
March
1st-April 13th- Lent (represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry, a time a repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter)
1st-April 13th- Lent (represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry, a time a repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter)
12th- Purim (commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther)
17th- St. Patrick’s Day
21st- Spring Equinox (light and darkness in balance)
April
9th- Palm Sunday (celebrates the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem)
11th- Passover (commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt)
14th- Good Friday (commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus)
16th- Easter Sunday (commemorates Jesus’ resurrection from death)
Emancipation Day (marks the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s signing
of the Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862)
22nd- Earth Day
May
5th- Battle of Puebla (Cinco de Mayo)
14th- Mother’s Day
20th- Armed Forces Day (honors the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines)
29th- Memorial Day (honors those who died in active military service)
31st- June 1st- Shavuot (Festival of Weeks, commemorates the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai)
Understanding Diversity thru Holidays...
ReplyDelete1-I agree with celebrating Holidays that honor our Military, Past Presidents and Earth Day.
2- I agree with freedoms to celebrate all holidays for any culture, race, religion as this is based on the freedoms of our great nation.
3-I agree with discussing holidays that further the education about history and other cultures.
Questions:
Due to diverse beliefs in holidays do you have any ideas/tricks of the trade to make this more about learning than about the holiday itself.... aka to teach about diversity and tolerance.
A-HA moment----- if you are in a history class or science you could make up games about the presidents or the earth ( like what makes up soil, what contributes to the earth's atmosphere changing.
Julie Gordon
Montse responding to Julie Gordon on Celebrating Diversity:
DeleteI also agree with;
1. Celebrating holidays that honors our military
2. The freedom to celebrate any and all holiday
3. Discussing and educating others on the ecliptic holidays there are to celebrate.
I too would like to know of creative ways to discuss the holidays without stepping on any toes. I also love your "a-ha moment " . History class would seem like the best opportunity to discuss such a topic.
Thank you, Julie!
The best way to make the learning about the holiday is to treat each holiday exactly the same. Try not to show tons of excitement about Christmas that you are not going to show about Hanukkah, for example. Approach all of the holidays with a very matter-of-fact attitude without favoritism. It's important to seem neutral and open at all times. Can be difficult sometimes, but really helps kids to see a role model who is accepting of diversity.
ReplyDeleteGreat question, by the way! :)
ReplyDeleteI think this is an amazing tool! I did not realize and was a little shocked at how many I did not know on the list. I had a substitute in high school that would have a "On this day in History...blah blah blah" statement every day he came. The class really liked it and always looked forward to it. I think that would be a great way to incorporate this list. I think it will also give the students to learn about other cultures and Holidays. But also help them learn about those students in the class who celebrate different Holidays than they do. I think that it will also make those students who do celebrate the lesser known Holidays excited that their culture is being represented.
ReplyDeleteAutumnn Chandler
I think that is a great idea Autumn. However, I can't help but wonder if there would be some backlash from certain sects of Christianity. I'm not saying that we should let them dictate our curriculum. I do think it would be good to know how to handle this type of parent, though.
ReplyDeleteArticle: Celebrating Diversity
ReplyDeleteAll so fascinating. My two remaining questions,
1. What exactly is Jehovah's witnesses? I read the rules but still do not understand the faith.
2. What exactly is Kwanzaa?
- Montse
From what I understand--- Jehovah's Witness is a denomination of Christianity... the main differences is that Jehovah's Witness does not believe in the Holy Trinity--- only one God. Another difference is that Jehovah's Witness is a 'restorationism' form of Christianity-- meaning that they seek to correct the faults of the church or restore the religion to the purest form... I'm sure there are many more differences too but I have not experienced this religion much in my life. I did a quick google search and it seems like there are only three Jehovah's Witness gathering places in the Asheville area.
DeleteHope this helps,
Hannah Jeske
1) I agree with celebrating holidays in school, they are a free source of excitement and fun.
ReplyDelete2) I think its important to understand religious holidays, even if you don't practice the religion because you learn about other ways of life.
3) I think its important to celebrate national holidays like MLK day and veterans day.
I notice there aren't any Hindu or Muslim holidays on this list, is that because there are few Hindu and Muslim students in Buncombe county? I used to live in a neighborhood with many Hindus and some of their holidays are awesome.
I see the Jehovahs witness thing. Do children in general have the right to refuse participation in an activity related to a holiday they disagree with?
My aha- moment was that Jehovah's witnesses don't celebrate holidays- never knew that.
I am unsure if I think celebrating the holidays in school is appropriate, some teachers and students have taken it too far and not respect those that do not believe the same. Celebrating can be an subjective term and vary ethnicallly and racially and religiously.
DeleteI do believe we can acknowledge all holidays listed and possibly gather and distribute information. It can be a slippery slop if a holiday is forgotten and parents do not agree with how the holiday was presented in the class. I do not celebrate christmas or easter but my children are subjected to the holidays in some way in their schools. It is something that we just talk about at home and that everyone is different.
Thank you Chris for mentioning Hindu and Muslim holidays! That needs to be added for sure!
ReplyDeleteI agree Traci! I stick to celebrations of seasons, Winter parties, Spring parties...
ReplyDeleteCelebrating Diversity Through Holidays
ReplyDelete3 Things I Agree With:
1. I agree that the celebration of holidays in schools shouldn't be just the most basic Christian holidays (with a quick mention of Hanukkah and Kwanzaa).
2. I agree that the celebration of equinoxes can be really interesting for students -- like a previous commenter mentioned, this could be tied into science lessons. (This is more applicable for permanent teachers, not substitutes.)
3. I agree that we need to acknowledge how Jehovah's Witness students react to classroom celebrations of holidays (alienation, etc).
2 Questions:
1. As a previous commenter mentioned, I think that this list remains mostly focused around federal holidays and other Christian and (a few) Jewish holidays. If someone were attempting to be more inclusive, they would need to include a lot more than that, such as Muslim holidays.
2. Would it not be better to stick to non-religious holidays entirely, or at least remove the religiosity from things like Christmas? (As a kid, my teachers would have us make Christmas gifts or ornaments, usually reindeer, snowman, or Santa themed. That seemed a much better idea than the time we were asked to make little Nativity scenes.)
A-Ha Moment:
1. This isn't really an "a-ha," but I think it'd be fun to celebrate some minor/silly holidays, like "National Pet Day" or "Pickle Day" or "Origami Day," all of which are actual holidays. They don't have to be major celebrations, but having kids fold origami or talk about pets/make pet rocks seems like it would be a lot of fun and much less divisive than religious holidays. (This is more for permanent teachers than substitutes.)
1. Absolutely, this is by no means a comprehensive list. It needs lots of work. I like to go through my calendar and circle days that are holidays for anyone and it is amazing to me how few days are NOT designated for something.
ReplyDelete2. I never discuss religion in class, this list is simply for an awareness of these special days in some people's lives. For example, many Jewish students miss several days throughout the year to honor their religion and it is important to know why.
I love the idea of celebrating the silly and the kids love knowing what crazy holiday their days are! Thank you for your thoughtful responses!
I love the list and want to expand it to have something for every day! I can see adding this to my morning start of the day items. The list creates an "opening" for me discuss so many ideas about things such as diversity, religious freedoms, code switching, putting yourself in a place of discomfort in order to learn and work through fear, etc.
ReplyDeleteYes!! Something our entire country needs right now!
DeleteI am open and non judgmental to each individuals holidays and religion but I guess this is one of my “have questions” sections. Obviously everyone has their own beliefs, but I find it difficult that some kids can’t participate in an activity or snack that goes against their beliefs. It’s in their nature for children to want to do what their classmates or friends are doing especially if it’s a fun activity. We have to be open to different cultures, religions and welcome them with open arms and we have to try to teach children to be respectful of other people’s beliefs and views of the world. I find it very interesting learning about other people’s beliefs.
ReplyDelete