KWANZAA

WHAT IS KWANZAA?

In 1966 Dr. Maulana Karenga created a uniquely African American holiday called Kwanzaa, which is celebrated from December through January first. Kwanzaa is related to many African celebrations of the first harvest. The name Kwanzaa comes from a Swuahili phrase "matunda ya kwanza", which is translated as 'first fruits'. 

If you want to know more things about this festival, here you have a presentation which contains more information.

In the next clip, you can see how a family celebrates Kwanzaa. In which way is it similar or different from Christmas?

SANTA LUCIA DAY

Celebrated on December 13th, Santa Lucia is an important prequel to Christmas in many parts of the world. The Feast of Santa Lucia is mainly observed in Sweden. However, Santa Lucia Day is also an international holiday celebrated not only in Scandinavia, but also in Italy and France in the rites of the church.

You can know more things about who Saint Lucia was and how this festivity is celebrated by watching the following presentation.

And here follows an interesting video about the celebration of Santa Lucia as well as Christmas in Norway. Rick Steves travels to Drovak, Norway's self-proclaimed capital of Christmas, for Santa Lucia Day, and enjoys a Norwegian Girls' Choir concert in Oslo.

DIWALI

Diwali is the largest Hindu festival, celebrated in India and all over the world with joy and enthusiasm. It symbolizes the victory of good over evil ~ and the glory of light. This is the origin of lighting small clay lamps. It is also  a way of honoring God for the recent harvest and attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, valor and fame.

The following presentation will show you the most important facts about this colourful celebration.

Here is also a video from the National Geographic Channel on YouTube in which you can see what people do to celebrate this fiveday celebration, that includes good food, fireworks, coloured sand and special candles and lamps.

Would you like to make your own Diwali lamps? Diwali diva lamps are made from clay and decorated elaborately with beads and sequins. Click in the link below if you want to make a diva and some other crafts which can be used used at Diwali.

Make a Diwali Lamp

Mandalas are beautiful, aren't they? Did you know that Mandalas are great tools for meditation and increasing self-awareness? Many different cultures around the world use mandalas in their spiritual practices. Drawing and colouring a mandala can be a highly enriching personal experience in which you look inside yourself and find the shapes, colours and patterns to represent anything from your current state of mind to your most deeply-desired wish for yourself, for a loved one, or for humanity.

Here you have a nice website where you will find lots of patterns to paint and print your own mandalas.

Paint and Print your own Mandalas

HANUKKAH

Hanukkah is the Jewish festival of light, which is celebrated in November or December for eight days. Do you want to know more about this festival? Here is a presentation which contains the most important facts to remember about Hanukkah.

If you have any doubts about the story of this festival, here you have an animated report on the origins of Hanukkah.

Would you like to make a menorah to decorate the classroom? In the next presentation you have a few homemade menorah crafts. Which one is your favourite?

Or maybe you want to have some fun playing the dreidel game. Here you have a dreidel template and  the instructions to play with it.

Instructions to play the dreidel game:

1. Each player needs about 25 counters (or use however many it takes to make an even number for the number of kids that you have).
2. Each player puts two counters in the middle of the circle, or in the ‘pot’.
3. The first player spins the dreidel. When the dreidel stops, see which letter is on top and follow these directions:

• gimmel -player takes all counters in the pot
• nun - nothing happens- next player spins
• hay -player takes half of the counters in the pot
• shin -player must put one counter into the pot

Continue the game, going clockwise around the circle. If the pot is emptied, everyone puts another 2 counters in to create a new pot. Set a time limit for the game and the player with the most counters at the end wins!