Education World ® - Lesson Planning Skills Page: December Celebrations Around the World

December Celebrations Around the World

December Celebrations Around the World :

Name ______________________

Use the following Internet resources to learn about December celebrations around the world.

Everything About Kwanzaa (http://adoptionworld.org/kid/kuanzaa.html)
Feliz Navidad (http://www.mexconnect.com/articles/1945-feliz-navidad-making-merry-in-mexico)
The Story of Chanukah (http://www.holidays.net/chanukah/story.html)
The History of Christmas (http://www.christmas-time.com/cp-hist.html)
Copies of December Celebrations Around the World

Now read each statement below. Write T on the line if the statement tells something that is true about the December celebrations. Write F if the statement tells something false.

_____1. The menorah, a candleholder with places for nine candles, is a traditional symbol of Kwanzaa.

_____2. People have celebrated Christmas on December 25 since the year A.D. 354. Before that time, it was usually celebrated on January 6.

_____3. The word posadas is the Spanish word for inn.

_____4. Mistletoe and holly are Christmas symbols that originated in Italy.

_____5. The dates for Kwanzaa change from year to year. They are always between the end of November and the end of December.

_____6. Pastorales, or shepherd plays, are often associated with the celebration of Las Posadas.

_____7. Hanukkah begins on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev.

_____ 8. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the Macabees over the Syrians some 2,300 years ago.

_____9. Las Posadas starts on December 16.

_____10. Blue, red, and green are the traditional colors of Kwanzaa.