Celebrations Around the World

Introduction

Traditions

The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. Since that time, communities in our country have celebrated this historic occasion. Some places have fairs and fireworks. Others have parades and poetry. Smaller communities may also have other celebrations. People in the Cajun area of Louisiana celebrate a natural resource and their cultural heritage with the annual Crowley International Festival. In a festival called Caravan, our neighbors to the north in Canada celebrate their cultural diversity. The New Year's celebration is the most important yearly festival in Vietnam. Celebrations and festivals are not just for fun, they are part of a community's culture and help pass on traditions from one generation to the next.

Task

Object: 

You will be put into a group of 3-4 people. 

You and your group will be researching popular celebrations, festivals, and traditions in a variety of countries. Each group member will need to contribute to this project. On the Process page, you will find a list of questions that you must answer. Your group will create a Google Slides presentation or a Prezi to show what you have learned. Make sure that you are collecting pictures during your research to include in your presentation. 

List of Countries:

Mexico

India

Egypt

Ireland

Japan

Thailand

Italy

Brazil

Spain

Process

Questions and Resources

1. What is a tradition and why are traditions important?

  • Use an online dictionary to find the definition of a tradition.
  • How are traditions passed on?
  • Why are traditions an important part of a country's culture?

2. Where is your country located?

3. What kind of food is eaten at each festival/celebration.

4. What type of activities do people participate in during the festivals/celebrations?

5. When is each event celebrated?

6. Are any of your country's festivals/celebrations similar to those that are celebrated in the United States? If yes, which ones and how are they similar?

*REMEMBER TO SAVE PICTURES FOR YOUR PRESENTATION*

Use the following links to help answer questions 3-6

Mexico

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/major-holidays-festivals-mexico-1411.html

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/mexico/travel-tips-and-articles/76587

http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ss5/b/comholmexl.cfm

India

http://traveltriangle.com/blog/famous-festivals-of-india/

http://goindia.about.com/od/festivalsevents/tp/Indiafestivals.htm

http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/religion/hindufestivals.htm

http://www.dogonews.com/2011/3/19/india-celebrates-holi-the-festival-of-color

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/diwali/

Egypt

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/egypt-culture-festivals-9903.html

http://www.hoteltravel.com/egypt/guides/festivals.htm

http://www.memphistours.com/Egypt/Egypt-Wikis/Egypt-Information/wiki/Holidays-and-Festivals-in-Egypt

http://www.visualgeography.com/categories/egypt/celebrations.html

Ireland

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/three-biggest-celebrations-ireland-104004.html

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/celtic-festivals-ireland-63867.html

http://www.irishtourism.com/must-see-attractions-in-ireland/festivals-in-ireland/1225

Japan

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2063.html

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/important-festivals-japan-100253.html

http://web-japan.org/atlas/festivals/festi_fr.html

https://www.tsunagujapan.com/10-popular-japanese-festivals/

Thailand

http://www.thaizer.com/thailand-events-festivals/

http://www.bangkok.com/magazine/best-festivals-in-thailand.htm

http://travel.cnn.com/bangkok/play/crazy-beautiful-and-just-plain-wacky-9-fantastic-thai-festivals-887180/

Italy

http://goitaly.about.com/od/festivalsandevents/tp/italian_festivals_bymonth.htm

http://www.italymagazine.com/featured-story/top-five-fun-festivals-italy

http://www.italylogue.com/festivals

Brazil

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/famous-festivals-traditions-brazil-100842.html

http://www.oddizzi.com/teachers/explore-the-world/country-close-up/brazil/rio-south-east/festivals-2/mardi-gras/

https://www.homeaway.co.uk/info/holiday-ideas/inspiration-festivals-and-events/events-festivals-brazil

https://theculturetrip.com/south-america/brazil/articles/the-top-5-festivals-in-brazil-that-you-have-to-know/

Spain

http://traveltips.usatoday.com/holidays-festivals-celebrations-traditions-spain-3445.html

http://www.spanish-fiestas.com/festivals/

http://gospain.about.com/od/spanishfestivals/ss/topfestivals.htm

http://teachandtravelspain.com/10-best-spanish-festivals-you-cant-miss/

 

Additional Sites

http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0909585.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/religion/

http://www.wicked.org.nz/Themes/Hot-topics/Celebrations-and-festivals

http://www.placestoseeinyourlifetime.com/top-10-celebrations-around-the-world-1937/

http://www.elmonterey.com/extras/festivals-and-celebrations/

 

Evaluation

How you will be graded



1. Your Celebrations and Traditions Around the World recording sheet will be collected and graded at the end of the project. 

2. I will be walking around making sure that every group member is participating and contributing to the project. Please make sure that you stay on task so that you can get your work done in a timely manner.

3. When your group presents I will use the following rubric to grade your group. You will also get a hard copy - DO NOT LOSE IT:

4. After your group presents, I will ask you to rate your performance during the presentation on a scale of 1-3.

  • 1 = Needs Improvement
  • 2 = Good
  • 3 = Excellent!

I will add your rating to the rubric above. You have a chance to earn up to 35 points on this project. Please do your very best!

Conclusion

Conclusion

The goal of this project is for you to get a glimpse into another country's culture by learning about some of their most popular celebrations and traditions. First, it is important to recognize what a tradition is and why they are important. Next, your group has a responsibility not only to each other, but to the other groups in the classroom. Your group's facts need to be accurate and your presentation needs to be well rehearsed so that the other groups can effectively learn about other countries from around the world. Finally, learning about another country's traditions makes us better world citizens. Without other countries, our country would not be what it is today. We must all work together and respect each other in order for the more than 7 billion people that live on our planet to be happy.

Credits

Credits