by Chu Chin Kwok

Created on: November 29, 2009

How to teach holiday traditions with a focus on international diversity?

In many of today's American classrooms one finds school-children from a medley of many ethnic communities: Greek, Italian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Hispanic, etc. It becomes important if not necessary to teach holiday traditions of the various communities with a focus on international diversity and to help widen our school-children's vista and horizon, making them realize that American society has become quite diverse demographically. It is hoped that teaching these holiday traditions will go some way to incorporating the virtues of mutual understanding, tolerance and respect for each other's ways and culture, in a multicultural world, among our school-children.

Even in classrooms where one doesn't find that many ethnic groups represented - where most students are either white Caucasians or Blacks, it is still relevant to teach holiday traditions focusing on international diversity for the simple reason that almost all developed countries of the West have sizable non-Caucasian communities as their citizens. Even in countries where such situation does not obtain, it has become expedient and necessary to take cognizance of the fact that the world is getting more 'flat' and that globalization has made an international focus pertinent.

How do we teachers go about achieving the above noble objectives?

Granted that some High schools and even elementary schools are beginning to offer instruction in cultural and religious studies, I would still like to offer some ideas on the ways these subjects could be taught - with a view to achieving the above-stated goals.

For a start, I would suggest that teachers classify the holiday traditions of the various ethnic groups along the following lines:

1. Holiday traditions that are religious in nature: e.g Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah (Jewish Festival of lights), End of Ramadan, Holy month of fasting (Muslim), Deepavali or Diwali ( the Hindu Festival of Lights).

2. Holiday traditions that are more cultural or ethnicity-based - The Chinese Lunar New Year, Mid-autumn Festivals, Japanese and Korean New Years' Day; St Patrick's Day, Halloween etc.

I: BACKGROUND, ORIGIN and SIGNIFICANCE

Whatever the nature of the holiday, religious or cultural, the teacher could begin by telling the students the historical background and origin of the holiday. For instance, when discussing the Hindu Festival of Lights or Deepavali, children should be told the background

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