Traditional Holidays in Transition
Objective: This worksheet aims to explore the diverse traditions of the celebrations on a traditional holiday across different countries and through various historical periods, encouraging students to reflect on the evolution of traditions.
Content and methods: The worksheet initiates with a dialogue between two students from Italy and Canada, discussing their traditions on a traditional holiday and how these have changed within their families over time. This is followed by an open discussion prompt for the class. The second section focuses on a matching activity where students connect various traditions with their respective countries. The final part presents three short reports from different historical periods, illustrating how celebrations have evolved over centuries. The worksheet concludes by asking students to identify and note down important differences in how the holiday was celebrated in the past compared to today.
Competencies:
- Reading comprehension
- Cross-cultural understanding
- Historical analysis (understanding change over time)
- Matching and information retrieval
- Comparative thinking
- Discussion and self-reflection
Target group: 7th-9th grade
53 other teachers use this template
Target group and level
7th-9th grade
Subjects
Traditional Holidays in Transition
Different traditions
Luca
Hey Luca! How do you celebrate New Year's Eve in Italy?
Hi Emily! We have a big dinner with family and friends. We eat lentils for good luck and set off fireworks. How about you in Canada?
That sounds fun! We usually have a party and watch the countdown on TV. Some people go to big events in the city. My parents said they used to go ice skating before the countdown when they were kids.
Wow, ice skating sounds cool! My grandparents told me that in their time, they used to wear red underwear for good luck on New Year's Eve. It’s a pretty funny tradition!
Haha, that's interesting! My grandmother told me they used to write down their resolutions on paper and then burn them in the fireplace to make them come true.
That’s a nice tradition. We also have a custom where we throw old things out of the window to start fresh. It can be dangerous though, so not many people do it anymore.
Oh wow, that does sound a bit dangerous! We also have fireworks, but they are usually organized by the city. It’s safer that way.
Yeah, safety first! Do you have any special foods you eat?
We usually have a big dinner with turkey and lots of desserts. My favorite is the maple syrup pie.
Yum, that sounds delicious! We have a dessert called panettone, which is a sweet bread with raisins and candied fruit. It’s really tasty.
I’ve heard of panettone! I’d love to try it someday. Do you stay up until midnight?
Yes, we stay up and make a toast with sparkling wine. Do you?
Yes, we do! We also make noise with party poppers and blow horns when it’s midnight.
Sounds like fun! Can’t wait for New Year's Eve now.
Me too! Have a great New Year, Luca!
You too, Emily! Happy New Year!
How do you celebrate?
Read the chat conversation and talk about it in class: Do you celebrate this traditional holiday, and if so, how? Do you know of any other customs associated with this day?
Traditional holidays in different countries
The traditional holiday is celebrated differently in various countries. Can you correctly match the traditions?
Match the country with the tradition.
Traditional holidays in transition
Have a look at how traditions associated with the traditional holiday have changed over the course of several centuries.
Anna, 1750
Johann, 1900
Sophie, 2023
