Did you know that as members and visitors of abcteach, you’re part of an international community of educators? Pretty cool, isn’t it? Your abcteach colleagues come from around the globe, and bring an amazing mix of tips, traditions, and experiences to share with your class.
With this in mind, abcteach is proud to announce the addition of a new selection of cultural holidays and world events. These categories complement our large inventory of dates already celebrated widely in the U.S. Each section will provide a core group of materials, including vocabulary units, multi-level reading activities, classroom crafts, and teaching extras. We’ll also include fun traditional items, such as recipes, games, and songs.
This January we launched the Australia Day section, and you will soon find items celebrating Nowruz, the Persian New Year. We’re covering all corners of the world so that your students benefit from a balance of ethnic festivities and cultural celebrations.
New 2012 Holiday Sections
• La Befana – January 6th (coming out in mid-December). La Befana is an Italian holiday with similar roots to the story of Saint Nicholas. Befana is portrayed as an old woman, typically riding a broomstick and covered in soot, who surprises children with gifts.
• Australia Day – January 26th. Australia Day is the official national day of Australia. It celebrates the anniversary of the First Fleet landing in Sydney Harbour in 1788.
• Nowruz – March 20th or 21st. Nowruz is the Persian New Year. Known under many spelling variations, it is celebrated in various parts of the world, and marks the first day of spring according to the Vernal/March equinox.
• Golden Week (Japan) – April 29th – May 5th. Golden Week is a week-long celebration observing numerous national holidays. These holidays include the Emperor’s Birthday, Greenery Day, Showa Day, Constitution Memorial Day, and Children’s Day. Golden Week is a popular week to travel and do leisure-type activities.
• Bastille Day – July 14th – Bastille Day, or La Fête Nationale or le quartorze juillet, is the French National Day. It commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille and is symbolic of French national unity.
• German Unity Day – October 3rd – German Unity Day is the national day of Germany, commemorating the anniversary of German reunification in 1990.
• Las Posadas – December 16th – 24th. Las Posadas is a nine-day celebration of the nativity procession of Mary and Joseph. It was originated in Spain, and is now celebrated in Mexico, Guatemala, and parts of the southwestern United States.
We will continue to add holidays in the future, so if there’s an event that you would like to see included, please let us know.
Enjoy the celebrations!
~The abcteach Team