By Sherry D. Wisdom
For Dr. Susan Szabo
ELED 558 Social Studies Curriculum 1-8
Texas A&M – Commerce
April 29, 2010
Index
A - Anniversaries
B - Birthdays
C – Christmas
C – Cinco De Mayo
C – Columbus Day
D - Deepavali
E - Easter
F – Father’s Day
G – Groundhog’s Day
H - Halloween
I – Independence Day
J - Juneteenth
K - Kwanzaa
L – Labor Day
M – Mardi Gras
M – Martin Luther King Jr. Y – Yom Kippur
M – Memorial Day
Z – Zanzibar Revolution
Day
M – Mother’s Day
N – New Year’s Eve/Day
O – Onam Day
P – President’s Day
Q – Queen’s Birthday
R - Ramadan
S – St. Patrick’s Day
T – Thanksgiving Day
U – United Nation’s Day
V – Valentine’s Day
V – Veteran’s Day
W - Weddings
X – Xochiquetzal Festival
History of Celebrations
Everybody likes to have a good time and
celebrations are meant to join together family
and friends for various events and occasions.
Throughout the years and all over the world,
people hold celebrations for various reasons.
Some traditional such as Christmas, Easter,
Birthdays, Weddings, and Independence Day.
To non-traditional celebrations that are
specific to a family or group of friends, such as
anniversaries.
A – Anniversary
Society has always been concerned with making rules, with
social structure. In prehistoric times the rules were
pretty basic. They had to do with survival. Social
etiquette was based on the need to get along as a group
and catch those fish and mammoths. As life became
easier the population expanded. People began to use
machines and move to cities and towns. With all those
people crowded together, there had to be rules for
getting along. That's when modern etiquette was born.
In 1922 the queen of proper modern etiquette, Mrs. Emily
Post, wrote that only eight anniversaries required
traditional gifts. But there are records from as early as
the mid 1800s that show the "modern" list had expanded
to include the first fifteen years and every five years
after that from the 20th to the 60th, and the 75th.
Why the 65th and 70th anniversaries are not included is
shrouded in the mists of social history, but many suspect
it was to give the husbands a break.
B – Birthday
A birthday, as the term implies, is the anniversary
of the particular day on which a person was born.
Though by no means universal, birthdays are
celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a
party or, in some instances, a rite of passage.
Though major religious traditions such as the
Buddhist or the Christian celebrate the birth of
their founders, the most obvious example of
which is Christmas, principled opposition to the
very idea of celebrating birthdays is to be found
among certain religious groups.
C - Christmas
Christmas is a popular and joyous festival celebrated
by Christians around the world. The festival of
Christmas falls on 25th day of December and marks
the birth or Nativity of Jesus Christ, the founder
of Christianity. Festivity of Christmas continues
from December 24 to January 1, the New Year’s
Day. Fun-filled activities takes place all through
these days and people enjoy the festival my
participating in masses, prayers, carols and plays
specially organized to celebrate Christmas. Another
joyous part of Christmas celebration is decoration
of Christmas Tree and arrival of mythical merry old
man Santa Claus.
C – Cinco De Mayo
The holiday of Cinco De Mayo, The 5th Of May,
commemorates the victory of the Mexican
militia over the French army at The Battle Of
Puebla in 1862. It is primarily a regional holiday
celebrated in the Mexican state capital city of
Puebla and throughout the state of Puebla, with
some limited recognition in other parts of
Mexico, and especially in U.S. cities with a
significant Mexican population. It is not, as
many people think, Mexico's Independence Day,
which is actually September 16.
C – Columbus Day
Columbus Day first became an official state holiday in Colorado in
1906, and became a federal holiday in 1934. However, people have
celebrated Columbus' voyage since the colonial period.
In 1792, New York City and other U.S. cities celebrated the 300th
anniversary of his landing in the New World.
In 1892, President Benjamin Harrison called upon the people of the
United States to celebrate Columbus Day on the 400th anniversary
of the event.
During the 400-year anniversary in 1892, teachers, preachers, poets
and politicians used Columbus Day rituals to teach ideals of
patriotism.
These patriotic rituals were framed around themes such as support for
war, citizenship boundaries, the importance of loyalty to the nation,
and celebrating social progress.
D - Deepavali
• A colorful festival that is celebrated by
Hindus worldwide.
• This festival usually falls around late
October and November.
• One important practice that the Hindus
follow during the festival is to light oil
lamps in their homes on Deepavali
morning.
– By lighting the oil lamps, the Hindus are
thanking the gods for the happiness,
knowledge, peace and wealth that they
have received.
– The Hindus consider Deepavali as one of
the most important festivals to
celebrate.
E - Easter
Easter is the central religious feast in the
Christian doctrine and also marks the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead on the third day after his crucifixion.
Some Christians celebrate this resurrection
on Easter Day or Easter Sunday, two days
after Good Friday.
Easter also marks the end of Lent, a season
of fasting, prayer, and penance.
F – Father’s Day
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Father's Day is celebrated popularly on
3rd Sunday in June in many parts of the
world.
The idea for creating a day for children
to honor their fathers began in
Spokane, Washington.
A woman by the name of Sonora Smart
Dodd thought of the idea for Father's
Day while listening to a Mother's Day
sermon in 1909.
Having been raised by her father,
Henry Jackson Smart, after her
mother died, Sonora wanted her father
to know how special he was to her. It
was her father that made all the
parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes
of his daughter, a courageous, selfless,
and loving man. Sonora's father was
born in June, so she chose to hold the
first Father's Day celebration in
Spokane, Washington on the 19th of
June, 1910.
G – Groundhog Day
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Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United
States and Canada.
According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from
its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter
will soon end.
If on the other hand, it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly retreat
into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.
The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in
southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries,
has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or
sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog.
The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic
holiday of Candlemas.
It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal
turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 1
and also involves weather prognostication.
H - Halloween
Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on
October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival
of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All
Saints, but is today largely a secular
celebration.
Halloween activities include
trick-or-treating, wearing
costumes and attending costume
parties, carving jack-o’-lanterns,
ghost tours, bonfires, apple
bobbing, visiting haunted
attractions, pranks, telling scary
stories, and watching horror
films.
I – Independence Day
In the United States, Independence
Day, commonly known as the Fourth of
July, is a federal holiday commemorating
the adoption of the Declaration of
Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring
independence from the Kingdom of
Great Britain.
Independence Day is commonly
associated with fireworks, parades,
barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics,
concerts, baseball games, political
speeches and ceremonies, and various
other public and private events
celebrating the history, government, and
traditions of the United States.
Independence Day is the national day of
the United States.
J - Juneteenth
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Juneteenth is celebrated in America on June 19
to commemorate the end of slavery. Also known
as "Freedom Day" or "Emancipation Day," it is
not officially a federal holiday (yet), but the
day is a time of celebration, remembrance and
most importantly education.
"The roots of Juneteenth go deeper than the
Civil War," said Mark Lacy, founder of the
Houston Institute for Culture, a nonprofit that
focuses on the multi-cultural needs of the city
and is hosting Juneteenth events with live
music, readings, poetry and more.
"The significance of abolishing slavery in
Mexico also affected Texas," he said. The
institute takes a multi-cultural approach to
celebrating Juneteenth and other holidays.
How is it celebrated? Lots to do for
Juneteenth. Family and friends gather for
picnics, barbecues, dinners and baseball games.
Some cities hold parades and Juneteenth
pageants. Trail-riding associations visit
historical landmarks. And there's food. Lots of
food. Search for tasty Juneteenth recipes.
But how did Juneteenth come about? We went
to Bing to learn the history of the holiday and
how it is celebrated across the United States.
K - Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a weeklong
celebration held in the
United States
honoring universal
African heritage and
culture, marked by
participants lighting a
kinara (candle holder).
It is observed from
December 26 to
January 1 every year.
Kwanzaa is a celebration that has
its roots in the black nationalist
movement of the 1960s, and was
established as a means to help
African Americans reconnect with
their African cultural and
historical heritage by uniting in
meditation and study of African
traditions and common humanist
principles.
Kwanzaa consists of seven
days of celebration,
featuring activities such
as candle-lighting and
libations, and culminating
in a feast and gift giving.
It was created by Ron
Karenga and was first
celebrated from
December 26, 1966 to
January 1, 1967.
L – Labor Day
The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September
5, 1882 in New York City. In the aftermath of the deaths of a
number of workers at the hands of the US military and US Marshals
during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put
reconciliation with Labor as a top political priority. Fearing further
conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed
through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days
after the end of the strike. Cleveland was also concerned that
aligning a US labor holiday with existing international May Day
celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the
Haymarket Affair. All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state
holiday and it is celebrated the first Monday in September.
M – Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras”, "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival
season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations,
beginning on or after Epiphany and ending on the day before
Ash Wednesday.
Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday”, referring to the practice of
the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual
fasting of the Lenten season, which started on Ash Wednesday.
Popular practices included wearing masks and costumes,
overturning social conventions, dancing, sports competitions,
parades, etc. Similar expressions to Mardi Gras appear in other
European languages sharing the Christian tradition.
In English, the day is called Shrove Tuesday, associated with the
religious requirement for confession before Lent begins.
M – Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a United States Federal
Holiday marking the birthdate of Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.
It is observed on the third Monday of January each
year, which is around the time of King's birthday,
January 15.
King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent
activism in the civil rights movement, which
successfully protested racial discrimination in
federal and state law.
He was assassinated in 1968.
M – Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States
federal holiday observed on the last
Monday of May.
Formerly known as Decoration Day, it
commemorates U.S. men and women
who died while in the military service
to the United States.
First enacted to honor Union soldiers
of the American Civil War, it was
expanded after World War I.
M – Mother’s Day
The modern Mother's Day is
celebrated on various days in
many parts of the world,
most commonly in May,
though also in March, as a
day to honor mothers and
motherhood.
In some countries, it follows
the old traditions of
Mothering Sunday.
N – New Year’s Eve & Day
THE CHURCH'S VIEW OF
NEW YEAR
CELEBRATIONS
Although in the first
centuries AD the Romans
continued celebrating the
new year, the early Catholic
Church condemned the
festivities as paganism. But
as Christianity became more
widespread, the early church
began having its own
religious observances
concurrently with many of
the pagan celebrations, and
New Year's Day was no
different. New Years is still
observed as the Feast of
Christ's Circumcision by
some denominations.
•
"Happy New Year!" That greeting will be said and heard
for at least the first couple of weeks as a new year gets
under way. But the day celebrated as New Year's Day in
modern America was not always January 1.
•
The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all
holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about
4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, the
Babylonian New Year began with the first New Moon
(actually the first visible crecent) after the Vernal
Equinox (first day of spring).
•
The beginning of spring is a logical time to start a new
year. After all, it is the season of rebirth, of planting new
crops, and of blossoming. January 1, on the other hand,
has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is
purely arbitrary.
O –Onam Day
• Onam is a Festival Celebrating in Kerala a state in India. In
India the states are mainly divided according to Languages and
culture.
• Malayalees Celebrate Onam by putting pookalam (Arts by
flowers) in front of Their house. It will start 10 days before
the Onam and Onam falls on 10th day of Pookalam. On onam
(called as thiruonam ) day Pookkalam will be the biggest one.
Onam days Normally will Traditional vegetarian Dishes with
Rice, sambar, avial, upperi, Pappadam and Payasam. Lot of
special dishes like Varuthepperi, Pickle etc will be there. Non
Kerala Malayalees celebrate on Onam in their house. Malayalee
association in non Kerala celebrate Onam on nearest Sunday,
Saturday or holidays of the country they live. In Kerala Onam
is Celebrated By Boat race and other activity.
• Onam Greeting Cards Onam greeting cards will be send days
before the Onam to make sure that no postal delays are
affected the delivery. Now Lots of online greeting cards sites
are there to where we can send Beautiful Onam greetings.
Below are some sites.
P – President’s Day
Washington's Birthday is a United States
federal holiday celebrated on the third
Monday of February.
It is also commonly known as Presidents
Day (sometimes spelled Presidents' Day
or President's Day).
As Washington's Birthday or Presidents
Day, it is also the official name of a
concurrent state holiday celebrated on the
same day in a number of states.
Q – Queen’s Birthday
The Queen's Official Birthday is
celebrated as a public holiday in several
Commonwealth countries.
The word Queen in the name of the
celebration is replaced by King when
appropriate.
The exact date of the celebration varies
from country to country, and it does not
usually mark the real birthday of the
sovereign (the current monarch, Elizabeth
II, was born on 21 April 1926).
R - Ramadan
It is the Islamic month of fasting, in which
participating Muslims refrain from
eating, drinking, that is in excess or illnatured; from dawn until sunset.
Fasting is meant to teach the Muslim
patience, modesty and spirituality.
Ramadan is a time for Muslims to fast for
the sake of God (Arabic: ‫) هللا‬and to offer
more prayer than usual.
During Ramadan, Muslims ask forgiveness
for past sins, pray for guidance and help
in refraining from everyday evils, and
try to purify themselves through selfrestraint and good deeds.
As compared to the solar calendar, the
dates of Ramadan vary, moving forward
about ten days each year as it is a
moving holiday depending on the moon.
Ramadan was the month in which the first
verses of the Qur'an were said to be
revealed to the Islamic Prophet
Muhammad
S – St. Patrick Day
St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his
religious feast day and the anniversary of his death
in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this
day as a religious holiday for over a thousand years.
On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the
Christian season of Lent, Irish families would
traditionally attend church in the morning and
celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions
against the consumption of meat were waived and
people would dance, drink and feast—on the
traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.
T – Thanksgiving Day
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In 1621, after a hard and devastating first year in the New World the
Pilgrim's fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. There was corn,
fruits, vegetables, along with fish which was packed in salt, and meat that
was smoke cured over fires. They found they had enough food to put away
for the winter. The Pilgrims had beaten the odds. They built homes in the
wilderness, they raised enough crops to keep them alive during the long
coming winter, and they were at peace with their Indian neighbors. Their
Governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of thanksgiving that was to be
shared by all the colonists and the neighboring Native American Indians.
•
In 1817 New York State adopted Thanksgiving Day as an annual custom. By
the middle of the 19th century many other states also celebrated a
Thanksgiving Day. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln appointed a national
day of thanksgiving. Since then each president has issued a Thanksgiving
Day proclamation, usually designating the fourth Thursday of each
November as the holiday.
U – United Nations Day
The anniversary of the entry into force of the United
Nations Charter on 24 October 1945 has been
celebrated as United Nations Day since 1948. It has
traditionally been marked throughout the world by
meetings, discussions and exhibits on the
achievements and goals of the Organization. In 1971,
the General Assembly recommended that Member
States observe it as a public holiday.
V- Valentine’s Day
• Saint Valentine's Day (commonly shortened to Valentine's Day)
is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love
and affection between intimate companions.
• The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs
named Valentine and was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD
500.
• It is traditionally a day on which lovers express their love for
each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionary, and
sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").
• The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle
of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the
tradition of courtly love flourished.
• Modern Valentine's Day symbols include the heart-shaped
outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid.
• Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have largely
given way to mass-produced greeting cards.
V – Veteran’s Day
Veterans Day is an annual American holiday honoring military
veterans. A federal holiday, it is usually observed on
November 11. However, if it occurs on a Sunday then the following
Monday is designated for holiday leave, and if it occurs Saturday
then either Saturday or Friday may be so designated. It is also
celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts
of the world, falling on November 11, the anniversary of the
signing of the Armistice that ended World War I.
The holiday is commonly printed as Veteran's Day or Veterans'
Day in calendars and advertisements. While these spellings are
grammatically acceptable, the United States government has
declared that the attributive (no apostrophe) rather than the
possessive case is the official spelling.
W – Wedding Day
Weddings are an important part of our societal system
and have an ancient history. To find out more about the
history of marriage click on the link below:
http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/history-of-weddings-3505.html
The wedding dress of the bride was often made of white wool, which was quite
simple in appearance.
Weddings were and still include a varied customs and rituals, as a part of
celebrations.
There are many traditions, such as the exchanging of rings, flowers,
parade and the veil, which are commonly followed by many communities in different
countries.
Subsequently, the history of wedding is almost as long as the history of humanity.
The dream still lives on, even if weddings are not only about romance,
but about duties as well.
X – Xochiquetzal Festival
• A festival held every eight years to honor the Aztec goddess of
the flowering and fruitful surface of the earth named
Xochiquetzal.
• She is the goddess associated with concepts of fertility, beauty,
and female sexual power, serving as a protector of young
mothers and a patroness of pregnancy, childbirth, and the
crafts practiced by women such as weaving and embroidery.
• Literal meaning: ‘most precious flower’.
• According to legend, Xochiquetzal graced the world with flowers
and beauty during the reign of Quetzalcoatl.
• The Aztecs looked upon her as giver of children.
Y – Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of
the year for religious Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance.
Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting
and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services.
Yom Kippur completes the annual period known in Judaism as the High Holy Days.
Yom Kippur is the tenth day of the month of Tishrei.
According to Jewish tradition, God inscribes each person's fate for the coming year into a
"book" on Rosh Hashanah, and waits until Yom Kippur to "seal" the verdict.
The Yom Kippur prayer service includes several unique aspects.
One is the actual number of prayer services. Unlike a regular day, which has three prayer
services Yom Kippur has five prayer services
(Ma'ariv; Shacharit; Musaf; Mincha; and Ne'ilah, the closing prayer).
The prayer services also include a public confession of sins (Vidui) and a
unique prayer dedicated to the special Yom Kippur avodah (service)
of the Kohen Gadol in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Yom Kippur is considered one of the holiest of Jewish holidays and it is
observed by many secular Jews who may not observe other holidays.
Many secular Jews fast and attend synagogue on Yom Kippur,
where the number of worshippers attending is often double or
triple the normal attendance.
Many other Jews choose not to fast.
Z – Zanzibar Revolution Day
Celebrated on January 12th of each year to mark their independence
from Arab Control.
One of the main impacts of the revolution in Zanzibar was to break
the power of the Arab/Asian ruling class, who had held it for
around 200 years.
Despite the merger with Tanganyika Zanzibar retained a
Revolutionary Council and House of Representatives which was,
until 1992, run on a one party system and has power over domestic
matters. The domestic government is led by the President of
Zanzibar, Karume being the first holder of this office.
This government used the success of the revolution to implement
reforms across the island. Many of these involved the removal of
power from Arabs, for example the Zanzibar civil service became
an almost entirely African organisation and land was redistributed
from Arabs to Africans.
However the revolutionary government also instituted social reforms
such as free healthcare and the opening up of the education
system to African students, who had, occupied only 12% of
secondary school.