Christmas Around the World

   We had a great time on our trip around the world.  Everyone had a passport and got it stamped when we visited a new country.  We learned about the Christmas traditions from England, Germany, Sweden, Holland, Mexico, Italy, Russia, Ireland,  France, Kwanzaa, and Hanukah

       America found it's traditions of stockings, singing carols, Christmas cards, and wreaths from England.  We made Christmas stocking to celebrate our visit.

                           

                          

                         

                          

                              

                                               

        The tradition of decorating a tree came from Germany .  Kris Kringle is what they call "Santa".  Gingerbread came from Germany.  We all made gingerbread men.  The gingerbread men all ran away.  But, we will be getting lots of gingerbread men from other schools from our Gingerbread Exchange.  We made Christmas trees from pine cones.

                   

                                      

                                   

                             

                                   Kris Kringle

                                     

                           

                              

                                     

                                         

                                                            

      In Italy,  a witch comes to visit the children.   She is called

"La Befena".  She is a kind witch

                 This is a picture of our "La Befena".

                               

                    

                             

                             

                               

     We got the beautiful flower, poinsettia, from Mexico.  We read the book " The Legend of the Poinsettia" by Tomie dePaola. 

                          

                             

 

       We also made wooden shoes and filled them with toys. We made windmills and colored a flag. This is how Christmas in Holland is celebrated.  

                      

                               

                           

                      

                                   Windmills from Holland

                         

                    our class helper with miniature wooden shoes.

                                        We made a Crown of Candles for Sweden. We colored a girl and boy dressed in traditional Swedish outfits.  We made a Swedish flag.  The class enjoyed reading The Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett and designing a toy horse that was in the story. In Sweden if you are not good, a goat will come to visit and butt you!

                             

         

                             

                               

                   

  

                                  

             We made Pere Noel and the French flag.  We also decorated a Nativity scene because the Nativity is a very big part of French Christmas traditions.

 

                     Kwanzaa is the African American celebration of Christmas.  We made a Kinara and an African flag.  We also made a small reader with the definitions for each of the candles in the Kinara.  The candles are called Mishumaa saba.

      

    

      

      

In Israel Hanukah is celebrated.  We made Menorahs.

     

    

       In Ireland, they place lighted candles in the window on Christmas Eve to show Mary and Joseph the way.  Christmas is celebrated  more from a religious view than fun activities.  They hang Christmas sacks instead of stockings.  Everyone makes Christmas candles with holly around them.

      

       

                In Russia they call it Festival of Winter.  They  have a Babushka which means Grandma.  She comes around and brings presents.  The Nutcracker Ballet is a tradition at Christmas time.