Susan O'Rourke | November 2, 2021
As the evenings grow darker and the year comes to an end, many teachers prepare to light up their classrooms with discussions of holidays around the world. The end of the year presents an opportunity for educators to deepen students’ knowledge and to ensure a diverse representation of holidays in the classroom. UNC World View offers the following guiding principles and tips for instructors to thoughtfully examine holidays and respect students’ unique identities and experiences.
Equity:
Make the holidays a part of your year-round curriculum. Studying holidays presents an excellent opportunity for students to study religious traditions and cultural practices more deeply throughout the year. Research national, religious, and secular holidays around the globe to help students understand unique traditions as well as commonalities across the globe, including festivals of light, days celebrating the arrival of spring, and national independence days worldwide. Taking that approach when discussing holidays in the classroom will help students of diverse backgrounds feel seen and fairly represented.
Timing is key. When teaching holidays, be sure to give equal time to diverse holidays. Dedicating equal amounts of time to each holiday will help avoid creating or reinforcing hierarchies of power.
Inclusivity:
Reflect on your students’ diverse identities. One of the joys of studying holidays is understanding the variety and nuances of cultural practices. That nuanced approach can also ensure that students’ diverse experiences are respected while discussing religious and cultural holidays. Even if students come from a country with a predominant religion, it does not mean that they identify with or practice that faith. Likewise, some students may identify with a particular culture or religion but not be familiar with the practices of those groups. Be respectful of the nuances of students’ experiences and desires to discuss them. Rather than ask individual students to represent an entire faith or region, aim for a collaborative investigation. Engage the whole class in reading and analyzing primary sources, for example. Then, if a student would like to volunteer information about their personal experience, they may do so as a supplement to the communal learning going on in the class.
Appreciation through Education. Dig deep! Encourage students to research holiday origins and analyze the evolution and adaptation of customs. Use primary sources and rich secondary sources to help deepen students’ understanding of the connections between the holiday and a group’s history, rather than focusing solely on “the ‘Five F’s’ (Food, Festivals, Facts, Famous People, Fashion).”
Educate rather than participate. Remember that holiday studies can be an enriching part of the curriculum when presented as a topic of exciting investigation rather than celebration. In trying to recreate the traditions of another group, people may inadvertently misrepresent cultural traditions, present a diluted version, or fail to convey the sacred nature of these practices. Some students may not be able to participate because of their religious beliefs, as well. Instead of recreating these holidays, seek out firsthand accounts from those who celebrate. Share interviews, recordings of performances, and primary sources that will help your students develop a richer understanding of and appreciation for these unique cultural practices.
Check out the following resources on incorporating holidays into your curriculum:
- Learning for Justice
- Unit Packet: “The December Dilemma”
- Lesson: “Taking a Closer Look at Religions Around the World”
- Lesson: “Respecting Atheists and Nonreligious People”
- Article: “10 Tips for Starting a World Religions Curriculum”
- Article: “One Nation, Many Gods”
- Resource: BBC World Religions
- Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
- Berkeley Center for Georgetown University
- Kaufman Interfaith Institute (Grand Valley State University)
- ADL