Happy New Year, 2026! New Year's Customs from Around the World

Click here for the downloadable version: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/New-Years-Eve-Customs-from-Around-the-World-FREEBIE-2215707

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Bonne annee(French)

Frohes neues Jahr(Germany)

Felice anno nuovo(Italian)

Gott nytt ar(Swedish)

Feliz ano nuevo(Spanish)

Shana tova(Hebrew)

Hauoli makahiki hou(Hawaiian)

Gelukkig nieuwjaar(Dutch)

Did you know that there are 24 different time zones? That means people around the world celebrate New Year’s Eve at different times. When the fireworks are going off in Australia, it’s still morning in New York! 

There are  lots of different customs done by people to celebrate the New Year. There are also several different types of New Year’s celebrations.  Get your noise makers and let’s learn about how people  around the world celebrate the New Year!

Fun World New Year Factoids!

In Russia, divers place a New Year’s tree into Lake Baikal, the world’s deepest lake.

Did you know that in Denmark, people like to through old broken dishes at the front door of friends, at New Year’s Eve?

Did you know that eating 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight is considered good luck in Spain?

Hogmanay is a custom celebrated in Scotland at New Year’s. The word means “last day of the year”. One of the activities is “first footing”, being the first person to visit a neighbor or friend in the new year. Usually, a gift is brought, too.

Christmas trees are made into bonfires to celebrate New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands. This custom is done to symbolize getting rid of the old and welcoming the new year.

In Switzerland, don’t be surprised if you see people drop a bit of cream onto the floor on New Year’s Eve. It is thought that this will bring good luck in the new year.

In the South American country of Venezuela, people like to write a wish on a piece of paper and then burn it so that the wish may come true in the new year.

In the country of Italy, many people like wearing RED underwear at New Year’s believing the color will bring good luck in the new year. In other cultures, especially several countries in Latin America, wearing YELLOW is considered good luck.

In Mexico, don’t be surprised if you see people carrying empty suitcases around their house or street on New Year’s Eve. The custom is done if you would like to travel in the new year.

The custom of having a ball drop from Times Square, in New York City, on New Year’s Eve began in 1907. Some people in the south, believe eating black eyed peas will bring prosperity in the new year.

In Austria, people like to waltz when midnight strikes in the new year.

Did you know that throwing a bucket of water outside a window at midnight on New Year’s Eve is done in Puerto Rico? It is to get rid of bad spirits.

In Ireland, people bang bread on the walls and doors of their homes at midnight. This is done to scare away evil spirits and to bring good luck.

Finding an almond in rice pudding on New Year’s Eve means good luck in the new year. This custom is found in Sweden and Norway.

People in the Philippines believe that round things bring good luck and often wear cloths with polka dots on New Year’s Eve. Another custom is to have all the lights on in the home on New Year’s Eve so that it will insure a good new year.

Did you know that April Fool’s Day involved New Year’s Day? People used to celebrate the new year around March 25-April 1st. When the calendar changed the new year to January 1st, pranks were played on those that continued to celebrate the New year on April

Questions:

1. Which 3 customs did you find the most interesting? Why 

2. How do you celebrate New Year’s Eve?

3. New Year's Eve is a time to make a resolution for the New Year. What is a goal which you'd like to try and work to accomplish in the 2018?

4.Illustrate one of the customs listed above.

5. Using a world map, locate the different countries mentioned in this list. Write ONE fact that you might know about each of these countries.

6. Rewrite 5 customs from the list and make mistakes in spelling or grammar. Exchange your list with another student for them to be a "proof reader" to find the errors.

    

Check out my fun/informative web quest on the history of New Years.

Learn about the history of New Year's with this fun/informative web quest. There are nine questions, lots of interesting customs of how people celebrate New Year's around the world, comprehension questions, extension activities and the key. Great activity for reading for information and research/computer skills. Included are also other holiday New Year's celebrations including Diwali, Chinese New Year, Songkran and Rosh Hashanah. The resources also mentions how April Fool's Day originated over when to celebrate New Year's! https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/New-Years-Eve-Webquest-on- its-history-and-customsExtension-Activities-1584695

Gail
Check out my TpT Store(webquests/Reader’s Theater Scripts): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Gail-Hennessey

Note: I have other factoids including the following: pumpkins, turkeys, Diwali, mummies, Women’s History Month, Presidential Trivia, Chinese New Year and more...

Note:Illustration from openclipart.org

Holiday Traditions from Around the World

 

Did You Know?

Did you know that there are two islands in the world named “Christmas”? One is in the Pacific Ocean and the other is found in the Indian Ocean.

Someone figured that if you added up all the gifts from “The Twelve Days of Christmas, you’d get 364 presents.

A stocking filled with coal for naughty children originated in the country of Italy.

Did you know that three towns in the United States are named Santa Claus?

The first holiday song sung in space was Jingle Bells.

Two of the oldest ENGLISH spoken Christmas songs are “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” and “Joy to the World

Jingle Bells was actually written for the Thanksgiving holiday!

Did you know there aren’t any plums in plum pudding? Actually the word “plum” at one time meant raisins.

It is believed that seeing a spider’s web on Christmas morning is good luck in the country of Ukraine.

Advent calendars and gingerbread houses are traditions of the people of Germany.

Holiday Traditions at the White House! 

Download this Interactive Notebook Activity: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/FreeDownload/Holiday-Traditions-at-the-White-House-Interactive-Notebook-Activity-2219599

• In 1923, President Calvin Coolidge began the custom of a National Christmas Tree. It had 2500 electric lights!

• First lady Jacqueline Kennedy began the custom of having a theme for the official White House Christmas tree.

• Environmentalist President Theodore Roosevelt didn’t approve of cutting a tree down for the Christmas holidays. Because of this, he banned having a Christmas tree in the White House. However, Archie, his son, cut a small tree down and hid it in the closet in the swing room. He also decorated it.

• The first president to have electric lights on the family Christmas tree was President Grover Cleveland. The year was 1894.

• President Benjamin Harrison had one of the first White House Christmas trees. It was lit with candles. The year was 1889.

• Did you know that George Washington paid 18 schillings, a lot of money

at the time, for someone to bring a camel to Mt. Vernon for the

Christmas holidays? Ok, Mt. Vernon isn’t the White House but I liked this

fact. Interestingly, the tradition of having a camel come to Mt. Vernon

during the holidays continues to this day!

• In 1834, President Andrew Jackson’s children had fun at the holidays

including having snowball fights in the White House...with snowballs made

from cotton.

•Traditionally, the official White House Christmas tree, is the one placed in the White House’s Blue Room. The tradition of an official tree at the White house began with First Lady Lou Henry Hoover(1929).
In 1997, there were thirty-six trees decorated for the holidays, and in 2012, there were 54 decorated trees!

• The holiday tradition of a gingerbread house, in the White House, began with First Lady Patricia Nixon, in 1969. Did you know that the White House gingerbread house is made from about 150 pounds of gingerbread dough? More than 250 pounds of white chocolate are used for decorating.

• Hanukkah is often celebrated around this time of year. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter became the first president to honor the Jewish

  holiday of Hanukkah, by lighting a National Menorah. The tradition continues each year. In 1993, President Bill Clinton lighted the first menorah in the White House. President George H.W. Bush hosted the first White House Hanukkah Party in 2001.

• President Benjamin Harrison dressed up as Santa Claus for his grandchildren!

  QUESTIONS:

  • If you had to create a theme for the official White House Christmas tree, what would you select and why. Draw and picture of your tree.

  • Which do you think is more environmentally friendly, a REAL or ARTIFICIAL tree? Give 2 reasons for your opinion.

  
  

  Teacher Page: Extension Activities:

  1. The holiday season is a time of giving. Encourage students to “pay it forward”, doing an act of kindness for someone else.

  2. Read a short version of a Christmas Carol: https://kidsshortmoralstories.com/short- summary-of-charles-dickenss-a-christmas-carol-christmas-ghost-stories/

  3. Illustrate one of the facts learned.

  4. Teachers may wish to read this article to share with students on which type of tree is MORE environmentally friendly: https://earth911.com/home-garden/real-vs-artificial- christmas-trees/

  5. Share some Christmas customs from around the world:https://www.rd.com/article/ christmas-around-the-world-traditions/ Illustrate a custom.
  6. Words such as abuzz, flummox, the creeps,round the clock and whiz-bang are credited with Dickens. Other words that Dickens helped to popularize include, kibosh, butter-fingers,boredom,messiness,squashed,bah humbug,and tousled. Have students create creative sentences using several of these words.

  • Check out my webquest on Charles Dickens! A Christmas Carol is probably the most popular holiday story.Have your students learn about Charles Dickens, one of the most famous writers of all times! 8 informative web questions. Additional activities/ links,too.https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Charles-Dickens-A- Webquest-200480 Also have a Reader’s Theater Script on Charles Dickens. https:// www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Charles-Dickens-A-Readers-Theater- Script-3286350

  Check out my webquest: Holiday Traditions from Around the World: During the holidays is a great time to share with kids the many traditions which have been shared with different cultures. Learn the history behind some popular holiday traditions with this webquest. There are 14 information packed web questions!

  

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  
   https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Holiday-Traditions-from-Around-the-WorldWebquest-2864257

  Illustrations from: WPclipart.com

Charles Dickens, the author of A Christmas Carol

  

With this being the time of year for the story, A Christmas Carol,  it's a great opportunity to learn about its author,Charles Dickens. One of the most famous writers of all times,Dickens also wrote Oliver Twist, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield and more. 

Today, a person who is very tight with money, is often called a scrooge, after, the main character in A Christmas Carol. Did you know that several other words and phrases were coined by Charles Dickens?

Words such as abuzz, flummox, butterfingers,boredom,messiness,squashed,bah humbug,and tousled were popularized by Dickens. The author is also credited with using phrases such as “the creeps”, “round the clock” and “whiz-bang”.

FREE DOWNLOADABLE VERSION: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Charles-Dickens-A-Freebie-7358479

Interesting Facts about Charles Dickens:

1. In addition to a canary(named Dick), dogs(including Mrs. Bouncer), Charles Dickens had two pet ravens. Both were named Grip. The first was stuffed and now resides in the Philadelphia  Free Library. 

2. A paw of a Dickens’ cat, Bob, became a letter opener after it died. You can see the letter opener on display at the New York Public Library. 

3.Someone said that if you counted all the words which Dickens used in his writing, it was an amazing 4.6 million different words! 

4. Charles Dickens may have had epilepsy. He also may have had obsessive-compulsive behavior making him comb his hair hundreds of times a day or to touch something several times for good luck.

5. Phrases including “Merry Christmas!” and “Bah! Humbug” became popular after reading Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

6. Did you know that Charles Dickens created 989 characters for his different books?

7. Hans Christian Andersen was a good friend of Dickens. Interestingly, after 5 weeks of being a guest of Dickens’ home, Andersen was encouraged to leave when Dickens wrote on the mirror in Andersen’s room, “Hans Andersen slept in this room for five weeks, which seemed to the family like AGES”.

8. A “new”treat called the lollypop was featured in several of Dickens’ books.

Activities: 

 1. Illustrate a quote of Charles Dickens and write a brief paragraph  explaining what you think the quote is saying:

A. “The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.” 

B. “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” 

C. “Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” 

D. “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to anyone else.” 

E. “There is always something for which to be thankful.” 

2.Reading an installment book was popular during the time of Charles Dickens? You had to wait for the next part of the book to be released to the public. In the USA, people had to wait sometimes weeks for the ship to bring the next installment of one of Dickens’ books from England! Would you have enjoyed reading an installment book? Why, why not?

3. Dickens got lots of his ideas for his characters from people he met in his life. Who might be 3 people you'd use in a story that you have met? Why would you use these people in your story?

Resources of Interest:

1. Read samples of some of Charles Dickens’ books at this link: http://realreads.co.uk/category/authors/charles-dickens/ Of the book summaries, which do you think you’d like to read the most, and why? 

2. Short Video on the life of Charles Dickens:https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=yfp-t&p=childhood+of+Charles+dickens+for+kids#id=1&vid=902af18becc093cd49fd0b056aebc4a3&action=click

Resources of Interest:

1. My webquest on Charles Dickens includes 9 fun/informative questions to learn about Dickens. Additional activities/links,too. 

 https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Charles-Dickens-A-Webquest-200480

2. In addition to a webquest, I have a Ms. Bie Ografee Reader’s Theater Script on Charles Dickens. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Charles-Dickens-A-Readers-Theater-Script-3286350