Students Share Global Holiday Traditions on NewsHour Extra

NewsHour Extra, the education resource center of PBS NEWSHOUR, is showcasing holiday traditions from countries all over the globe in the voices of the youth who live there.

From Filipino Christmas masses in Dubai to Chinese New Year celebrations in South Korea, youth around the world mark the holidays in a variety of ways. Explore these student-written pieces to learn about the world’s unique holiday traditions.

“With the continuing flow of Western culture, this age of globalization has created an outburst of diverse celebrations in Pakistan. Halloween, Christmas and even New Year’s Eve are celebrated almost with the fervor seen in the West,” writes Waleed, a student in Karachi whose essay on his country’s holiday experience is one of those featured on NewsHour Extra’s website.

Students in the Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, South Korea, Argentina, Australia and Chile also contributed essays to the project. Readers access the essays by finding the author’s country on an interactive globe graphic on the NewsHour Extra website.

“First thing, on December 25th we are in the middle of the summer . . . But summer is not an impediment to people who want to have the Christmas they see in American or English movies.” writes Camilla, a student in Santiago, Chile. “Some people even buy fake chimneys and put plastic deer on their roofs.”

Along with the student essays, NewsHour Extra has also created a lesson plan to help teachers use the essays to educate their students about other cultures:

Using the standards and resources of the PBS NEWSHOUR, NewsHour Extra provides students and teachers with quality educational resources based on current issues and events.

The mission of NewsHour Extra is to help high school students understand world events and national issues and answer the question “Why should I care?” about the news.

Pat Wyman