142 Celebrations Lesson D 143
D GOAL 4 SHARE HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
Reading
Goal 4 Share holiday traditions
Read your paragraph to a partner or to the class.
Communication
Writing
New York, United States
A. Discuss these questions with a partner.
1. What are the most important holidays in your country?
2. Are they new or old? How did they start?
B. Find this information in the reading.
1. the number of people who celebrate Kwanzaa now
__________________
2. the dates of Kwanzaa ____________ 3. the year when Kwanzaa
started ____ 4. the person who started Kwanzaa ___
______________________________ 5. three countries where people
celebrate
Kwanzaa ______________________ 6. the most important symbol of
Kwanzaa
______________________________ 7. the colors of Kwanzaa
____________ ______________________________
C. Circle T for true, F for false, or NI for no information (if
the answer is not in the reading).
1. Kwanzaa is celebrated at the end of the year. T F NI
2. Kwanzaa is a holiday for African-Americans. T F NI
3. Kwanzaa is a very old holiday. T F NI
4. People in Africa celebrate Kwanzaa. T F NI
5. People spend a lot of time with their families during
Kwanzaa. T F NI
6. Children receive presents at the end of Kwanzaa. T F NI
7. Everyone thinks Kwanzaa is an important holiday. T F NI
A. Circle your opinion about these sentences.
1. A new holiday isn’t a real holiday.a. I agree. b. I’m not
sure. c. I disagree.
2. Some old holidays are boring and not very important now.a. I
agree. b. I’m not sure. c. I disagree.
3. Our country should start a new holiday.a. I agree. b. I’m not
sure. c. I disagree.
4. People spend too much money for holidays.a. I agree. b. I’m
not sure. c. I disagree.
5. I t’s very important to keep all of the old holiday
customs.a. I agree. b. I’m not sure. c. I disagree.
B. Compare your opinions with the opinions of other students.
Talk about things your family does to celebrate holidays.
Shantelle Davis is a nine-year-old girl in New York. On a cold
night in December, her family is standing around the kitchen table
while she lights a candle. The table is decorated with baskets of
fruit and vegetables and ears of corn for Shantelle and her two
brothers.
“This candle represents umoja, an African word that means being
together,” Shantelle says. “That’s the most important thing for a
family.”
Tonight is the first night of Kwanzaa, and Shantelle is spending
the holiday with her family. More than 5 million African Americans
celebrate Kwanzaa every year from December 26 until January 1. It’s
a time when they get together with their families to think about
their history and their ancestors in Africa.
Kwanzaa is very unusual because it was started by one man. In
1966, an American named Maulana Karenga wanted a holiday for
African-Americans to honor their culture and
traditions. So he used words and customs from Africa to create a
new celebration. He took the name Kwanzaa from the words for “first
fruits” in Swahili, an African language. At first, a few American
families had small celebrations at home. Now, there are also
Kwanzaa events in schools and public places, and Kwanzaa has spread
to other countries like Canada and Jamaica.
The main symbol of Kwanzaa is a candleholder with seven candles,
one for each of the principles of Kwanzaa. Each night, a family
member lights one of the candles and talks about the idea it
represents: being together, being yourself, helping each other,
sharing, having a goal, creating, and believing. The candles are
red, black, and green, the colors of Kwanzaa. The parents also pour
drinks to honor family members who have died. On the last night of
Kwanzaa, there is a big dinner with African food, and children
receive small presents.
Today people can buy Kwanzaa greeting cards and special Kwanzaa
clothes. Stores sell Kwanzaa candles and candleholders. Some people
don’t believe that Kwanzaa is
a real holiday, because it’s so new. But other people say that
customs and celebrations are always changing and that Kwanzaa shows
what is important in people’s lives.
Shantelle Davis says she likes Kwanzaa because it’s fun. “But I
also learn new things every year,” she says.
Choose one of the statements from exercise A and write a
paragraph about your opinion. Be sure to give examples and
explanations.
Starting a New Tradition
candleholder
candles
ears of corn
basket
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