[...]... Kodomo-no-hi, is celebrated on May 5 in Japan and in Japanese communities around the world When Children’s Day originated hundreds of years ago, it honored boys A separate holiday, the DOLL FESTIVAL , was held for girls In 1948, Children’s Day became a holiday for both boys and girls However, some special customs still make the two holidays different At the beginning of the festival, families fly streamers... NEW YEAR This dragon will crouch, spin, jump, leap, and run as people inside the costume perform the Dragon Dance Christmas is celebrated by Christians throughout the world on December 25 It is one of the most important and most joyous holidays of the year for Christians because it celebrates the birth of Jesus, their messiah Before Jesus was born, his parents, Mary and Joseph, traveled to Bethlehem... trade route to Asia Convinced that the world was round, Columbus was going to sail west to reach the Far East Columbus set sail with three ships, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, on August 3, 1492 On October 12, he and his crew saw land and thought that they had made it to Asia However, they had actually landed in America Columbus’s arrival in the New World introduced Europeans to new cultures... AUSTRALIA DAY Columbus Day Columbus was the first person to explore the Western world for the Spanish Empire, but he was not the first European to land there The Vikings had landed in North America nearly five hundred years earlier Confucius’s Birthday is celebrated on September 28 in China and by followers of Confucianism around the world Confucius was born in 551 B.C He traveled all over China teaching... candy wrapped in handkerchiefs All over the Muslim world, people enjoy special treats A popular food is shir khorma, a kind of spaghetti made with milk, sugar, dates, and nuts It is customary to invite non-Muslim friends to open houses to teach them about the Muslim faith and the holiday In return, Muslims visit their non-Muslim friends during their major holidays Eid al-Fitr is also a time of great generosity... families and friends gather It is also a time to remember the less fortunate Many people donate toys and food to shelters Classrooms often “adopt” a needy family and raise money to help them during the holidays Children visit hospitals and nursing homes and sing carols See CONFUCIUS’S BIRTHDAY, KWANZAA, and MUHAMMAD’S BIRTHDAY 17 Cinco de Mayo, which means the fifth of May, is celebrated on that day... 13 The Chinese New Year starts on the first day of the new lunar cycle (between January 20 and February 20) and lasts for fifteen days It is celebrated in China and by Chinese communities all over the world The New Year is the most important Chinese festival Legend says that the holiday began when a wild beast called a nian The Chinese Calendar Year appeared at the end of winter to attack villagers... everyone can start the New Year with a clean slate During the two-week celebration, China is abloom with flowers So is New York City’s Chinatown, San Francisco’s Chinatown, and other areas around the world in which there is a large Chinese population Each flower has a special meaning The blossoms of peach and plum trees signify long life, the white narcissus brings good fortune, and the camellia symbolizes... sayings were of his life teaching his views on the classics learned and passed down by his disciples Confucianism became a major philosophy in in a book called The Analects China and is known around the world His ethical ideals formed the basis for Chinese society In Ch’ü-fu, his birthplace, a two-week festival is held in honor of his birthday Ceremonies are performed with traditional music and dance... CHRISTMAS, MUHAMMAD’S BIRTHDAY, and MORMON PIONEER DAY Confucius’s Birthday The Feast of Corpus Christi is held on the Thursday sixty days after EASTER It is observed by Catholics Feast of around the world Legend says that the holy day began after a nun named Juliana saw a vision in which part of the moon had been broken away God told her that the moon represented the church and that the break showed . Heather. World Holidays : a Rosen guide for children / Heather Moehn. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. Summary: An Illustrated alphabetical guide to celebrations and holidays around the world, . book, we have tried to include holidays from different parts of the world and different cultures. In reading through the articles, you will see that the many different holidays have a striking number. the world. Included here are religious holidays, national celebrations, harvest festivals, and observances tied to natural events such as the beginning of spring. Of course, there are many holidays