Christmas Around The World 2nd Edition

In Mexico at Christmas time, children carry candles in nine nights of parades. German children listen for Kris Kringle to bring presents on Christmas Eve. Families in Australia like a picnic on the beach. And in Ethiopia, Christmas is the time to play a hockey-like game called genna. Come take a trip around the world to see how this special time of year is celebrated in eight countries. Encourage understanding of diverse cultures. Featuring full-page illustrations, these beautiful editions look at the history and customs associated with various holidays and present early readers with high-interest offerings.

Presents chronologically an event to celebrate each day of the year, e.g. January 3, Birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien; May 12, the Cat Festival in Belgium; and October 24, United Nations Day.

Ethiopian fringed umbrellas; star-shaped Filipino parol lanterns;candlelit Swedish St. Lucia crowns-Mary Lankford bringstogether Christmas traditions from twelve different lands,like decorations on a splendid tree.

Commotion in London and New York ... the reverence and beauty of the Pope's mass in St. Peter's Basilica. Share the truly international meaning of the holiday spirit: sacred processions in Ethiopia, Mexico, Belgium, and, of course, Bethlehem; families from the countrysides of Quebec, Canada, and Great Britain sharing the excitement of Christmas Morning; a moment's peace with the troops in Bosnia on Christmas Eve; carolers in Ireland; and a school for Santas in Alaska.

Lyrical, sensory nonfiction text and vibrant illustrations invite readers to experience a child’s-eye view of 13 holidays around the world, such as the Spring Festival in China, Inti Raymi in Peru, Eid al-Fitr in Egypt, Día de Muertos in Mexico and the New Yam Festival in Nigeria. Includes pronunciation guides, a global festival calendar and educational notes about why we celebrate.

Christmas customs, festive food, present-giving, songs and traditional stories from around the world with easy-reading text for children who have just started reading alone. Part of the Usborne Reading Programme developed with reading experts at the University of Roehampton. "Irresistible for children learning to read'" - Child Education Plus

Over 240 alphabetically arranged entries covering Christmas, New Year's, and related days of observance, including folk and religious customs, history, legends, and symbols from around the world.

Explore Christmas traditions from 13 different countries! Rhyming text and detailed illustrations make the book accessible to younger readers, while educational endnotes about the 13 celebrations add interest for older children. Gold ink and festive illustrations capture the joy of the season and make this book a beautiful gift in itself. Engaging and informative for anyone who wants to learn about the holiday. Features Christmas traditions from: *Ethiopia *Colombia *Australia *Italy *Serbia *Mexico *India *Iceland *Egypt *Argentina *Philippines *Lebanon *Canada

Have you ever wanted to learn more about the origins of Christmas, or how Christmas is celebrated in different countries? This turn of the century book offers a great introduction to Christmas. Certainly Yule-tide was a very merry season among the ancient people who feasted, drank, and danced in honor of the return of the sun, the god of light and new life. When messengers went through the various countries bearing tidings of a new religion and of the birth of a Son who brought light and new life into the whole world, they endeavored to retain as many of the established customs as possible, but gave to the old-time festivals a finer character and significance. As the fact of Christ's birth was not recorded and there was no certainty as to its date, the early Christian Fathers very wisely ascribed it to Yule-tide, changing the occasion from the birthday of the sun to that of the Son. For a while the birth of Christ was celebrated on dates varying from the first to the sixth of January; on the dates of certain religious festivals such as the Jewish Passover or the Feast of Tabernacles; but the twenty-fifth of December, the birthday of the sun, was ever the favorite date. Pope Julius, who reigned from 337 to 352 A. D., after a careful investigation, considered it settled beyond doubt that Christ was born on or about the twenty-fifth of December, and by the end of the fifth century that date was very generally accepted by Christians. The transition from the old to the new significance of Yule-tide was brought about so quietly and naturally that it made no great impression on the mind of the masses, so nothing authentic can be learned of the early observance of Christmas.