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World Teachers’ Day
World Teachers’ Day, or International Teachers Day, is an international day held annually on October 5. It was established in 1994. It honours teachers and their special contributions in a the various fields and community.
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day, informally called Poppy Day, is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War. We remember the members of armed forces who have fought and died in the line of duty.
Every year on November 11, we pause in a moment of silence to honour and remember the men who have served, and continue to serve, during times of war, conflict, and peace.
We celebrate with a parade and the laying of wreaths at the cenotaph or War Memorial in Memorial Park in Port of Spain. We wear poppies in their memory. The poppies were found growing on the graves of these soldiers in the Spring Season. If we do not remember, their sacrifice is meaningless.
Universal Children’s Day
The Universal Children’s Day was established by the United Nations in 1954, it wasn’t until November 20, 1959 that the UN General Assembly adopted an extended form of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
The texted of the documentary, as published by the International Save the Children Union in Geneva on 23 February 1923, is as follows:
- The child must be given the means requisite for its normal development, both materially and spiritually.
- The child that is hungry must be fed, the child that is sick must be nursed, the child that is backward must be helped, the delinquent child must be reclaimed, and the orphan and the waif must be sheltered and succoured.
- The child must be the first to receive relief in times of distress.
- The child must be put in a position to earn a livelihood, and must be protected against every form of exploitation.
- The child must be brought up in the consciousness that its talents must be devoted to the service of its fellow men.
Literacy Day
International Literacy Day is celebrated annually on 8 September. It is a time where Governments, civil society and stakeholders highlight improvements in world literacy rates, and reflect on the world’s remaining literacy challenges. The issue of literacy is a key component of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
World Food Day
World Food Day is celebrated annually on 16 October to commemorate the founding date of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1945 and was introduced at the FAO’s 20th General conference in November 1979. World Food Day is observed in over 150 countries and raises awareness of critical issues relating to hunger, poverty and food insecurity that affects over 870 million people globally.
World Health Day
World Health Day is a global health awareness day that is celebrated on 7 April. Under the World Health Organisation, is the day to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives and remind world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the world healthy.
World Water Day
World Water Day 2020 is an annual United Nation observance day that takes place on 22 March. The day is used to celebrates water and raise awareness of the importance of freshwater for the people of the world. It is about water and climate change – and how the two are inextricably linked.
The campaign show how we use water and how we can reduce floods, droughts, scarcity and pollution. By adapting to water the water effects of climate change will protect health and save lives. And
Using water more efficiently will reduce greenhouse gases.
World Environment day
World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated on 5 June every year. It was established in 1972 by the United Nations; the principal vehicle for encouraging awareness and action for the protection of the environment.
It has raise awareness on environmental issues emerging from marine pollution, human overpopulation, and global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. WED helps us take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth.
Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world. In Trinidad and Tobago it is celebrated on the second Sunday in May every year. The modern perspective of the celebration started with Anna Jarvis in the early 20th Century.
People celebrate this occasion in ways that show their love and appreciation to the mother in their life. They may buy gifts or make breakfast/lunch/dinner.
Father’s Day
Father’s Day is a day of honoring fatherhood and paternal bonds, as well as the influence of fathers in society. In Trinidad and Tobago it is celebrated on the third Sunday in June.
The modern perspective of the celebration started with Sonora Smart Dodd. Father’s Day is held on various days in many parts of the world all throughout the year, often in the months of March, May and June.
On father’s Day children show their love and appreciation to their fathers by giving him gifts and hugs.
Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. Candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones. The day is a celebration of romance and love. There are no exact origins of this celebration.
Many believe it originated as a Western Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine. Emperor Claudius II, who had imprison them because he believe they were secretly marrying young men his empire. (The emperor had banned marriage because he believed married men made poor soldiers). the emperor executed the two men – both named Valentine – on February 14 of different years in the 3rd century A.D. Their martyrdom was honored .
One stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl – possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Source
Another possible origin is dark from a pagan feast called Lupercalia, which the Romans celebrated.
Halloween
Halloween is an annual American tradition celebrated on the night of October 11. The word Halloween derives from the “All Hallows Eve”, the evening before “All Hallows Day” or “All Saints Day”.
New Year’s Day
New Year’s Day is a public holiday celebrated in Trinidad and Tobago and in many other countries. It is celebrated in the first day of the year, January 1st, according to the modern calendar, the Gregorian Calendar. However the New Year’s festivities begin in December 31, New Year’s Eve. Common traditions vary, but most do some of the following:
- Families stay awake throughout the night to welcome the New Year.
- Some people spend the time, New Year’s Eve, in parties or in church.
- Some people make resolutions to improve their life in the coming year.
- Some people attend lunches and dine together with friends and family.
- Some people hold parades and fireworks in their towns and villages.
- And some people sing songs to welcome the New Year.
Auld Lang Syne is a popular song to welcome the New Year in many English Speaking countries.
We finish this lesson with this song for those in the Caribbean.
Worksheet
Click on the link below to download the PDF worksheet.