Traditions and celebrations offer a gift of kindness and respect for all

I love this time of year!

School’s almost over and the summer holidays are coming

It’s also a time when lots of my friends have special celebrations.

I’m already seeing decorations in the shops to let us know Christmas is coming.

Christmas is a national holiday for everyone in Australia, and people enjoy the day in lots of different ways.

Some of my friends celebrate Christmas by going to a church, others enjoy getting together with special people in their lives and sharing gifts and food.

But did you know that lots of my friends have different traditions?

I’ve got friends whose families came to Australia from all over the world

A few weeks ago, one of my friends invited me to celebrate Diwali with her family, her grandparents came to Australia from India a long time ago

Diwali is the Festival of Lights, and wow! It was so cool! There were candles and fairy lights everywhere and his grandmother wore a golden sari.

We shared delicious food and there were even fireworks!

One of my other friends is looking forward to another special holiday at this time of year. His Jewish family celebrates Hanukkah. They light beautiful candles in their Menorah, they share special food, play fun games and sing together.

In fact, I have friends that have important celebrations through the whole year – Bodhi Day is special to my Buddhist friends, Easter is very important to my Orthodox buddies and for my Muslim friends, Ramadan is a sacred month that ends with Eid – a time to pray and visit family and friends.

My Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander friends enjoy celebrating their cultures and traditions during NAIDOC week and I was invited to the Barunga Festival in the Northern Territory too. I had so much fun and learned so much!

Traditions and celebrations are an important part of many people’s lives and here in Australia we love learning about each other’s special events.

This helps us to understand and respect each other- the things that make us similar and the things that make us unique. Understanding and respect help us all feel happy, safe and included.

What traditions and celebrations do you and your classmates enjoy?

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