Archive for Holiday
Ni Hao Kai Lan Sings a Chinese New Year Song – Gong Xi Gong Xi 你好
Posted by: | CommentsIn the USA, many children get the chance to explore Manadrin language and some aspects of Chinese culture through an adorable little character named Kai Lan on children’s t.v. show: Ni Hao Kai Lan (Hello, Hai Lan). Here she and her friends sing a traditional New Year’s Song. To learn more about Chinese New Year customs and to see what the lyrics to this song mean, visit the Making Multicultural Music blog.
2012 Year of the Dragon
Posted by: | CommentsJanuary 23, 2012 marks the Chinese New Year welcoming in the year of the dragon. In this video you can see some beautiful images of dragons and discover the symbolism behind this very important sign. A wonderful history lesson and amazing photographs all in one short video!
2009 Chinese New Year Celebration in Australia
Posted by: | CommentsChinese New Year is celebrated all over the world! Check out this wonderful Chinese New Year celebration from the capital of Australia – including some added Australian Aboriginal music as well! See the beautiful highlights of dancing, parades, martial arts, dragon boat races and much more that brought in 2009 (the year of the Ox) to the land down under.
Jingle Bells in Japanese
Posted by: | CommentsMore holiday fun in many languages! Here’s a silly reindeer dancing along to a Japanese version of Jingle Bells. It’s beautifully sung and easy to hear the words in Japanese. If anyone can give us an exact translation, we’d love to post it here.
In the meantime, do you know the history of Jingle Bells? You can check out a writeup we did on our blog. Or you can find out how to make your own Jingle Bells by clicking here.
Betelehemu – African Children’s Choir
Posted by: | CommentsCheck out these beautiful traditional outfits and the sound of this Christmas Carol from Nigeria. What a beautiful children’s chorus!
Hark the Herald – from Liverpool Choir (with lyrics)
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s a choir from Liverpool, England performing a version of Hark The Herald shared along with the lyrics. The notes to the video tell us more about this popular Christmas song: “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” is a Christmas hymn or carol written by Charles Wesley, English leader of the Methodist movement along with his brother John Wesley. It first appeared in Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739, under the topic of “Hymn for Christmas-Day”.
Santa Lucia Celebration in Sweden
Posted by: | CommentsThe Santa Lucia (St. Lucy) tradition from Sweden, celebrated on December 13th is so unique and lovely. Listen to these lovely singers and find out more about the holiday where there is a chosen “Santa Lucia” from each town who is escorted by girls dressed especially in red and white and “star boys”.
Little Music Box plays Santa Lucia
Posted by: | CommentsDid you enjoy hearing about the Santa Lucia holiday/Christmas tradition. Here’s a video of a little music box playing the song and you can see the hand-crafted wooden toys circling around that share different aspects fo the celebration.
Greek Christmas Customs
Posted by: | CommentsThere are three special caroling days in Greece: the night before Christmas, the night before New Years and the night before Epiphany (January 6th). Here are the songs for all of those days, accompanied by a triangle. Would you like to more about Greek Christmas customs? Check out our post on Greek Christmas Customs on our multicultural blog.
Disney’s Las Posadas (In Mexico)
Posted by: | CommentsTaken from a Disney Story, this is a simple and lovely animation of what the Las Posadas tradition is like in Mexico. Would you like to read more about this wonderful tradition. Check out some of the books we’ve reviewed that take you right into this beautiful custom.
