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WHAT
SHOULD WE TEACH ABOUT WESTERN FESTIVALS?
13 December,
2004
We pretty much agreed that
teaching about holidays was not a high priority for us as language teachers.
Some of us would only teach about them if students expressed interest.
However, we thought the topic might be a welcome break from the syllabus and
stimulate interest in western culture.
To de-emphasize the religious
aspect of such festivals as Christmas and Easter, one person thought it might
be useful to teach the pagan origins and look for parallels within the
Chinese culture. In order to do this, it might be useful for US to polish up
our knowledge of such things as Christmas trees - just why do we cut down a
tree, stick it in our living rooms and adorn it with dangerous lighted candles???
Does anyone know? If we don't know why, then why do we keep doing it?
The negative sides of western
culture are just as valuable to teach, for example the over-commercialization
of holidays, the expense, the family arguments, the disappointments, the
unwanted presents. Some westerners dislike holidays for these reasons and
have found alternate ways of celebrating or avoiding them altogether (see
info on our Christmas party at the end).
WHAT
SHOULDN'T WE TEACH ABOUT WESTERN FESTIVALS?
Various viewpoints were put
forth (and shot down), especially about how to avoid possible religious
misunderstandings. We do not know the beliefs of the students in our classes
and should be careful not to denigrate a holiday that could be very
meaningful to someone. Nor should we proselytize our personal beliefs like
18th century missionaries.
To give the topic balance, we
thought it best to point out that holidays like Christmas have become a part
of our mainstream secular culture even though many families downplay the
religious elements. Teaching about holidays from other religions might make
us look less like zealots and emphasize the multiculturalism of English
speaking countries.
Some points in favor of
explaining the biblical origins of our main holidays are to help our students
appreciate the profound influence Christianity has had on our culture, values
and morals over the course of history. We can't understand modern Chinese
culture without a basic knowledge of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. Sue
Kay mentioned some excellent ideas that have come form Christianity that are
divergent from Asian thinking:
a) all people are equal before God and the Law
b) love they neighbor like thyself
c) individualism: we will be judged in heaven as individuals
d) don't be a burden to others
e) be self-sufficient
f) be responsible for your own actions
g) be kind to strangers (the story of the Good Samaritan)
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