Holidays and Celebrations in the UK and the USA

Introduction

What is your favourite holiday? Birthday? New Year? Christmas? But do you know how teenagers in the UK or the USA celebrate? Do they give presents on the same days? What is Thanksgiving? Why do Americans eat turkey in November? And what is Bonfire Night?

In this WebQuest, you will explore the most popular holidays and celebrations in English-speaking countries. You will compare them with your own culture and create a fun guide to help other students understand these traditions.

Task

Your task is to research three holidays or celebrations (choose from the list below) and present your findings in one of these formats:

  • A poster / infographic – “Holidays around the English‑speaking world”

  • A short video (2–3 minutes) – act out a typical holiday scene

  • A slide presentation (5–7 slides) – explain traditions, food, dates

  • A quiz game (5–10 questions) for your classmates, with answers

Choose three celebrations from this list:

  1. Christmas (UK & USA)

  2. Thanksgiving (USA)

  3. Halloween (USA & UK)

  4. Bonfire Night / Guy Fawkes Night (UK, 5 November)

  5. Easter (traditions in the UK)

  6. St. Patrick’s Day (Ireland and USA)

  7. New Year’s Eve (Hogmanay in Scotland)

  8. Independence Day (4 July, USA)

Your project must answer these questions for each of your three holidays:

  • When is it celebrated?

  • What is the history / origin?

  • What do people eat?

  • What activities do people do?

  • Is it a public holiday (no school/work)?

  • How is it different from a similar holiday in your country?

You will work in groups of 2–3 or individually. At the end, each group will present and run a short quiz.

Process

Step 1. Choose your three holidays (see list above). Try to include at least one from the UK and one from the USA.

Step 2. Assign roles in your group

  • Historian – finds the origin and history of each holiday

  • Traditions expert – collects food, decorations, customs

  • Designer / presenter – organises the final product

Step 3. Use these sources (B1 level)

Website What you will find Level
LearnEnglish Teens – Festivals Short texts about UK celebrations B1
Project Britain – Customs Month by month holidays in Britain easy
USA.gov – American holidays Official list and traditions B1
Simple Wikipedia – Holiday Basic facts, easy language A2/B1
YouTube – “Holidays in the UK” (BBC Learning English) Videos with subtitles B1

Step 4. Answer the key questions for each holiday (copy into your notebook):

  1. What is the date?

  2. One interesting historical fact.

  3. One special food or drink.

  4. One typical activity (e.g., fireworks, trick-or-treat, parades).

  5. A common greeting or phrase (e.g., “Merry Christmas”, “Trick or treat”).

Step 5. Compare with your own country’s holidays

Make a table:

Holiday in UK/USA Similar holiday in my country What is different?
e.g. Halloween (your local festival) Costumes vs. no costumes

Step 6. Create your product and include a 5‑question quiz for the class.

Step 7. Present (3–5 minutes per group). After the presentation, ask your quiz questions.

Evaluation

Maximum 25 points:

Criteria Excellent (5) Good (4) Satisfactory (3) Poor (1–2)
Content – all 3 holidays covered 3 holidays, full details 3 holidays, some missing info 2 holidays only 1 or wrong holidays
Accuracy of facts No mistakes, good sources 1–2 small errors 3–4 errors Many mistakes
Creativity & design Very attractive and clear Good design, but simple Messy or boring No design
Comparison with own culture Deep comparison, examples Some comparison Just a list, no analysis Missing
Presentation & quiz Confident, fun quiz Good but short quiz Weak presentation No quiz or not ready

 

Final grade:

25–22 = Excellent

21–18 = Good

17–14 = Satisfactory

<14 = Do again

 

Conclusion

Great work! Now you know not only when Americans eat turkey (Thanksgiving) but also why British people burn a guy on a bonfire (Guy Fawkes Night). You have compared celebrations and learned that holidays tell us a lot about a country’s history and values.

Reflection questions:

  • Which celebration from the UK or USA would you like to try? Why?

  • Is there a holiday in your country that foreigners would find strange?

  • Why do people need holidays?

If you want to learn more, visit the British Council “Festivals and Celebrations” section. Happy holidays!

Credits

This WebQuest was created using:

  • British Council – LearnEnglish Teens

  • Project Britain – customs and festivals

  • USA.gov – American holidays

  • Simple Wikipedia

  • Free images from Pixabay and Flaticon

Thanks to all the sources that made this quest possible.

Teacher Page

Authors: Vasileva Violetta, Kuznetsova Alena

Target audience: Grade 9 (age 14–15), English level B1

Subjects: English, Cultural Studies, History, Homeroom

Learning goals:

  • Know 3–6 holidays in English‑speaking countries

  • Understand historical and cultural roots of these holidays

  • Compare holidays with students’ own culture

  • Develop research and teamwork skills

Time: 3–4 lessons (45 min each)

Lesson plan:

  • Lesson 1 – Introduction, choose holidays, start research

  • Lesson 2 – Group work, collect facts and comparison

  • Lesson 3 – Create product, rehearse

  • Lesson 4 – Presentations and quizzes

Differentiation:

Provide a one‑page fact sheet for weaker students. Let stronger students add a recipe or a short video.

Assessment: Use rubric (above) and observe group collaboration.

Extra resources for teachers:

  • Video: “Holidays and traditions in the UK” (YouTube, BBC)

  • Book: Celebrations Around the World (DK Readers)

  • Website: www.timeanddate.com/calendar (holidays by country)