Festival family kits

1The festivals in 2027

Dates are the public holidays MOM gazetted for 2027. Each family keeps its own customs, and some festival days are set by the lunar or Islamic calendar, so check with your friend which days they celebrate.

2How to use a kit

• A week before: print the kit, do the craft together and talk through the "My friend celebrates" page.
• The day before a visit: fill in "Who will we see?" and practise greeting the elders.
• On the way: pick two questions from the family talk page.
• After the festival: write and give the thank-you or kindness card.

3Celebrating with respect

• Every family celebrates in its own way. Not everyone of a faith or community follows every custom, and many families celebrate more than one festival.
• The best source is your friend. Encourage your child to ask questions kindly: "What does your family do?"
• The customs described here follow the National Heritage Board's Roots.sg pages on each festival. If your family would describe something differently, write it in.

1Chinese New Year craft: Paper lantern

You need: One A4 sheet of paper (red, gold or any colour), a strip of paper for the handle, child-safe scissors, glue or a stapler, crayons.

1. Decorate the paper first: draw flowers, oranges or the people you will visit.
2. Fold the sheet in half the long way.
3. From the fold, cut straight lines about two fingers apart. Stop about 3 cm from the open edge.
4. Unfold, roll it into a tube with the cuts running up and down, and glue or staple the ends.
5. Press the top down gently so the lantern bulges, then add the handle strip.

2Chinese New Year thank-you card

For an elder who gave you a red packet or hosted you.

1What happens at Chinese New Year

• Families gather for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve, often at the home of the eldest family member.
• Homes are cleaned before the new year to sweep out the old.
• Married adults give children red packets with a small amount of money inside.
• Visitors bring a pair of mandarin oranges for the host and receive a pair in return.
• On the first morning, children greet their elders, then families visit relatives and friends.
• Many families toss yusheng, a raw fish salad, while calling out good wishes.

2Things I might see

Tick the ones you see or hear about.

• Red packets
• Mandarin oranges
• Couplets on the door
• The character 福 (fu)
• Pussy willow branches
• Yusheng tossing

3Being a good guest

• Greet the oldest people in the room first.
• If you bring mandarin oranges, hand over two, not one.
• Say thank you for a red packet, and wait until you are home to open it.
• Try what you are offered, or say "No, thank you" kindly.

1Questions to talk about

• Who will we visit, and what do we remember about them?
• Why do you think families clean the house before the new year?
• What does a reunion dinner mean to our family? What would you like to eat?
• Which good wish would you shout when we toss yusheng?
• How can we make the oldest person in the family feel special?
• What is one thing you want to get better at this year?

2Who will we see?

3Giving and saving

Red packets: before opening them, agree together how much to save, how much to spend and how much to give.

1Hari Raya Aidilfitri craft: Woven paper pattern

You need: Two sheets of paper in different colours, child-safe scissors, glue, a ruler and a pencil.

1. Ketupat, the rice cakes many families make for Hari Raya, are cooked in pouches woven from leaves. Weave paper to see how the pattern works.
2. On sheet one, draw lines 2 cm apart the long way. An adult cuts along them, stopping 2 cm from the top edge.
3. Cut sheet two into strips 2 cm wide.
4. Weave one strip over and under the cuts. Weave the next strip under and over.
5. Push the strips close together and glue the ends. Use it as a placemat or a card cover.

2Hari Raya Aidilfitri kindness card

For a family that welcomes you on a Hari Raya visit, or a friend who celebrates.

1What happens at Hari Raya Aidilfitri

• Hari Raya Aidilfitri comes after Ramadan, the month when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset.
• On the morning of Hari Raya, special prayers are held at the mosque.
• Younger family members kiss the hand of an elder to show respect and to ask for forgiveness and blessings.
• Families visit parents first, then other relatives and friends, through the month of Syawal.
• Food such as ketupat, rendang and kuih is shared, often from big trays.
• Children receive money in small green packets, and the streets of Geylang Serai are lit up.

2Things I might see

Tick the ones you see or hear about.

• Ketupat
• Green packets
• Families in matching colours
• Baju kurung
• Trays of kuih
• Geylang Serai light-up

3Being a good guest

• Greet the elders of the family first.
• Some friends will have fasted through Ramadan. It is kind to ask how it went.
• Take off your shoes if the family does, and wait to be offered food.
• Say thank you for a green packet, and keep it to open at home.

1Questions to talk about

• Why do you think people ask each other for forgiveness at Hari Raya?
• Is there someone we should say sorry to, or forgive?
• What would it feel like to fast all day? What helps friends who are fasting?
• Which families will we visit, or who might visit us?
• How could we welcome a guest so they feel at home?
• What did you learn from a friend who celebrates?

2Who will we see?

3Giving and saving

Green packets: agree together how much to save, how much to spend and how much to give.

1Deepavali craft: Dot kolam drawing

You need: This page, a pencil, crayons or coloured chalk. Outdoors, coloured chalk on the floor works too (ask first).

1. Kolam, also called rangoli, are patterns drawn at the doorway, traditionally with coloured rice powder.
2. Use the dot grid. Draw loops and curves around the dots without lifting your pencil if you can.
3. Lamps are a favourite kolam design for Deepavali. Try a lamp shape in the middle.
4. Colour the shapes in. Make the pattern match on every side.
5. Never light a real lamp without an adult.

2Deepavali thank-you card

For a friend's family who shares Deepavali sweets or welcomes you.

1What happens at Deepavali

• Deepavali is the Festival of Lights. It stands for good over evil and light over darkness.
• For weeks before, families clean and decorate their homes, buy new clothes and make sweet and savoury snacks.
• Small clay oil lamps called diyas are placed at the doorway.
• Doorways are decorated with kolam (rangoli), patterns made from coloured rice powder.
• Many Hindu families start the day with an oil bath and prayers. Younger family members ask elders for blessings.
• Serangoon Road in Little India is lit up, and festive bazaars sell clothes, decorations and snacks.

2Things I might see

Tick the ones you see or hear about.

• Diyas (oil lamps)
• Kolam at the door
• New clothes
• Murukku and sweets
• The Little India light-up
• Flowers and garlands

3Being a good guest

• Greet the elders of the family first.
• Take off your shoes at the door if the family does.
• Try a snack you have never had, or say "No, thank you" kindly.
• Admire the kolam, but walk around it.

1Questions to talk about

• What does "light over darkness" mean to you?
• Why do you think families clean and decorate before a festival?
• Who could we share some sweets with this Deepavali?
• What new thing did you learn about a friend's festival?
• How do elders give blessings in our family?
• What is one kind thing you could do that brings light to someone's day?

2Who will we see?

3Giving and saving

Sharing: make or buy a small box of sweets and decide together who to give it to.

1Christmas craft: Kindness paper chain

You need: Two A4 sheets of paper, child-safe scissors, glue or tape, a pencil.

1. The Christmas season lasts twelve days, so make twelve links.
2. Cut twelve paper strips, each about 3 cm wide.
3. On each strip, write or draw one kind thing to do: help set the table, write to a cousin, share a toy.
4. Loop the first strip and glue it. Thread the next strip through and glue it too.
5. From Christmas Day, take off one link a day and do the kind thing on it.

2Christmas kindness card

For someone who helps us all year: the helper, a teacher, the security guard or a neighbour.

1What happens at Christmas

• Christmas remembers the birth of Jesus. For Christians, the four Sundays of Advent come before it.
• Christians go to church services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
• Carollers once sang from house to house. In Singapore they now often sing in malls and public spaces.
• Many families and friends exchange gifts.
• Families of many backgrounds gather for Christmas lunch or dinner. Eurasian families may serve dishes such as feng curry.
• Orchard Road is lit up, and homes put up trees with lights and a star or angel on top.

2Things I might see

Tick the ones you see or hear about.

• A Christmas tree
• A nativity scene
• Carollers
• The Orchard Road light-up
• Wrapped gifts
• A family meal

3Being a good guest

• Greet the hosts and the elders first.
• Bring a small gift or a card if you like, but no one expects much.
• If the family says a prayer before the meal, wait quietly until it ends.
• Say thank you for any gift, even a small one.

1Questions to talk about

• What does giving feel like, compared with getting?
• Who helps our family all year? How can we thank them?
• What is a family tradition you want us to keep?
• What gift could you make instead of buy?
• Who might feel lonely at Christmas, and what could we do?
• What was the best thing about this year?

2Who will we see?

3Giving and saving

Giving jar: put aside a little each week in December and decide together who to give it to.