Holiday questions
Here is a worksheet to discuss special days and public holidays around the world. There is always a holiday coming up soon so these holiday questions can be used all year round. Note that if you are looking for travel-related holiday questions, you can find them on the travel conversation questions page.
The most difficult words that you may need to teach before starting this speaking activity include – fireworks, public, celebrate, dressed up, strange, receive, decorate, long weekend, religion, popular, origin, and resolution.
The pictures on the worksheet represent these holidays –
Christmas Day – December the 25th
Day of the Dead – November the 1st
Easter – A Sunday between March and April
Halloween – October 31st
Lunar New Year/Spring Festival – The beginning of the year according to the lunar calendar
Valentine’s Day – February the 14th
The holiday conversation questions are –
What was your favourite holiday when you were a child? Why did you like it?
On what holidays do you usually see fireworks? Have you ever lit any fireworks?
What is the most important day of the year in your country? What is it about?
Do you ever send cards or emails for special holidays? Who do you send them to?
When is the next public holiday in your country? What will you do on this day?
Does your country celebrate Christmas? How is it celebrated?
Are there any special foods for holidays in your countries? What are they?
How many public holidays does your country have each year?
Do people ever get dressed up on holidays in your country? What do they wear?
What foreign public holiday or festival do you think is strange or interesting?
On what holidays do people give presents? What kinds of presents do you like?
Have you ever received a really bad present? What was it and who gave it to you?
What would you like to wear as a costume to a Halloween party?
Do any holidays in your country have parades? What can you see there?
Are there any holidays about wars in the past in your country? What are they?
Is there any holiday that you don’t enjoy? Why don’t you like it?
Do you ever decorate your home for a holiday? How do you decorate it?
Does your country have many long weekends? What holidays are these for?
What holidays that you know involve religion? Do you celebrate them?
Can you explain the history and origin of a popular public holiday in your country?
What do people usually do on New Year’s Eve in your country?
Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution? What was it? Did you keep it?
If you could create a new holiday, what would it be about? On what day would it be?
Which holidays involve a lot of shopping and spending money?
