Every year, World Heritage Day (WHD) is celebrated on April 18. It is a day dedicated to celebrating the heritage, diverse cultures, customs, and traditions that unite the country in their own ways. UNESCO observes World Heritage Day, as a reminder to understand, value, preserve and safeguard our natural and cultural heritage structures and practices that make us who we are as a country.
Celebrating Heritage Day at school is a great way to promote cultural awareness and respect among students and staff. By celebrating Heritage Day, students learn the importance of embracing diversity and become more informed about the different cultures that make up their country. It also provides them with an opportunity to explore and appreciate the history and traditions of their country. It is important for schools to celebrate Heritage Day in an engaging and meaningful way. In this blog, we talk about some ideas on how to celebrate Heritage Day at school in a meaningful and inclusive way.
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World Heritage Day activities to do at school
Schools can organize a variety of activities to celebrate Heritage Day. Ideas include:
- Traditional Attire Day:
- Heritage-themed Workshops:
- Heritage Walk:
- Field Trips to Heritage Sites:
- Go Local:
- Arts and crafts activities:
- Traditional games and sports:
- Dance performances:
- Music festival:
Encourage students and staff to wear traditional dresses that represent their culture. It could be a Pheran from Kashmir, a Pattu Pavadai from Karnataka, A Ghagra Choli from Gujarat or a Dhoti kurta from Bengal.
Get students to present information and have detailed discussions and knowledge sessions about the traditions, and cultures that make India. Through displays, demonstrations, presentations or even a parade they can showcase sustainable cultural practices. Teachers can also invite guest speakers or experts from different cultural backgrounds to share their knowledge of the heritage of India with the students.
To explore the various cultures and traditions. The walk can also include showcasing artefacts and objects that represent different cultures and traditions. Performing street plays can also be a part of the Heritage walk to enable students to create awareness about the importance of preserving our heritage amongst the local community.
Organize field trips to cultural sites such as the Taj Mahal in Agra, the Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi, Tipu’s Palace in Bangalore, the Mysore Palace in Mysore, the Victoria Museum in Kolkata or the old forts in Rajasthan. The students can make reports on the history of the site they visit, the current challenges or issues they noticed and steps they recommend to conserve the sites. This can be presented as their project at school.
Organise local trips to museums, art galleries, and cultural centres in your city. Based on the observations of the visit, have interactive discussions with peers on creating community service projects for the preservation of the local heritage sites.
Organize an art exhibition where students can display their artwork that represents their cultural heritage. Invite traditional artists to run live art workshops on traditional art forms that combine traditional materials and techniques such as Tanjore painting, Warli art, Madhubani art, Bhil paintings, Mandana art, and Lippan art.
Organize cultural games and activities that represent different cultural traditions. Invite sports enthusiasts and experts to talk about traditional sports activities such as Kushti, Kabaddi, Kho-kho, Gilli Danda, and Mallakhamb. Have parents or grandparents come in to share their experiences from their days of growing up and experiencing India’s heritage.
Organize cultural dance performances such as Kathakali, Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniyattam, and Yakshagana.
Invite music stalwarts with expertise in the Indian classical, semi-classical and folk music to perform and showcase the different cultural traditions
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Decorations
Schools can decorate the cafeteria, school building, classrooms, and hallways to make the day special. Ideas include:
- Flags from different countries.
- Traditional art from different cultures.
- Banners with information about different cultures.
- Maps showing the countries of origin of students in the school.
Food
Food is an important part of any celebration, and it’s a great way to introduce students to foods from different cultures. Organize a cultural food fair where students can bring in traditional dishes from their cultural background to share with their classmates. This is a great way to introduce students to new foods and to learn about different cultural cuisines. Ideas include:
- Potluck lunches where each student brings a dish from their heritage.
- Cultural snacks from different countries.
- Traditional desserts.
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