How birthdays are celebrated across the globe   

Did you know? In China, people eat noodles on their birthdays believing that the dish symbolises long life. These ‘longevity noodles’ are then served and shared with the person’s loved ones marking his/her birthday celebrations.

There could be no better way for students to learn about such cultural nuances than to meet and greet each other. To help Primary-Year-Programme (PYP) students understand about this transdisciplinary approach, Apeejay School, International (ASI) recently collaborated with Early Year students at Ouijing International Kindergarten, Yiwu, China at an interactive workshop on: ‘How we express ourselves.’

At the session, students displayed their talent and curiosity to know about various kinds of celebrations across cultures.The workshop began with an Apeejay, International student, Myra Gupta, showcasing her peers the traditional way of celebrating birthdays in India.She chanted the Gayatri Mantra at her home temple and shared the significance of applying tikka on the forehead during celebrations in India.

Students from Ouijing International brought noodles and shared that people in China eat noodles with egg on their birthdays. The longer the noodles, it is believed the longer the life would be. Round eggs signify a successful and happy life, according to Chinese culture.

“The spirit of celebrations remains the same across the world but how they take place differs. Through this session, we made students aware about these variations so that they could appreciate diversity,” says Shalini Fate, PYP Coordinator, Apeejay School International.

Further, students from both the countries asked each other questions such as: ‘What makes you happy on your birthday?’, ‘How do you decorate your house on your birthday?’ Who do you invite and what do you eat on your birthday?’ They then sang birthday songs from their respective countries, and shared their previous years’ birthday pictures. Apeejay students also learnt, how to wish Happy Birthday in Mandarin (生日快乐– shēngrì kuàilè).

The fun-filled and collaborative activities encouraged students PYP learners to understand about cross-cultural interactions and language acquisition.

“Collaborative learning not only boosts higher order thinking skills but also helps students develop International Mindedness, a concept central to IB education. ASI PYP students collaborated with Ouijing International Kindergarten, China to discuss how birthdays are celebrated in China. Students from both the schools exchanged their ways of celebrating the occasion and exchanged their customs.”

-Mr. Purshottam Dutt Vashist, Principal, Apeejay School International