A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced.
Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tradition of cultural or religious significance.
Holidays may be designated by governments, religious institutions, or other groups or organizations.
The degree to which normal activities are reduced by a holiday may depend on local laws, customs, the type of job held or personal choices.
Table of Contents
- Holidays and Celebration Exercises Matching
- Holidays Reading and Listening Exercises
- Reading Holidays Exercises
- Holidays Listening Exercises
- Independence Day Resources
- Independence Day Resources: Vocabulary
- Independence Day Resources: Reading
- Saint Patrick’s Day ESL Ideas
- Saint Patrick’s Day Vocabulary
- Saint Patrick’s Day Conversation Questions
- Saint Patrick’s Day Listening Exercises
- Additional Resources
Holidays and Celebration Exercises Matching
| Saint Patrick’s day? | Valentine’s Day |
| April Fool’s Day | Easter |
| Father’s day | Halloween |
| Memorial Day | Thanksgiving |
| Mother’s day | Christmas |
| Independence’s Day | New Year’s Eve |
| Labor day | Martin Luther King, Jr. Day |
| New Year’s Day |
Read the sentences and complete them by choosing one of the holidays above
- Celebrated on fourth Thursday in November:____________
- Celebrated on January First:________________
- Celebrated on December 25th:_______________
- Celebrated on the third Monday in January:____________
- Celebrated on February 14th:_________________
- Celebrated on March 17th:_______________
- Celebrated on December 31st:__________
- Celebrated on April First:______________
- Celebrated between March 22nd and April 25th:___________
- Celebrated on the second Sunday of may:______________
- Celebrated On the last Monday in May:_______________
- Celebrated on the third Sunday of June____________
- Celebrated On July 4th:________________
- Celebrated on September First:________
- Celebrated On October 31st:_____________
Holidays Reading and Listening Exercises
These are some reading and listening holidays exercises to help you master this topic
Reading Holidays Exercises
These are 11 reading holidays exercises. Just click on the link and you will be redirected to the exercise that you are looking for
| Halloween | New Year’s Eve |
| Independence Day | Labor Day |
| Thanksgiving Day | Christmas Day |
| Valentine’s Day | Mother’s Day and Father’s Day |
| Veteran’s Day | Martin Luther King Day |
| April Fool’s Day |
Holidays Listening Exercises
These are 13 holidays listening exercises. Just click on the link and you will be redirected to the resource that you need.
| Everyday conversations: What’s your Halloween costume? |
| Everyday conversations: Thanksgiving in the U.S. |
| Everyday conversations: Holiday season in the U.S. |
| Everyday conversations: Christmas traditions |
Independence Day Resources
Independence Day is a civil holiday for the celebration of the anniversary of the beginnings of national independence specifically
July 4 observed as a legal holiday in the U.S. in commemoration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776
Independence Day Resources: Vocabulary
| Bands | Banners |
| Celebrate | Civic |
| Commemorate | Constitution |
| Country | Crowds |
| Declaration | Decoration |
| Defense | Democracy |
| Festival | Festivity |
| Firecrackers | Firewood |
| Food | Food |
| Liberty | Parades |
| Parties | Tradition |
Independence Day Resources: Reading
A small town in the smallest state is home to the oldest Fourth of July celebration.
On July 4th 1777 citizens in Bristol (population 22,000) in the state of Rhode Island (population 1 million), fired 13 canon-shots representing the 13 states of the original United States. In 1785 the first parade was organized and every year since then Bristol has remembered Independence Day.
The Bristol Fourth of July Celebration involves the whole town. There is something for everyone, including a colorful parade, a Miss Fourth of July contest (and Little Miss for girls between 7 and 10), there is even a visit by a US Navy ship to Bristol harbor, and 13 shots are still fired from a canon.
In addition to these traditional celebrations there are also some modern events, such as a photography contest, a lottery, and a drum and bugle contest, and many official souvenirs can be bought. It is the combination of the traditional and modern that attracts so many visitors to the small town of Bristol for this famous Independence Day celebration.
- What’s the small town that is the home of the fourth of July?
- What do the 13 canon shots represent?
- What are two traditional activities that take place in Bristol?
- What are some modern activities that take place in Bristol?
Saint Patrick’s Day ESL Ideas
Saint Patrick’s Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick, the foremost patron saint of Ireland.
Saint Patrick’s Day Vocabulary
Check this common vocabulary about Saint Patrick’s Day
| Saint | Gold |
| Irish | Rainbow |
| Parade | Luck |
| Leprechaun | Snakes |
| Pot of Gold | Holiday |
| Clover | Hat |
| Ireland | Harp |
Saint Patrick’s Day Conversation Questions
These are some conversation questions about Saint Patrick’s day
- When is St. Patrick’s Day?
- What do you know about St. Patrick’s Day?
- What color do you wear on St. Patrick’s Day?
- How do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day?
- What drink is popular on St. Patrick’s Day?
Saint Patrick’s Day Listening Exercises
Watch this video so you can learn some more about Saint Patrick’s Day
Now that you have watched the video, take some time to answer these questions
- When is St.Patrick’s Day celebrated?
- What culture usually celebrates St. Patrick’s Day?
- Who were St.Patrick’s parents?
- Why did he decided to leave Ireland?
- Why did he decide to come back to ireland?
- What’s the main symbol of St. Patrick’s Day?
- What do people wear on March 17th?
- What do people eat on St. Patrick’s Day?
- What do people do in the USA to celebrate the St. Patrick’s Day?
- What other symbols are associated with St. Patrick’s Day?
Additional Resources
These are some additional resources that you might be interested in
