New
New
Year 5

Christmas traditions in Haiti

I can learn about and describe a typical Christmas in Haiti.

New
New
Year 5

Christmas traditions in Haiti

I can learn about and describe a typical Christmas in Haiti.

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Lesson details

Vocabulary and transcripts for this lessons

Key learning points

  1. Haiti is a French speaking country located in the Caribbean, it is part of 'la francophonie'.
  2. In Haiti people celebrate 'le Reveyon' the 24th December. They eat 'griot de porc', 'banann peze' et 'riz collé ak pwa'.
  3. Children make 'fanaux', lanterns made from paper and cardboard in the shape of houses, a Christmas tradition.
  4. In Haiti, there are two official languages: Haitian Creole and French.
  5. Haitian Creole contains French words and words from many different African languages: Boujou ! Padon ! Mèsi !

Keywords

  • Haïti - the French name for Haiti, a French speaking country located in the Caribbean

  • Haitian Creole - French-based Creole language spoken in Haiti

Common misconception

Christmas is celebrated in the same way it is celebrated in the UK, across the world.

Countries celebrate Christmas in many different ways. For example in Haiti, families eat their Christmas meal on the evening of the 24th December, and people make 'fanaux' (lanterns in the style of houses).


To help you plan your year 5 French lesson on: Christmas traditions in Haiti, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

You may wish to search for videos of Christmas in Haiti and 'fanaux' lantern making. You may also wish to search for videos of key phrases in Haitian Creole for pupils to practise listening to and pronouncing key words.
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This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word means 'present'?

maison
Correct answer: cadeau
neige
salade
gâteau

Q2.
Match the French to the English.

Correct Answer:chanter,to sing, singing

to sing, singing

Correct Answer:danser,to dance, dancing

to dance, dancing

Correct Answer:manger,to eat, eating

to eat, eating

Correct Answer:habiter,to live, living

to live, living

Correct Answer:être,to be, being

to be, being

Correct Answer:expliquer,to explain, explaining

to explain, explaining

Q3.
Match the French to the English.

Correct Answer:arriver,to arrive, arriving

to arrive, arriving

Correct Answer:répondre,to respond, to reply, responding, replying

to respond, to reply, responding, replying

Correct Answer:reçevoir,to receive, receiving

to receive, receiving

Correct Answer:fabriquer,to make, making

to make, making

Correct Answer:faire,to do, to make, doing, making

to do, to make, doing, making

Correct Answer:écrire,to write, writing

to write, writing

Q4.
Order the words to say 'in the evening, the children open their presents'.

1 - le
2 - soir
3 - les
4 - enfants
5 - ouvrent
6 - leurs
7 - cadeaux

Q5.
Order the words to say 'eating a fruit salad is a tradition in Haiti'.

1 - manger
2 - une salade
3 - de
4 - fruits
5 - est une
6 - tradition
7 - en Haiti

Q6.
'I eat three times a day.' Translate this sentence into French.

Correct Answer: Je mange trois fois par jour

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which word means 'guava'?

riz
papaye
banane
Correct answer: goyave
porc

Q2.
Which words can mean 'lantern'?

maison
Correct answer: lanterne
papier
carton
Correct answer: fanal

Q3.
'En Haïti, l'homme qui apporte les cadeaux à Noël s'appelle __________.' Which name completes this sentence?

Papa Noël
Père noël
Correct answer: Tonton Nwèl
Father Christmas
Père de cadeaux

Q4.
Order the words to say 'in Haiti, children call Father Christmas another name'.

1 - en Haïti
2 - les
3 - enfants
4 - appellent
5 - le Père Noël
6 - d'un autre
7 - nom

Q5.
Order the words to say 'food is an important part of Christmas Eve'.

1 - la
2 - nourriture
3 - est une
4 - partie
5 - importante
6 - de
7 - réveillon de Noël

Q6.
'Everyone dances and sings.' Translate this sentence into French.

Correct Answer: Tout le monde danse et chante

Additional material

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