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Global Cultures Exploration Worksheet

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Global Cultures Exploration Worksheet

Explore how place, history and movement shape cultures. Read the festival cards, then use evidence from them and your own knowledge to answer. Cultural practices vary between people and communities; avoid assuming everyone in a country celebrates in the same way.

Festival field notes

A theme park’s Global Cultures festival has invited visitors to learn about these celebrations. Each card gives one example, not the whole story of a country or culture.

Matariki — Aotearoa New Zealand\nMatariki is the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster. Its mid-winter rising is connected with remembrance, celebrating the present and planning for the future. Different iwi and whānau may observe Matariki in different ways.

Día de los Muertos — Mexico\nThis observance, held around 1–2 November, honours and remembers deceased loved ones. Families and communities may make ofrendas (offerings), share food and visit graves. Customs vary across Mexico and among Mexican communities elsewhere.

Diwali — celebrated in India and around the world\nDiwali, also called Deepavali, is observed by many Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists, with meanings and customs that differ among communities. Light, prayer, family gatherings and festive foods feature in many observances.

Oktoberfest — Munich, Germany\nOktoberfest began in 1810 as a public celebration in Munich. Today it is a large festival with food, music and cultural traditions. Similar events are held in many places, but they are not all the same as Munich’s festival.

Explore and compare

Use the field notes as evidence. For open-ended questions, answers may vary; sample answers are provided for checking key ideas.

1.Which festival card links a seasonal star cluster with remembering the past, celebrating the present and planning ahead? Choose one.

Matariki
Oktoberfest
Diwali
Día de los Muertos

2.Match each festival to the place most closely associated with its origins or main location in the field notes.

Matariki
Día de los Muertos
Diwali
Oktoberfest

Mexico
Munich, Germany
India and communities around the world
Aotearoa New Zealand

3.True or false? Everyone in India celebrates Diwali in exactly the same way. Explain your choice using the field notes.

4.Complete the sentence: Oktoberfest began in in 1810, and today similar events are held in many places.

5.Freya is making a display about Matariki. Name two ideas or activities from the field notes that she could include, and explain what each represents.

6.Mere says, “Día de los Muertos is just a party.” Use two details from its card to give a more thoughtful description of the observance.

7.Losa is comparing Matariki and Diwali for the festival. Give one similarity and one difference, using evidence from the cards.

8.A visitor asks why the festival cards use phrases such as “may” and “many communities” instead of claiming that everyone follows the same customs. Explain why this wording matters when learning about cultures.

9.Choose one festival card. Suggest a respectful question a visitor could ask someone who observes that festival, and give one reason your question is respectful.