Espoo published its eleventh multicultural holiday calendar – different religions and cultures are visible on the learning path in Espoo

The number of multilingual children and young people and their share in the age group are growing in Espoo. Almost one third of the children attending early childhood education, more than one fourth of the pupils in basic education and about 15 per cent of the students in general upper secondary schools are multilingual. The multicultural holiday calendar supports multicultural education in schools and day care centres and increases awareness of different religions and cultures among children and young people. The calendar is delivered to city-run day care centres, schools and youth centres.

Espoo’s schools and day care centres are intended for all children and young people, regardless of their background, language or culture. Diversity is part of our daily lives. For example, pupils in Espoo’s primary and lower secondary schools speak as many as 100 different languages as their mother tongue, and native language instruction is provided in 49 different languages. Instruction is provided in eight different religious and worldview subjects: Evangelical Lutheran religion, ethics, Islam, Orthodox religion, Catholic religion, Krishna religion, Buddhism and Judaism. The instruction also covers religions and worldviews outside the chosen subject.

In Espoo, cultural education is seen as an important part of the growth and learning path, and it is supported, among other things, by cultural instructors working in basic education. Cultural instructors provide multilingual guidance and support for pupils, students, families and school staff. In Espoo’s schools, cultural instruction is available in Arabic, Kurdish (Sorani), Persian (Dari/Farsi), Somali, Chinese and Albanian. The cultural instructors’ work emphasises multidisciplinary cooperation and interaction with pupils, guardians and school staff, based on a culturally sensitive approach.

The multicultural holiday calendar helps schools and day care centres to equally recognise the cultural holidays of all children as part of daily activities. In addition to planning, the calendar supports educational activities and multicultural education. The holiday calendar can be used to learn about different holidays, traditions and related stories, both individual and common ones, in Finland and elsewhere.

Children grow up in a diverse world where different languages, cultures and worldviews are constantly interacting with each other. In day care centres and schools, children and young people learn to understand and appreciate each other’s cultures as they learn about different cultures, and diversity is seen as a positive thing that enriches the community. Children and young people enjoy finding familiar holidays in the calendar. Schools and day care centres encourage children to share their experiences and traditions, as it strengthens an individual’s own identity while enabling peer learning.

In early childhood education, the multicultural holiday calendar offers many opportunities for promoting children’s cultural understanding.

“The holiday calendar allows children to explore different cultures and related celebrations, such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Chinese New Year and Hindu Diwali, in a positive way. This helps children understand and appreciate the customs and traditions of different cultures. At the same time, children learn to be open and respectful towards people from different backgrounds and their customs,” says Early Childhood Education Specialist Jaana Luumi.

In schools, various learning modules can be built around the multicultural holiday calendar.

“Children and families living in Espoo come from various backgrounds. It is important for each child to see something familiar in the middle of so many new things. The calendar makes it easy to highlight various holidays and plan the school year and fun assignments. The calendar has a certain basic structure, but it is updated every year and it always contains something interesting and suitable for the school’s annual themes,” says Sari Sorsa, class teacher and developer teacher of religious and worldview studies.

The multicultural holiday calendar was created in cooperation with teachers of religious and worldview studies. The holidays related to different religions and cultures as well as national holidays are shown in the calendar together with symbols.

Every year, we receive enquiries about the calendar from other municipalities. This year, the calendar is also used as part of our general upper secondary schools’ learning materials.

Posters are sent to the city’s day care centres, schools and youth centres to be put up in common areas and classrooms. The calendar is also available online.

The calendar for the school year 2025–2026 is available in Finnish and Swedish at the end of this news article.