Year 1 have previously looked at what belonging and faith means to ourselves and others.

We have discovered that there are different religions, with different gods, different places of worship, different festivals and different rituals.

Year 1 had already learnt that Christian’s celebrate Jesus’ birth on Christmas Day, so this week we looked at two different festivals from different faiths.

The Hindu festival of Holi –

• Holi is a festival celebrated by people who belong to the Hindu religion. It takes place in March.
• It marks the start of spring and is sometimes known as the Festival of Colour. It celebrates good winning over evil.
• Everyone chases each other with dry powder paint and coloured water.
• People sing, dance and have fun together, no matter who they are.
• Bonfires remind people that the winter days are coming to an end and warmth and light are coming.

The Jewish festival of Passover –

• Passover is celebrated by Jewish people, who remember how the Israelite people were freed from slavery by Moses over 3000 years ago.​
• Passover is celebrated for seven or eight days.​
• On the evening before Passover begins, there is a special service called a Seder where there is a special plate with different food that symbolises different things.​
• At the Seder meal, three matzot breads are placed on top of each other. The middle matzah is broken and the biggest piece is hidden.​Children hunt for the matzah and to win a prize.​

We discussed both festivals, the children loved the ‘excitement and fun’ of Holi, but thought the Passover story of Moses parting the Red Sea was ‘amazing’.  The children understood that although the festivals were very different, they were equally important to the people of that faith.

Click the links below to share with your child their learning about Holi and Passover festivals:-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTfYhG2mOSA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QF84Wx0dGTg