Religious Education
Holi is a Hindu festival and is also known as the festival of colours. Originally celebrated in North India, it is now widely celebrated in many parts of the world. The festival marks the beginning of Spring, this year it will be on 8th March 2023.
Chinese New Year will be celebrated on Sunday 22nd January this year. Chinese New Year has been celebrated for more than 4000 years and the festival lasts for 15 days.
It celebrates the end of the long winter season and earth coming back to life. It marks the beginning of the growing cycle.
2023 will be the year of the Rabbit, it means people born this year will share the Rabbit's characteristics!
To celebrate Chinese New Year the children across Reception and KS1 were taught a dragon dance along with a variety of other routines such as fan and umbrella dances.
Take a look at the photos below to see how we celebrated in school. Doesn’t it look fabulous!
Diwali is the 'festival of lights' and one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists. Diwali is a very important celebration and it marks the beginning of a new year in some parts of the world. This year it will be celebrated on Monday 24th October.
Take a look at the photos below to see how we celebrated in school in preparation with a Diwali Dance Workshop.
Holi is a Hindu festival and is also known as the festival of colours. Originally celebrated in North India, it is now widely celebrated in many parts of the world. The festival marks the beginning of Spring, this year it will be on 17th / 18th March.
Chinese New Year will be celebrated on Tuesday 1st February this year. Chinese New Year has been celebrated for more than 4000 years and the festival lasts for 15 days.
It celebrates the end of the long winter season and earth coming back to life. It marks the beginning of the growing cycle.
2022 will be the year of the Tiger, it means people born this year will share the Tiger's characteristics!
Click on the links below to find out a little more about Chinese New Year.
Here are some Chinese New Year stories, linked to the creature Nian. There are various versions to watch (Mandarin Chinese, English and without any words).
The children loved participating in their very own Dragon Dance workshop, it was fabulous!
World Religion Day is celebrated annually on the third Sunday of January. This year it will be celebrated on Sunday 16th January. Pupils across school will be celebrating it throughout the week commencing Monday 17th January.
The aim of World Religion Day is to promote understanding and peace between all religions and to encourage people to learn about other faiths and their followers.
We were delighted to visit Pudsey Parish Church again for an interactive Christmas Experience! The children have been involved in workshops incorporating the Christmas story in a context of reflective activities and crafts. They thoroughly enjoyed their time there!
Diwali is the 'festival of lights' and one of the major festivals celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists. Diwali is a very important celebration and it marks the beginning of a new year in some parts of the world. This year it will be celebrated on Thursday 5th November.
Take a look at the photos below to see how we celebrated in school in preparation for our Diwali Dance Workshop!
Our school was involved in a Diwali Dance Workshop this week. The most well-known story behind Diwali is the Ramayana, the great Hindu epic about Prince Rama and his wife Sita. The children imagined themselves in different roles, dramatic situations and created freeze-frames of the main characters in the Ramayana as they retold elements of this story through dance.
Here are the photos of the two days.
Judaism
This half term, year 3 and 4 re learning about Judaism. This afternoon in the Year 4 Persevering Pumas class, we wrote out some Hebrew text and made our work into a Torah scroll. We learnt that people had to write the Torah by hand, and it could take them up to a year to do it, but if they made a mistake, they would have to start all over again. The Torah is extremely sacred to Jewish people and must not be touched by hand, a yad is used to help them read it without touching it. We did a great job of writing in a different language and showed the utmost respect to the Jewish religion and their views. Look how impressive their scrolls are!
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur means Day of Atonement. It is the most sacred and solemn day in the Jewish calendar.
Yom Kippur is a day to reflect on the past year and ask God's forgiveness for any sins. Jews do not work or go to school on this day. Yom Kippur is celebrated in September or October in the UK. In 2021 Yom Kippur will begin in the evening of Wednesday 15 September.
Watch the short clips below to find out a little bit more about this special festival.
Eid al-Adha ('Festival of Sacrifice') is one of the most important festivals in the Muslim calendar. It is also a public holiday in Muslim countries. This year Eid al-Adha will begin on the evening of Monday 19th July and end on the evening of Friday 23rd July.
Watch the short clips below to find out a little bit more about this special festival.
Ramadan is the ninth month on the Islamic calendar, which marks important holidays and events for Muslims (people who practice Islam). During Ramadan people fast, or refrain from eating and drinking, while it's light outside.
The end of this holy month of Ramadan is marked by a special celebration called 'Eid al -Fitr', the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast. This year it will be celebrated on either Wednesday 12th or Thursday 13th May, depending on the sighting of the moon!
Easter is a Christian festival, which celebrates the death and coming back to life again (resurrection) of Jesus Christ. Celebrations can take place in churches and at home. Discuss some of the ways in which Easter is celebrated in the UK and look through the resources below to learn about how Easter is celebrated around the world.
We will look forward to seeing all your creations, so please send in your learning to show your understanding of how Easter is celebrated at home or abroad. Enjoy!
Last half term we celebrated the Hindu and Sikh festival of light, known as Diwali. We celebrated across the school in the form of a themed afternoon.
This half term, we will be celebrating Chinese New Year, which starts from 12th February this year! Children from Reception through to Year 6 will be involved in a variety of exciting craft activities. We will look forward to seeing all your creations, so please send in your photographs to show us what you have learnt. Enjoy!