In year 1 and 2, we have been learning about different festivals and how they are celebrated.

Christians celebrate Harvest festival which is a time to thank God for all that he provides. People bring fruit, vegetables and other food items to their church service. In addition to this, they will donate toiletries and cleaning supplies. All of these items will then be donated to others less fortunate.

Jewish people celebrate Sukkot which is when they remember Moses and his time in the desert. Moses freed the Israelites from slavery and then wandered the desert for 40 years until God showed them their promised land. Jews will build shelters where they’ll pray, eat and sometimes sleep.

Next we learned about the Muslim festival of Eid which is celebrated at the end of Ramadan. Ramadan is when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset for approximately 30 days. They fast as a way of showing their commitment to their faith and also helps to build compassion for others. Children have a calendar similar to an advent calendar but instead of chocolate they’ll have challenges or opportunities to help others.

Today, we have learned about Diwali which is known as the festival of light. This is a festival celebrated by Hindu’s and Sikh’s. During this festival, they will decorate their homes, make candles, cook and buy sweet treats. This is a time for them to think about the year ahead and to remember the story of Rama and Sita where good triumphed over evil.

Last week in RE, Year 1 and 2 learned about the Harvest Festival and the importance of this to the community. We started by thinking of the things that we are thankful for before exploring what the Christian church do during Harvest festival. We learned that they have donations to the church which they then donate to others who are less fortunate or just need a helping hand.

This led on to this weeks lessons where we learned about Sukkot which is the Jewish celebration of Harvest. The Jewish people celebrate takes place in September or October depending on the Hebrew calendar. They build shelters which they pray, eat and even sleep in as a way to remember the story of Moses and his people in the desert.