Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Hardy, and I'm so excited to be learning with you today.

As we complete our RE lesson together, there will be lots of opportunities for you to find out about new things and also for sharing your ideas.

Doesn't that sound good? Okay, so if you are ready, let's begin.

Today's lesson is called Celebrating Holy Week: A Case Study, and it is taken from the unit Holy Week.

What do the stories say and what is their meaning? But remember, I'm here to help you and if we work really hard, together we will succeed.

Throughout today's lesson, we will be learning about these key words to describe the key events of Holy Week.

Now let's practise saying them together with my turn, your turn.

My turn.

Holy week.

Holy week.

Brilliant.

Holy Week is what the Christians call the week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

Okay, next one.

Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday is the Sunday at the beginning of Holy Week and the day of Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem.

Okay, next one, Last Supper.

Last Supper.

We call the Last Supper the final meal that Jesus had with his disciples.

It was the meal he had before Good Friday.

Good Friday.

Now that's the day when Christians remember Jesus' death on the cross.

And Easter Sunday, Easter Sunday.

Easter Sunday is the day when Christians remember Jesus' resurrection.

Okay, let's see if you can spot these key words being used throughout our lesson today, and we have two parts to our lesson.

The first part is what is Holy Week and the second part of our lesson, we'll look at what happens at Holy Week for Orthodox Christians.

We're gonna start with number one, what is Holy Week? Let me introduce you to Alexia and Andrew.

They are Greek Orthodox Christians.

They have a Christian worldview.

Now, for any point you want to pause the video and talk this through with the person you are with, then please feel free to do that.

Now as Orthodox Christians, Andrew and Alexia believe in God, they go to a Greek Orthodox church, and they believe that God sent Jesus to the world.

Now, learning how they celebrate Holy Week can help us better understand Christian world views.

Now, who is it that they are looking at and thinking about and learning about during Holy Week? If you thought the answer was Jesus, you're correct.

Jesus is the person that they are thinking about during Holy Week.

Now, Jesus was a man who lived more than 2,000 years ago in the Middle East, and you can see on our map where in the world he was based.

The week before Easter is called Holy Week.

It's a week when many Christians hold special services to remember the last week of Jesus's life whilst he was on Earth before he was crucified, died, and then came back to life.

Alexia and Andrew are looking forward to the end of Holy Week when it's a very happy occasion and there is a big celebration.

Now as Orthodox Christians, they've been taking part in something called Lent, which means they haven't eaten anything made from dairy or from meat for 40 days before Easter.

Just spend a moment thinking about what that must be like to give up those things that you enjoy eating to make sure that you can concentrate on the buildup to this big celebration at Easter.

Now, let's check if we are understanding what we've learned about so far.

Now, is this true or is this false? Holy Week.

Is it true or false that Christians mark the beginning of Jesus' life through Holy Week? The beginning of Jesus' life through Holy Week? True or false? Let's have a look.

It's false.

Why is it false? Because Holy Week is a time when Christians remember the last week of Jesus's life, not the beginning of his life.

Well done if you caught that and got that correct.

Now, Holy Week contains stories and messages about Jesus that are very important to Alexia and Andrew and to their church.

Alexia says that she likes reading the Bible during this time and learning from Jesus' stories and thinking about his message for today.

What does Andrew say? He says that he likes thinking and reading about how Jesus travelled from town to town, teaching people about God with his followers and his disciples.

Now I want you to concentrate on learning these four main important events of Holy Week.

So Holy Week has Palm Sunday.

This was the day when Jesus entered into Jerusalem.

After Palm Sunday, we have the Last Supper.

This happened on the Thursday of Holy Week, and it's what we describe a meal that Jesus had with his disciples, the very last meal that Jesus had with them.

Then we have Good Friday.

This was the day when Jesus was killed.

And lastly, Easter Sunday, when Jesus was resurrected.

Just spend a moment having a look back through those and making sure that you can remember the order that they go in.

Well done.

So let's just check that that has been remembered.

Have a look at this list of Holy Week events.

We have Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, Good Friday.

And then what's missing? It's Easter Sunday.

Thumbs up to everybody who remembered that and got that correct.

Now, the Greek Orthodox church that Alexia and Andrew attend each week will have services taking place on each day of Holy Week.

Some of the events are happy and others are sad.

Maybe you could have a little think about which days of that Holy Week would be the sad days and which days would be the happy days.

Alexia says that each of the events during Holy Week teaches her more about Jesus and about how to be a Christian.

So whether they are the sad events or the happy events, all of them can be used for Alexia to become a better Orthodox Christian.

Okay, here's a little task for you.

I would like you to match these key words with their description.

So we have Holy Week, we have Palm Sunday, and we have Good Friday.

Now, which one of those describes the day when Christians remember Jesus' death on the cross? Which is the week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday? And which one is the Sunday at the beginning of Holy Week? Welcome back.

Now, all of you should have an idea about how these keywords match up with their descriptions.

Now, what did you choose for Holy Week? Holy week, the week from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.

Thumbs up to everybody who got that correct.

Okay, let's have a look at Palm Sunday.

What is Palm Sunday describing? It's the Sunday at the beginning of Holy Week.

Thumbs up to everybody who got that one correct.

So last of all, good Friday must be the day when Christians remember Jesus' death on the cross.

Well done to those of you who match those keywords correctly with the descriptions.

We are now gonna move on to the second part of our lesson today, celebrating Holy Week: a case study.

And in this part of the lesson, we're going to be looking at what happens at Holy Week for Orthodox Christians.

Let's have a look at this illustration.

This is called a palm cross, and it's made from palm leaves.

Now, why would Christians at an Orthodox Christian church give these out on Palm Sunday? Perhaps you could pause the recording and just have a talk to the person you are with about how you think these are used and what do they represent.

Welcome back.

This is a palm cross.

Alexia says that on Palm Sunday, she and her family go to church and receive these crosses made from palm leaves and they've also been blessed by the priest.

It helps her remember the story of Jesus arriving in Jerusalem.

So let's hear that story now of when Jesus arrived into Jerusalem, and perhaps as we listen to the story, we can think about why it's important that this is remembered as the beginning of Holy week for Christians.

So here we go.

A long time ago, Jesus and his friends, called disciples, were travelling to a big city named Jerusalem.

They were going there for a special celebration called Passover.

When they were almost there, Jesus stopped and gave his friends a special job.

He told two of them, "Go into the village ahead.

When you get there, you'll find a young donkey tied up.

It's one that no one has ever ridden before.

Untie it and bring it to me.

If anyone asks you why you are taking it, just say, 'Our teacher needs it, but we'll bring it back soon.

'" The two friends did exactly as Jesus asked.

And just like he said, they found the donkey tied up in the village.

As they were untying it, some people asked, "Hey, why are you taking that donkey?" The friends answered, "Our teacher needs it," and the people let them take it.

They brought the donkey to Jesus.

The disciples put their cloaks, like jackets, on the donkey's back to make a comfy seat.

Jesus got on the donkey and started to ride to Jerusalem.

As Jesus rode into the city, something amazing happened.

People were so excited to see him.

They spread their cloaks on the road like a soft carpet, and some people cut palm branches from the trees to wave in the air.

Everyone began to cheer and shout, "Hosanna, hurray for the king who comes in God's name, peace in heaven and glory in the highest." The crowd was so joyful and loud that some of the religious leaders got cross.

They said to Jesus, "Tell your followers to be quiet." But Jesus smiled and said, "Even if they stayed silent, the stones on the ground would start cheering." And so Jesus rode into Jerusalem with everyone celebrating him, waving branches and shouting hosanna.

It was a day full of happiness and excitement.

Jesus had arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish festival of Pesach with his disciples.

Some of the people of Jerusalem were happy to see Jesus arrive and waved palm branches to welcome him.

Other people were less happy to see him.

Some of the people of Jerusalem called out to Jesus shouting, "Hosanna." They were hoping that he had come to save them.

At this time, the city of Jerusalem was occupied by the Romans, and people did not like it.

Some of the people who lived in Jerusalem were excited because they believed Jesus was going to get the Romans to leave.

Okay, everyone, there we have the story of Palm Sunday when Jesus arrived into Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his friends, and he was welcomed by people waving palm branches and palm leaves.

And that is why on Palm Sunday at Alexia's church, palm crosses are given out to all of the members of the congregation to remember this special story.

Now let's do a quick check, another true or false.

On Palm Sunday, people welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem by waving palm branches and shouting hosanna? Now, we just listened to the story.

Is that part true or is it false? Is it true or is it false? It is true.

Well done to everybody who remembered that that part of the story was true.

Now, the people were glad to see Jesus and they called out hosanna to show that they were praising Jesus and they were asking him to be saved.

Now, remember in this part of the lesson, we are thinking about what Holy Week is like for people who are Orthodox Christians.

And here is a picture, a photograph, from inside an Orthodox church, and it's of some priests taking time to read through 12 special readings from the gospels during Holy week.

Now, the gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all books from the New Testament in the Bible.

And these 12 readings will give everybody in the congregation a reminder of the events of Holy Week.

So on Thursday evening at Alexia's church, there is a service where the Holy Week story is remembered.

Alexia says that the priest reads the stories out using the gospels.

Listening to these stories reminds her of what happened during Holy Week and how special Jesus is to her.

Now take a look at these two photographs.

They are of something very special.

They are of an Epitaphios.

Can you say Epitaphios? Well done.

Now I'm gonna tell you a little bit about why these are special.

Now, one of them is of the Epitaphios being carried outside the church in a Good Friday procession.

And the other photograph is taken of one inside the church at the front near the altar where everybody can see it.

Now, perhaps you can tell the person next to you what you notice about these special Epitaphios and what do you think they're being used for.

Now, an Epitaphios is a special cloth in the Christian Orthodox Church that has a picture of Jesus on it after he was taken down from the cross.

It is beautifully decorated with flowers and patterns.

So did you notice that these are in the church on Good Friday? And we remember from the beginning of the lesson that Good Friday was the day when Christians believe that Jesus died.

Now on Good Friday, the Epitaphios is used in a special church service to remember how and why Jesus died.

During the service, the priest and the church members gently carry the Epitaphios in a procession.

This often includes going outside the church where everyone walks together holding candles and singing hymns.

The procession is like a peaceful walk for the people of the church to show love and respect for Jesus and to remember what happened to him on Good Friday.

After the procession, people can walk under the Epitaphios as a sign of blessing and to remind them of God's love.

Now, can you remember when the 12 readings were being read on the Thursday of Holy Week, recapping all of the stories from Holy Week for the people at the church? Were those readings taken from Genesis, one of the books in the Bible? Was it read from the gospels in the New Testament of the Bible? Or were they taken from the Psalms in the Bible? Let's have a look at the answer.

Big thumbs up to everybody who remembered it is taken from the gospels, from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Well done.

Now we've reached Easter Sunday.

Easter Sunday marks the moment when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

This is when they believe he returned to life after being killed on Good Friday.

Now have a look at these pictures.

What can you see? What do you think is going to be happening in these pictures? We've got some people inside the Greek Orthodox church and we have a special candle in the lantern with some specially decorated eggs around it.

I wonder if Alexia could help us out with telling us about what is happening in these pictures.

Here she is.

So Alexia says that to celebrate Easter, they have a church service from 9:00 PM on Saturday night until 2:00 AM on Easter Sunday morning.

My goodness, that is a late night for Alexia.

She says that in the photo you can see her uncles at her church at the Saturday evening Service.

And the lantern that we saw with the candle, that's her Easter lantern.

And she takes this to the service because it's taking place at night.

And when they get to midnight, when it's the special day, 'cause it's going to be Easter Sunday, all of the lights in the church go out and everybody is in complete darkness.

But then there's one special candle that's lit, and then from that special candle, everybody else's candle is lit and gradually the church gets lighter and lighter.

And it represents how everybody feels about the fact that Easter Sunday is the day when Jesus returned.

Now, do you remember me telling you that during Lent, lots of the Greek Orthodox Christians will fast from meat and dairy? That means they don't eat anything with dairy or meat in it at all for the whole of that time, 40 days before Easter.

On Easter Sunday, they can eat all their favourite foods again.

So what do you think the family is going to do on Easter Sunday? That's right.

They have a great big feast together and they come together and they eat lots of lovely food that they haven't been able to eat for the last 40 days.

Now here's a picture of Alexia's dad and her family barbecuing so that they can celebrate Easter Sunday together.

Now, Alexia looks forward to Easter Sunday a lot when she will have a barbecue feast with her family and she will also get to eat some savoury pastries called flaounas, which contain cheese and raisins.

Now, Alexia also eats painted hard-boiled eggs.

The eggshell represents the tomb that Jesus was put into after he died.

And the act of cracking the eggs symbolises Jesus' resurrection breaking out of the tomb.

And here they are.

Alexia says that when they crack open the eggs, everybody says Xristos Anesti, which means to them Christ is risen.

So remember Easter Sunday is when Alexia and her family will be celebrating Jesus rising again.

Let's do a quick check for your understanding of this.

Is it true or is it false that on Easter Sunday Orthodox Christians might eat hard-boiled eggs to remember the crucifixion of Jesus? Let's have a look if you are correct.

It's false.

It's not to remember the crucifixion of Jesus.

The hard-boiled eggs symbolise the resurrection of Jesus.

Cracking the egg symbolises the breaking out of the tomb.

So not dying on the cross, but they're breaking out of the tomb on Easter Sunday.

Okay, can you remember what this was called? It was an Epitaphios.

And in Alexia's church and home during Holy Week, in the church, we would see the Epitaphios, the special cloth with Jesus on it.

We would see candles and lanterns representing light and hope.

We would see icons, so in this picture, can you see in the background, there are some pictures of faces of special people from the Bible, and these would be called icons.

In her home, we see the painted eggs that come out on Easter Sunday morning as part of the celebration, and decorations such as flowers, making everything look beautiful and smell nice.

And there would be a big feast of food, especially that food that contains dairy and meat, because of course they haven't been allowed to eat that for such a long time before this Easter celebration.

Now, what do you think these items represent to the Christians who belong to this church? They all have a special meaning.

What do you think those meanings are? Perhaps pause the video and just talk to the person who you are with about what you think the answer is to that question.

Okay, here's your final task for today's lesson.

On this palm leaf, I would like you to draw a picture of something that you would find in Alexia and Andrew's church or in their home during Holy Week, and I want you to be able to explain how or why it is used.

Now, you might want to write that explanation down, or you might want to speak it to your adult or to the person that you are with.

So perhaps pause the video whilst you go away and do that.

Welcome back, everybody.

I hope you enjoyed that task.

Now, here's mine.

Your palm leaf may look something like mine.

I have drawn a little picture of a flower, and the reason for choosing this image was that I drew the flower to represent the flowers decorating the Epitaphios.

It shows how much the people in the church care about Jesus.

Do you remember the Epitaphios had the picture of Jesus on it, and they put loads of flowers around it to show how special it was, and that's because they believe that Jesus is special.

Perhaps you could share in your class now some of the reasons that you gave for the pictures that you drew.

Good job, everybody.

So we've come to the end of our lesson on celebrating Holy Week: a case study, and we have four things that are important for us to remember about our learning today.

Firstly, we need to remember that Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday.

We need to remember that during Holy Week, many Christians remember Jesus's entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.

And if you remember the story of when the disciples went and collect the donkey, and then Jesus rode into Jerusalem with everybody putting their palm leaves and branches down on the floor and shouting hosanna.

We also need to remember that many Christians also remember the stories of the Last Supper, the crucifixion on Good Friday, and the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

And lastly, we found out how some Greek Orthodox children observed the events of Holy Week and what was special to them.

Do you remember, they have a very late night on Saturday, staying up to that special church service, and then on Sunday celebrating with their family and friends to have that lovely barbecue.

Now, I just wanna say thank you so much for learning all this new information with me today.

I hope you've enjoyed finding out about Alexia and Andrew's Holy week and what they do to mark it.

That's the end of our lesson for today, and I'm so pleased with all the thinking and great ideas that you've had.

I hope to see you again next time for our next lesson.

So it's goodbye for now.

Goodbye.