Hello, my name's Ms. Rivers.

I'm glad you've chosen this lesson, and I'm looking forward to working with you today.

Today's lesson is from the unit festivals.

How do they celebrate the natural world? And this lesson is called "The Story of Holi." By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to retell the story of Holi and recognise some deeper meanings.

You might already know some stories with deeper meanings.

Today's story is an important story for Hindu people.

Some of today's learning will be new, but I'm here to help, and we can learn together.

The key words we'll be using today are Hindu Dharma.

That's a way of life that cares for humans and all living things.

Holi, a Hindu spring festival.

Deity, the divine or God taking a particular form.

And Vishnu the divine or God in the form of the protector of the universe.

Some of these words might be new to you, so let's practise saying them together.

I'll say the word and then you say it back to me.

Hindu Dharma.

Holi.

Deity.

Vishnu.

We'll be using these key words all through the lesson.

So listen carefully and see how many times you can hear them.

In the first part of the lesson, we'll be thinking about spring celebrations.

What do Hindus celebrate in spring? Sam explains why we learn about different people in religious education.

She says, "People show what is important to them by the things they do and the ways they celebrate.

We can better understand people's worldviews by listening to them and asking questions about how they live." In today's lesson, we'll be learning all about the celebration of Holi, and this will help us to better understand Hindu worldviews.

The Hindu religion began in India.

I wonder if you know where India is on this map.

This is a map of the world.

Look, here's the UK and here's India.

The Hindu religion is often called Hindu Dharma and there are Hindus all over the world.

There are very many Hindus in India, but there are also Hindus in the UK as well.

Did you spot that key word, Hindu Dharma.

It means a way of life that cares for humans and all living beings, and Hindus practise Hindu Dharma.

Hindu Dharma is a way of life for Hindu people in India and all over the world.

Many Hindus celebrate the spring festival of Holi.

Holi includes dancing and fun and lots of paint.

You can see on this picture that people are dancing with paint all over their hands.

They're celebrating the Hindu festival of Holi.

So here's a quick check to see what we've learned so far.

This is true or false.

Hindu Dharma is only found in India.

Is that true or false? Have a think about your answer.

That's right, it's false.

Hindu Dharma started in India, but now there are Hindus all around the world, including in the UK.

Holi is a spring festival, and it's a time when Hindus celebrate new life and new growth, just as we see in the spring.

There are lots of signs of spring in this picture.

I wonder what signs of spring you can spot.

Have a think to see how many you notice.

Maybe you could talk to somebody near you.

Pause the video while you think about your ideas.

I wonder what ideas you thought of.

Did you notice the blossom, and the daffodils, and the little caterpillar on the leaf? Maybe there are some signs of spring that aren't there that you would like to add.

Maybe you'd like to see tulips or some other flowers that are your favourites.

Here's Priya.

She has a Hindu worldview, and she celebrates Holi.

She says, "Holi marks the end of the dark days of winter and the beginning of new life in spring.

It's a very happy and joyful festival full of bright spring colours." Priya is talking about some of the things that she does at Holi.

She says "At Holi, we drink milk flavoured with flowers and spices.

When I drink it, I feel as though spring has finally arrived." Look at the picture.

Can you see the milk that Priya drinks at Holi? It's really bright, isn't it? With flowers on the tray.

Can you see the paint on the tray? Do you remember right at the beginning of the lesson we saw people dancing with paint on their hands? So the paint is here on the tray as well, ready for the celebration of Holi.

So here's another quick check for understanding.

It's another true or false question.

Holi is a spring festival.

Is that true or false? That's right, it's true.

Holi is celebrated in the spring.

It's a Hindu festival that celebrates the beginning of new life in spring.

Here's Dhanu.

Dhanu has a Hindu worldview.

She practises Hindu Dharma.

Do you remember that key word? Hindu Dharma is the Hindu way of life.

She says, "Holi celebrates the natural world bursting to life in spring.

Flowers appear in many colours all at once, just like the paint we use at Holi.

It reminds me that people are different from each other, but we are beautiful when we come together as a community." So can you see that Dhanu is thinking about Holi and about what it means to her, and she thinks about all the different colours that she sees, and it reminds her that everyone is different.

Dhanu explains a bit more about why Holi is important to her.

She says, Holi is about new beginnings and making a fresh start.

That might mean saying sorry to someone you have hurt and putting things right.

So Dhanu is thinking all about those new beginnings in spring, and she's thinking about how she might need to make a fresh start if she needs to put things right with somebody.

So here's a quick check to see what we've learned so far.

Which of the following are celebrated at Holi? And there are two correct answers here.

So listen carefully.

Is it A, new life in spring, B, new beginnings and a fresh start, or C, new clothes and shoes? Pause the video while you think about your answer and remember to choose two.

That's right, the correct answers are A, new life in spring, and B, new beginnings and a fresh start.

Well done if you chose those answers.

So now it's time to do a task.

So look at your hand with its five fingers.

Can you use the fingers on your hand to think of five things that you have learned about the Hindu celebration of Holi? You might want to write your answers down or you might just want to say them, but remember to do five, one for each finger.

Pause the video while you do your work.

Did you think of five ideas? I wonder what you said.

Here are my ideas.

I wonder if they're the same as yours.

I said, one, Holi is a spring festival.

Two, Holi is a colourful festival.

Three, Holi celebrates new life.

Four, Hindus might drink milk flavoured with spices.

And five, Hindus try to make a fresh start.

I wonder if you had the same ideas as me or maybe you thought of some different ones.

In the second part of the lesson, we're going to be learning about the story that Hindus tell during the celebration of Holi.

What is the story of Holi? Here is a picture of Vishnu.

Vishnu is one of the most popular Hindu deities.

Did you spot that key word, deity? A deity is a God taking a particular form, and Vishnu is one of the forms of God that Hindus worship.

Can you see this picture? Vishnu is dark blue, a bit like the sky that goes on forever and ever.

And he often is pictured with four arms. He's the protector of the universe, and those four arms demonstrate that he's protecting the whole world.

Many Hindus pray to Vishnu because he's the protector of the world.

We're going to hear the Holi story in this lesson, and Priya is going to tell us a little bit more about it.

She says, "The story of Holi is about how Vishnu protected a brave prince called Prahlad from his evil Aunt Holika.

For me, the story is about good overcoming evil." So Priya is explaining that this story is about good and evil, but good wins in the end.

So let's listen to the story together.

"The Story of Holi." A long time ago, in India, there was a cruel and powerful king.

He was greedy and unkind.

He forced everyone in his kingdom to worship him as a God, but his son Prahlad was different.

Prahlad was gentle and kind and full of love.

Prahlad was devoted to God.

He was especially devoted to the form of God that his Lord Vishnu.

When his father found out, he was furious.

"How dare you disobey me?" the king roared.

"You must be punished." Can you see Prahlad on the picture here? You can see him praying.

Maybe he's praying to Lord Vishnu.

The evil king ordered his guards to throw Prahlad off a tall cliff.

Down, down, down he fell, but Vishnu made the wind soft like a pillow, and Prahlad landed safely.

If you look at the picture, you can see Prahlad falling from the cliff, and there is Vishnu with his arms ready to help Prahlad land safely.

So here's a quick check for understanding to see if you've been listening carefully to the story.

What is Vishnu? Is it A, a Hindu festival, B, a Hindu form of god, or C, a Hindu place of worship? Pause the video while you think about your answer.

That's right, Vishnu is a Hindu form of God.

Lord Vishnu is one of the Hindu deities.

Well done if you've got that answer right.

Now let's carry on with the story.

The king grew angrier.

He had Prahlad thrown into a pit of hissing slithering snakes, but Vishnu protected Prahlad.

Instead of biting him, the snakes curled gently around him.

The king's rage burned even hotter.

He sent Prahlad into a herd of wild elephants and ordered the guards to make them angry.

The elephants raised their trunks and charged, But at the last moment, Vishnu calmed them.

They stopped and gently nuzzled Prahlad instead.

The king's sister, Holika, had a wicked plan.

"I have magic powers that protect me from fire," she said.

"I will build a great bonfire and invite Prahlad to walk into it with me." The fire crackled and roared, its flames reaching high into the sky.

Holika stepped into the fire with her arm around Prahlad.

She smiled thinking she would be safe, but Vishnu saw everything.

He took away Holika's magic and gave his protection to Prahlad instead.

The flames swallowed Holika, but Prahlad lad stood in the fire unharmed At the festival of Holi, Hindus tell the story of Prahlad.

Dhanu explains how she understands the story.

She says, "The story of Holi shows Vishnu's power over the natural world.

He was able to protect Prahlad by controlling the wind, and the snakes, and the elephants." So Dhanu is thinking about Lord Vishnu as a protector when she hears the story.

Priya is thinking about the story of Holi as well, and she explains how she finds meaning in the story.

She says, "The story of Holi is about good overcoming evil.

It reminds me that light overcomes darkness, just as the dark winter days are replaced by bright, sunny days in spring." So Priya is thinking about how good overcomes evil, and the spring colours remind her of the meaning of the story.

So here's a quick check, and this is another true or false.

Festivals only remember happy occasions.

Is that true or false? Have a think about your answer.

That's right, it's false.

The festival of Holi is about good overcoming evil.

Prahlad was saved from the flames, and the evil Holika was destroyed.

So the story has good, but it also has evil.

So there are happy parts and sad parts.

So festivals like Holi can be a mixture.

There might be some happy parts, but there might be sad parts as well.

So now it's time for another task.

Here are some pictures from the story of Holi, but they're in the wrong order.

Can you put them in the right order and then use the pictures to help you to tell the story of Holi in your own words? You can write some captions for the pictures once you've put them in order.

So pause the video while you do your work and I'll look forward to seeing you soon.

So how did you get on with ordering the pictures and doing some writing? Maybe your story looks like this, with the first picture showing Prahlad praying.

I've written, "Prahlad was gentle and kind.

Prahlad worshipped Lord Vishnu, and this made his father angry." And the second picture shows Prahlad with the snakes, and I've written, "The angry King threw Prahlad into a snake pit, but Vishnu protected Prahlad." So the final picture shows Holika and Prahlad in the Flames.

And I've written Holika took Prahlad into the fire.

Vishnu protected him from the flames.

Prahlad was saved, but evil Holika was destroyed.

I wonder what words you used to tell the story of Holi Well done for working hard.

We've learned a lot in today's lesson.

We've learned that the Hindu religion originated in India, and we've learned that the Hindu religion is often called Hindu Dharma.

We've learned that Hindu Dharma is a way of life that cares for humans and all living things, and we've learned that Hindus remember and tell stories about many deities such as Vishnu, the protector of the world.

We've learned that Holi is a bright and colourful Hindu spring festival, and we've learned that Holi is named after Princess Holika who planned to kill her nephew but ended up dying in a fire.

So well done for working so hard today.

I've enjoyed working with you, and I look forward to seeing you again soon.