Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Shalambis and welcome to today's learning.

I'm going to teach you about Celebrating Seasons: Winter Solstice from the unit Festivals: How Do Ancient Stories Influence Modern Celebrations? Let's get started.

By the end of today you'll be able to explain how some people mark the Winter Solstice and make some connections with Christmas.

Here are our keywords for today.

Winter Solstice.

Winter Solstice.

The shortest day of the year, and the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, Druid.

Druid.

A wise person or priest who helps lead pagan ceremonies.

Pagan.

Pagan.

A person who believes in gods and goddess linked to nature.

Here is our lesson outline for Celebrating Seasons: Winter Solstice.

Let's begin with, has the UK always celebrated Christmas? Izzy and Alex are talking about religious education.

Izzy says, "Religious education often seems to be about people and the things they do.

I wonder why?" Alex says, "We can understand different worldviews by finding out about how people behave.

People show what is important to them by the things they do and the ways they celebrate." In this lesson, we'll be learning about the Winter Solstice in the UK.

Izzy and Alex are discussing how Christmas has changed over time.

Alex says, "I wonder if the people in the UK have always celebrated Christmas." Izzy says, "I think they would have because the nativity story is over 2,000 years old." Is Izzy correct? What do you think? Let's find out together.

Take a close look at this picture.

What about clues it's given us? Long before Christian celebrated Christmas, people in the UK marked the Winter Solstice.

There is evidence it has been marked since the Stone Age.

Alex says, "I wonder why this festival is called the Winter Solstice? I wonder why this date is important?" Hmm.

What do you think? Solstice comes from the Latin word solstitium.

Solstice can be broken down into sol, meaning sun, and sistere, to stand still.

Solstice means sun stands still.

So during the Winter Solstice the sun looks like it stops moving across the sky for a short while.

Have you noticed how the light changes as we move into winter? What happens to the length of the days? As the year moves towards December, the days get shorter and the nights get longer.

Did you notice that as well? The Winter Solstice happens around the 21st of December every year.

It's the shortest day and the longest night of the year.

People in ancient times saw it as a time of darkness, but also the beginning of longer days ahead.

Why do you think they looked forward to the longer days ahead? Let's take a look at this multiple choice question together.

What does the word solstice mean? A, the sun disappears forever.

B, the sun stands still.

C, the sun goes to sleep.

Or D, the sun shines all night.

That's right, it's the sun stands still.

Well done if you got that question correct.

Let's carry on.

For many ancient cultures, the Winter Solstice was a time to celebrate the return of light.

People believed that after the solstice the sun would return and bring warmth and light again.

Ancient people, including those in the UK, celebrated the solstice with feasts, music, and lighting fires.

These festivals celebrated the sun returning and the end of the long nights.

Let's take a moment here to check our understanding.

Why did ancient people celebrate the Winter Solstice? A, it was the coldest day of the year.

B, they believed the sun was going away forever.

C, they believed the sun was returning and days would get longer.

Or D, it was the start of summer.

That's right, it's C.

They believed the sun was returning and days would get longer.

Let's carry on.

Izzy says, "I wonder if the Winter Solstice and Christmas are near each other for a reason?" People celebrated the Winter Solstice with fire, food, and decorations to welcome back the sun.

Later Christmas was placed near the solstice to share the message of light and hope.

This helped people connect the similarities of the birth of Jesus with the return of light and hope.

People celebrated the Winter Solstice with fire, food, and decorations to welcome back the sun.

Early Christians described the birth of Jesus as bringing light to the world, so the church placed a festival of Christmas close to the Winter Solstice to connect the light of Jesus with the returning light of the sun.

Let's check our understanding with this true or false.

The Winter Solstice and Christmas both share the message of the birth of Jesus.

True or false? That's right.

It's false.

Why? The Winter Solstice and Christmas both share the message of light and hope.

Let's carry on.

Task A.

Izzy says, "So which came first, the Winter Solstice or Christmas? I am still confused." Can you help explain to Izzy more about the Winter Solstice to help her? In your explanation include when the Winter Solstice takes place, how ancient people celebrated the Winter Solstice, and the links between the Winter Solstice and Christmas.

Press pause and take your time.

When you're ready, press play for some feedback.

Task A feedback time.

Here is what you might have explained to Izzy.

Today I learned that the Winter Solstice came before Christmas.

It's the shortest day and longest night of the year.

People used to celebrate it with fires, food, and decoration to welcome back the sun.

They believed the light was returning and the brighter days were coming.

Later, Christmas was placed near the Winter Solstice.

Both celebrations are about light, hope, and new beginnings.

Well done for this part.

Let's continue.

How are ancient stories used by pagans today? Izzy says, "Learning about the Winter Solstice was fascinating, but how is an ancient festival still important today?" Alex says, "Some people in the UK still mark the Winter Solstice every year.

We could find out who does and why." Izzy says, "That's a good social science question, Alex.

We need to find someone who celebrates the Winter Solstice to interview.

I didn't realise that people today still follow ancient nature-based beliefs." Alex says, "Yes, they're called pagans.

My friend Bel is going to help us learn more about what she believes." This is Bel.

She says, "As a pagan, I celebrate the sun, moon, and the seasons just like people did long ago.

I believe nature is powerful and full of meaning." This is Stonehenge.

What can you see in this picture? Do you think this is sunrise or sunset? How does the photo make you feel? Take a moment here to think about these three questions before we carry on.

This is Stonehenge.

It is an ancient circle in Wiltshire in the southwest of England.

It was built over 1,500 years from 3,000 BCE.

Before Christ, that means before Jesus was born.

On the morning of Winter Solstice people gather there to watch the sunrise.

The stones are carefully placed so the sun shines through at the moment of solstice.

Many people, including pagans and druids, visit to celebrate the return of the light.

Bel says, "A druid is a wise person or a priest who helps lead pagan ceremonies.

They often guide us during special times like the Winter Solstice." Here are some druids at Stonehenge.

And what do you notice about the druids? Bel says, "When I go to Stonehenge on the Winter Solstice, I feel really calm.

Everyone is as quiet as we wait for the sun.

When it rises, I feel full of hope.

It reminds me that even in the darkest times, the light always comes back." Let's check our understanding with this multiple choice question.

Why do people gather at Stonehenge on the Winter Solstice? A to see fireworks.

B, to watch the sunrise and celebrate the return of light.

C, to move the stones in a different direction.

Or D, to sing Christmas songs.

That's right.

It's B, to watch the sunrise and celebrate the return of light.

Well done.

Let's carry on.

Bel continues, "During Winter Solstice I also like hearing the story of the Holly King and Oak King.

Have you ever seen holly leaves? In winter they are soft and not yet sharp.

Oak leaves are crispy and have fallen from the trees.

The story tells of the battle between the Holly King and the Oak King.

Pagans like me believe the Holly King rules the dark half of the year, but at the solstice the Oak King fights him.

He wins and brings back the light for half the year.

It reminds us that brighter days are coming." Let's check our understanding with true or false.

At the Winter Solstice, the Oak King wins and brings back the light.

True or false? That's right, it is true.

Why? That's right, because the Oak King wins and brings back the light.

It reminds us that brighter days are coming.

Well done.

Let's carry on.

Bel says, "Even though I'm a pagan, I still enjoy having a Christmas tree, twinkly lights, and greenery in my house.

These things come from old winter traditions.

At the Winter Solstice and Christmas I love lighting candles.

They remind me that light always returns." What can you see in this photograph? What might it show? This is part of a ritual that Bel and other druids perform.

First, there is time to experience the peace and stillness of the Winter Solstice darkness.

Next a candle is lit, then everyone lights a candle from the central one.

Can you see the big one in the middle? That's the central one.

Can you connect this image to light at Christmas? Izzy is thinking about what she has learned.

"I've learned that the Winter Solstice marks a return of light and pagans mark this by listening to different stories like the Holly King and Oak King.

They may visit Stonehenge or perform a ritual with candles to mark the return of the light." How do you think celebrating the return of light during the Winter Solstice and Christmas helps people feel hopeful? Task B.

Write three sentences to explain how some pagans celebrate Winter Solstice.

Use these sentence starters to help.

Pagan believe the Winter Solstice is the start of.

Some pagan celebrate by.

A story they tell during this time is the.

Pause the video here so you can carry out this activity.

When you're ready, press play for some feedback.

Task B feedback.

Here is what you could have written.

Pagans believe the Winter Solstice is the start of the return of light after the longest night of the year.

Some pagans celebrate by lighting candles.

decorating with holly and ivy, and gathering around a fire.

A story they tell during this time is the battle between the Holly King and Oak King where the Oak King wins and brings back the light.

Well done for today's learning.

Let's take a look at the summary for Celebrating Seasons: Winter Solstice.

The Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year.

It occurs in December.

The festival is ancient.

The festival Christmas was placed at the same point to link the themes of lights.

Many pagans will celebrate the coming of light at the solstice with festive celebrations.

Some pagans will gather at ancient places such as Stonehenge to mark the solstice.

They retell stories of the Holly King and Oak King.

I hope you've had fun learning with me today, and I hope to see you soon.

Bye for now.