Lesson video

Hi, my name's Miss Minton, and welcome to this Christianity Practises lesson on celebrating Christmas and Easter.

Now, by the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain how Christians celebrate the festivals of Christmas and Easter and why they're significant.

Now, lots of our learning today might be new to you, but please don't worry because I'm here to guide you through each step of our lesson, and I'm confident that by the end you'll achieve this outcome.

So let's get started and take a look at our keywords for today.

We have Christmas, Easter, festival and resurrection.

Now, Christmas is a Christian festival that celebrates the birth of Jesus, and Easter is also a Christian festival, but this celebrates the resurrection of Jesus.

A festival is a day or period of celebration and it's typically for religious reasons.

And finally, the word resurrection refers to the belief that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, conquering death.

Now, our lesson today will have two parts.

We'll start by looking at the celebration and significance of Christmas, and we'll then move on to look at the celebration and significance of Easter.

So let's get started and have a look at the celebration and significance of Christmas.

Now, Christmas is a Christian festival, and the word festival originates from the Latin word festum, which means holiday or feast.

Now a festival is a day or period of celebration that's usually done for religious reasons.

And festivals are usually very happy and joyous occasions that usually occur annually.

So they usually happen once every year.

Now within Christianity, many churches follow what's known as the liturgical cycle.

Now the liturgical cycle is the church's way of organising the year to remember and celebrate important events and festivals.

And you can see these outlined on the image here.

Now the cycle is sectioned into what's known as seasons, and these are represented by different colours.

Some of the liturgical seasons remain at the same time each year, but other liturgical seasons such as Lent and Easter change, and that's because Easter is based on the lunar calendar, so it's based on the phases of the moon.

So before we go any further, let's check your understanding.

True or false? Many Christian churches follow the liturgical cycle as a way of organising the year to remember and celebrate important events and festivals? Fantastic, that statement is true.

But how do we know that that statement's true? Well, it's because the cycle is sectioned into seasons and these are represented by different colours.

These seasons can help Christians know important events that are taking place and when these events are celebrated.

So well done for identifying that the statement is true and for identifying the reason why.

Now, Advent and Christmas are important festivals within Christianity.

Advent is a four week season that begins four Sundays before Christmas Day.

And for most Christians, Advent is a time of preparation and getting ready for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day.

The word advent originates from two Latin words, ad meaning to, and venire meaning come.

And this reflects that Advent is a time of waiting for the arrival of Jesus.

Now, during Advent, Christians will focus on hope, peace, love, and joy.

And they might light candles, make Advent wreaths, go to church, or read Bible verses that remember and celebrate the coming of Jesus to earth.

It's time to check your understanding again.

Which of the following refers to the four week period of preparation for the birth of Jesus? Is it A, Advent, B, Epiphany, C, Lent, or D, Pentecost? Fantastic.

The correct answer is A.

So Advent is the four week period before Christmas that prepares and celebrates the coming of Jesus.

Well done.

Now Advent is followed by Christmas day, which is the day that the birth of Jesus is remembered and celebrated.

Now for most Christians, Christmas day is celebrated on the 25th of December, but there are some Christians such as Eastern Orthodox Christians that actually celebrate Christmas Day on the 7th of January.

But regardless, this date remains the same for these Christians each year.

Now, for most Christians, Christmas day is a time to celebrate God sending His only son Jesus Christ into the world to save humanity.

But it's also a time to remember and celebrate the incarnation of God for many Christians.

And the incarnation is when God entered the world in human form as the person of Jesus, and this happened when Jesus was born.

Now Christmas is a very important time for many Christians.

So there's things that Christians will do to celebrate this special occasion.

For example, lots of Christians will reenact or go to watch reenactments of the story of Jesus' birth, which is known as the Nativity.

They might also attend church services like midnight mass or the Christingle service.

Many Christians will also sing carols, and these carols will reflect on beliefs about the birth of Jesus.

And many Christians will actually exchange gifts, and the exchanging of gifts is to reflect the Magi's gifts to Jesus when He was born.

We're now going to hear from Niamh who is a Roman Catholic Christian, and she's going to explain how she celebrates Christmas by attending midnight mass.

Niamh says, "I attend midnight mass each Christmas to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

At the start of midnight mass, there's an opening prayer that sets the tone for the mass and it focuses on the light of Christ entering the world through His birth.

I don't usually attend other church services throughout the year, but celebrating the birth of Jesus is an important time for me, and I'm able to feel part of my church community through these celebrations." So what we've learned from Niamh is that Christmas is a time for Christians to come together, and this can even include Christians that might not celebrate other events or go to church throughout the year.

Now, as well as preparing for Christmas through the period of Advent and celebrating Christmas on Christmas Day, for many Christians, these celebrations actually last for 12 days and they end with the Feast of the Epiphany.

Now, the Feast of the Epiphany marks the time when the Magi visited the baby Jesus with gifts.

And we can read about this in the gospel of Matthew 2:1-12.

The word Epiphany means showing or revealing, and the Feast of the Epiphany celebrates how Jesus was revealed to the world on this occasion, showing that Jesus is for all people, not just Christians.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false? All Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on the 25th of December by attending midnight mass? Fantastic, that statement is false.

But how do we know that that statement is false? Well, it's because there are many ways that Christians can celebrate the birth of Jesus, and that might or might not include attending midnight mass.

But also not all Christians celebrate Jesus' birth on the 25th of December, and some Christians like Eastern Orthodox Christians actually celebrate on the 7th of January.

So well done for identifying that that statement is false and for identifying why.

So it's now time for you to have a go at a task.

Like you, Alex and Aisha have been learning about the celebration and significance of Christmas, and they're considering the statement that Christmas is the most important festival for Christians.

They each offer a point of view that supports the statement.

I would like you to complete their paragraphs by filling in the gaps.

Alex has said, "Some Christians may argue that Christmas is the most important festival because Christmas Day is when.

This shows that Christmas is the most important festival because.

." Aisha has said, "Furthermore, some Christians may also argue that Christmas is the most important festival because the period of Christmas includes.

According to the gospel of.

, this happened when.

This shows that Christmas is the most important festival because.

." So pause the video and have a go at completing their paragraphs by filling in the gaps.

Well done for working on that task.

So you were asked to help Alex and Aisha finish their paragraphs by filling in the missing gaps.

They had been responding to the statement that Christmas is the most important festival for Christians.

Your completed paragraph for Alex might look something like this.

Some Christians may argue that Christmas is the most important festival because Christmas Day is when the birth and incarnation of Jesus are celebrated.

This shows that Christmas is the most important festival because if it were not for those events that are celebrated at Christmas, God would not have entered the world as human and Jesus would not have been able to act as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity.

Your completed paragraph for Aisha might look like this.

Furthermore, some Christians may also argue that Christmas is the most important festival because the period of Christmas includes the Feast of Epiphany, which marks Jesus being revealed to the world.

According to the gospel of Matthew, this happened when the Magi visited the baby Jesus with gifts.

This shows that Christmas is the most important festival because it's a time to remember that Jesus is for all people.

So well done again for your work, helping Alex and Aisha finish their paragraphs.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at the celebration and significance of Easter.

Now, Easter is also an important Christian festival, and Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus.

So when Jesus came back to life after His death.

Like Christmas, Easter also has a time of preparation that comes beforehand.

And this time of preparation is known as Lent.

Lent is a 40-day season which starts on Ash Wednesday, and it's where Christians prepare for Easter by praying, giving something up, and doing good things.

Now at the end of this 40-day period is Holy Week, and Holy Week is the final week of Lent.

Holy Week is a time when many Christians remember the events that led up to Jesus' death.

And Holy Week includes Good Friday, and Good Friday is the day where Christians remember the crucifixion of Jesus.

So where Jesus died on the cross.

It's now time to check your understanding.

Which of the following refers to the final week of Lent leading up to Easter? A, sacred week, B, Holy Week, C, blessed week, Or D, hallowed week? Fantastic.

The correct answer is B, Holy Week is the final week of Lent that leads up to Easter.

Well done.

Now Easter begins on Easter Sunday, and Easter Sunday is the day that many Christians celebrate Jesus rising from the dead three days after His crucifixion.

And Jesus rising from the dead is known as resurrection.

Now, Easter Sunday is particularly significant for most Christians, and this is because these events show that Jesus conquered death and that His sacrifice offers the possibility of eternal life in heaven.

The season of Easter lasts for 50 days and it ends on Pentecost.

Now, Pentecost is the day that the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, empowering them to spread the message of Jesus and allowing them to speak in what's known as tongues, which means they were able to speak languages that were unknown to them.

Now, the importance of Easter and remembering the resurrection of Jesus is highlighted in the Bible by St.

Paul where he writes a letter to the Corinthians found in 1 Corinthians 15.

and part of the letter says this, "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." Now, this passage defends the truth of the resurrection, so the truth that Jesus rose from the dead three days after his crucifixion.

And it explains why this is an essential Christian belief.

Now St.

Paul, using the phrase firstfruits refers to Jesus as being the first person to resurrect.

And this actually means that St.

Paul believed that resurrection is therefore possible for other people, and he was trying to explain this in his letter.

Now, because Easter is such an important time for Christians and the belief in the resurrection is a central belief within Christianity, there are a number of different ways that Christians can celebrate Easter.

This might include attending church services that contain readings from the Bible that are specifically about Jesus' resurrection, and saying the phrase "He is risen" or "Christ is risen." And this will often be heard in church services.

All Christians will say this to others to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Now there are also celebrations that might be specific to Christian denominations.

So for example, many Orthodox Christians take part in a service called midnight liturgy, and this is a service that begins in darkness and ends in light.

And this is to celebrate Jesus rising from the dead and coming back to life.

Also, within Catholic Christianity and Anglican Christianity, it's common to light a candle that symbolises resurrection, and this candle is known as the Paschal candle.

Now, Fiona is an Anglican Christian and she's going to explain to you how she celebrates Easter and the days leading up to Easter.

Fiona says, "During Holy Week, I spend time reflecting on the final days of Jesus' life.

For example, on Palm Sunday, I attend a service where palm crosses are given out and we hear the story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem.

And on Maundy Thursday, I usually attend a church service and receive Holy Communion.

On Easter Sunday, I will always go to the morning service at my church.

The service is joyful with music and flowers, and I celebrate Jesus' resurrection." So what we can see from Fiona's explanation is that Lent and Easter are very important for Christians, and there's a number of different ways that Christians might celebrate these periods.

So now we've looked at a number of ways that Christians might celebrate Easter.

Let's imagine that I've been asked to give just one way that Christians celebrate Easter.

My response is that they might celebrate by lighting the Paschal candle.

I'm now going to ask you the same question.

So I would also like you to give one way that Christians might celebrate Easter.

So pause the video and have a go.

So you may have said that Christians might celebrate Easter by attending church services, reflecting on readings from the Bible about the resurrection of Jesus, and by saying the phrase "He is risen" or "Christ is risen." So well done if you've got one of these answers or something similar.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

Now, like you, Laura has been learning about Christmas and Easter, and she's completing a paragraph responding to the statement that Christmas is the most important festival for Christians.

Now, Laura's paragraph is supporting an alternative point of view, which goes against the statement.

Laura has said, "On the other hand, Christmas may not be considered the most important festival for Christians because Easter could be viewed as more important.

This is because.

." now I'd like you to finish Laura's paragraph by developing the point that she's made and supporting it with a source of authority.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to finish Laura's paragraph by developing the point that she'd made and supporting it with a source of authority.

So Laura's point said, "On the other hand, Christmas may not be considered the most important festival for Christians because Easter could be viewed as more important." You may have developed this by saying that this is because Easter is the festival where many Christians remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

The importance of remembering and having faith in Jesus' resurrection is highlighted by St.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 15, which says that, "Jesus is the firstfruits." And because Jesus resurrected, others will too.

This shows that Easter may be more important than Christmas because the events remembered during Easter also link to the afterlife.

So again, well done for working on that task.

We've now reached the end of our lesson, but before we finish, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that a festival is a day or period of celebration, typically for religious reasons.

We've seen that Christmas and Easter are examples of two important Christian festivals.

And when looking at Christmas, we've seen that Christmas is when many Christians celebrate Jesus' birth, and many Christians prepare for Christmas through the period of Advent.

We've also seen that Christmas celebrations might include attending special church services, watching Nativity plays, carol singing, and exchanging gifts.

When looking at Easter, we've seen that Easter is when many Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, and this is when Jesus rose again three days after His death.

Easter also has a time of preparation, which is known as Lent.

And finally we looked at how many Christians celebrate Easter with special church services and reflect on the story of Jesus' resurrection through reading stories from the Bible.

A huge well done for all of your work today.

It's been wonderful learning with you.