Lesson video

We're going to tackle the question of what are the festivals of Islam? So, what do Muslims like to celebrate? In our lesson today we're going to begin with the star words.

Then we are going to learn all about Ramadan, which we know a little bit about already, we'll begin to learn a little bit more about it.

And then we are going to learn about two festivals, we're going to learn about Eid-al-Fitr, and then Eid-al-Adha.

Eid, as you will come to learn, is the Arabic term for festival.

And then at the end we got our end of lesson quiz.

So, things that you are going to need, again, you're going to need your exercise book or a piece of paper where you can make some notes.

You're going to need a pencil or a pen, and then you're going to need your ginormous brains, so that you can record all this information and you can store all the information that I'm about to give you in this lesson.

So, if you want to pause the video to get those things you can do so now.

All right, let's get started.

Now, you can see I'm really smiling 'cause I'm really excited about this lesson.

I love celebrations and I can't wait to find out what Muslims like to celebrate.

So, we got the star words, we got celebration and a celebration, is anything that is planned or done in order to honour something.

So, anything that is the plan or done in order to honour something is called a celebration.

And the next word is a festival, so a festival is a ceremony or a celebration that repeats often once a year.

So, a ceremony or a celebration that repeats, that happens more than once and it happens once a year is called a festival.

Eid is the Arabic term for festival.

So, Eid means festival, the Arabic term for festival is Eid, good job.

Now, we also got Eid-al-Fitr, so we've got Ramadan, sorry, which is a Muslim month of fasting.

We've got Eid-al-Fitr, which is a very important festival in the Islamic calendar and was started by the prophet Muhammad himself.

It is known as the Feast of Breaking the Fast.

So, the Feast of Breaking the Fast is Eid-al-Fitr, and it's celebrated by Muslims worldwide to mark the end of Ramadan.

And then we go Eid-al-Adha, which is another important Muslim festival, which we can learn all about towards the end of the lesson.

So, Eid-al-Fitr and Eid-al-Adha are two important Muslim festivals.

Now, let's have a look and see if we can remember all of the information we learned in the previous lesson, all about the mosque.

So, we said that mosque was the Muslim place of worship, and it serves many different roles, it's a place of worship, it's a place where people can do their daily prayers, remember that Muslims are encouraged to pray up to five times a day.

And then the most important weekly service is held on a Friday and this day is called Jumah, good job.

And it's the most important day because Muslims believe that Friday was chosen by God himself as a dedicated day of worship.

Now, again, Muslims like to go to mosque, because they like to feel as they are part of a family, and they think that by praying together they can accomplish that, but they can also pray at home.

Inside the mosque is also a place of education where you can learn how to read the Qur'an, and you can learn how to speak and read Arabic, remember that Arabic is the language in which the Qur'an was originally written in, and Muslims are highly encouraged to learn how to read the Qur'an in Arabic.

And the mosque is also a place where festivals, weddings and funerals take place.

So, you've see that the mosque is a really important place for Muslims. Now, let's see if you can use all of that information, let's see if you can recall all the information from the previous lesson and from the previous slide to answer this questions.

So, in Islam_ is considered to be a day of prayer.

This day is also known as_.

So, which day is considered to be a day of prayer, and what is that day also known as? I'm going to give you a clue, what is the Arabic term for that day? So at this point pause the video and then have a go.

Guys, I know you got this right.

Let's have a look, ready.

So, in Islam, Friday is considered to be a day of prayer.

This day is also known as Jumah.

It is a dedicated day of prayer, because they believe that God chose it himself.

So, awesome recon.

Now, let's have a look at some festivals.

Festivals is a ceremony or a celebration that often repeats and it tends to repeat more than once a year.

So, I have some questions for you about what your experiences regarding festivals are.

So, which festivals do you celebrate? Why do you celebrate them? What special things do you eat during this festival if any? Do you wear any special clothes during this festival? Or do you receive or give anything at this festival? So, let me tell you a little bit about my experience of festivals.

So, the main festivals that I tend to celebrate are Easter and I tend to celebrate Christmas.

And during Easter I love to get together with my family, we like to cook special meals for each other, we get together and we spend a lovely time.

And of course during Christmas, I do like to give and receive gifts, and we do try to wear our best clothes for Christmas.

But that's my experience with festivals, what's your experience with festivals? I would really love to know, and if you can write the answers to these questions and then at the end I'll remind you how to share them, I would love to read and see what your experiences regarding festival says.

At this point if you want to have a go at writing answers to these questions then do so now.

Okay, let's have a look and see what Muslims celebrate then.

So, some religious festivals that are well-known for, so as I said, Easter and Christmas are associated with Christianity.

And Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus.

So, his coming back to life.

So, Christians believe that Jesus died on Good Friday and that he rose again on Easter Sunday.

Christmas of course marks the birth of Jesus.

In Hinduism, you have the festival of Holi, and it is called the Festival of Colours.

And this festival, Holi, celebrates the beginning of spring.

In Judaism, they have a festival called Hanukkah, and that is known as the Festival of Lights.

And then of course in Islam we have festival of Ramadan.

We have the month of Ramadan, which is an important part of the Muslim calendar.

So, let's remind ourselves what Ramadan Ramadan is.

Ramadan is the the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

The Islamic calendar has 12 months in total, just like the Gregorian calendar.

Ramadan tends to last between 29 to 30 days.

And during Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to fast during the hours of daylight, this is known as Sawm, it's known as fasting, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with, do you remember the four other pillars? Yes, I know you do.

I know that you remember that Shahada, is declaration of faith.

Salat is prayer, composed of prayer five times a day.

Sawm is fasting during the month of Ramadan.

Zakat is giving to charity, good job.

And Hajj is pilgrimage to Mecca.

So, during this time, during Ramadan, Muslims mark this time because they believe that it was during this time that the Qur'an was first revealed to Muhammad by the angel Gabriel.

Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, doing good deeds and spending time with family and friends.

And do you remember that one of the things that Muslims like to do, is they like to read the whole Qur'an at least once as a way of renewing their faith.

So, Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calender, it tends to last between 29 to 30 days, it is a month of fasting where Muslims can perform the fifth, one of the pillars of Islam which is Sawm, this month marks the revelation of the Qur'an to Muhammad, and it is a time for reflection and for spending time with your family and your friends.

So, got a true or false question.

So, during the month of Ramadan, Muslims won't eat or drink between dawn and sunset, this is called Sawm or fasting.

Is that true or is that false? Again, if you're not sure about the answer, you can go back to the video and see if you can clarify it.

So, have a go.

Okay, let's have a look and see, ready, so, true or false, during the month of Ramadan, Muslims won't eat or drink between dawn and sunset, this is called Sawm, is it true? It is true.

Awesome job guys, pat on the back.

Now, let's find out a little bit more information about Ramadan, so, during Ramadan, it is common to have a meal, which is known as the Suhoor, might turn and your turn, Suhoor, good job, just before dawn.

So just before dawn, which is the beginning of twilight before sunrise, Muslims during Ramadan like to have a meal called the Suhoor.

And that meal it's intended for getting them through the today before they can eat again.

Another meal that's consumed on the month of Ramadan is called the Iftar, and the Iftar is consumed directly after sunset.

So, Suhoor is before dawn, Iftar is after sunset.

And one of the ways that Muslims like to break their fast, is with dates and by drinking water or yoghurt.

It's believed the prophet Muhammad, that's how he broke his fast, with dates and water, that's why some Muslims like to break their fast that way.

Now, Iftar is very much a very social event, so the one that happens just after sunset, it's very much a social event, which involves family and community members, and it's very common for Muslims to host others for dinner.

So, we've got Suhoor, which is before dawn, we've got Iftar, which is after sunset.

So, let's complete these sentences here.

So, we got four options, we've got Suhoor, we've got dates, we've got yoghurt, and we've got Iftar.

So, let's see where they slot it, I'm going to read it to you, and I want you to start to think where these words are going to go.

So, during Ramadan, so Suhoor and Iftar, so, during Ramadan Muslims tend to have a meal before dawn known as_ and another one after sunset known as_.

Muslims often break their fast by eating_ and drinking water or_.

sounds simple, doesn't it? Again, go back in the video just to check to see if you're going on the right track.

So, it's fine pause the video, have a go.

Okay, let's have a look and see what the answers are, ready, there you go, so during Ramadan Muslims tend to have a meal before dawn known as Suhoor, good job.

And another one after sunset known as Iftar.

Suhoor happens before dawn, and then Iftar happens in the evening after sunset.

So, Muslims often break their fast by eating dates, and drinking water or yoghurt.

Now, let's have a look at how Muslims celebrate the end of Ramadan.

So, Eid-al-Fitr, is the festival which marks the first day after Ramadan has ended.

And so this festival tends to last at least three days, and is where family and friends all get together to eat good food, share presents, and give to charity.

Muslims celebrate the end of fasting and also they thank God for the strength that he gave them and the self-discipline that he gave them during Ramadan.

Fasting is quite a difficult thing to do, and so Muslims they like to thank God by celebrating Eid-al-Fitr.

And Eid-al-Fitr officially begins when the first sight of the moon is seen in the sky.

And to celebrate Muslims they like to wear the best clothes and they like to decorate their homes inside and outside as well.

And administer special services as well to commemorate the celebrations in the street and great I food is often made as a way of celebrating as well.

So again, Eid-al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, and it marks the first day at the end of the month of fasting.

And it officially begins when the first sight of the moon is seen in the sky.

So again, we got two more true or false questions.

So, first one is Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Fitr at the beginning of Ramadan, is that true or is that false? Number two is Eid-al-Fitr it officially ends when the first sight of the new moon is seen in the sky, is that true or is that false? Again, you can go back to the video and see what the answer might be.

So, pause the video and then have a go.

Okay, let's have a look, ready.

So, Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Fitr at the beginning of Ramadan, is that true, is that false? That is false.

Remember that Eid-al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, not the beginning, and it's celebrated on the first day at the end of the month of fasting.

Number two, Eid-al-Fitr officially ends when the first sight of the moon is seen in the sky, that is false.

It doesn't end at the first sight of the new moon, it begins at the sight of the new moon.

So, both of them are false.

Now, let's find out a little bit more about it.

So, Eid-al-Fitr actually means the Festival of Breaking of the Fast.

So, the Festival of Breaking the Fast is called Eid-al-Fitr.

And again, it tends to last around three days.

And so Muslims, they celebrate this festival by socialising with their friends and their family often exchanging gifts, whilst also eating really special and delicious meals, wearing the best clothes and decorating their home.

Again as I said before, Muslims they thank God for giving them the strength and the self-discipline needed to compete Ramadan by reading the Qur'an, doing good deeds, such as giving to charity, or attending special prayers at their local mosque.

So, I've got some questions for you.

Question number one is, what does Eid-al-Fitr mean? Question number two is, how long does this festival last? Question number three is, write one way in which Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Fitr.

And then question number four is, what do Muslims thank God for during Eid-al-Fitr.

So, my key tip here is before answering this questions, read the passage again, read the text again, you can underline, you can highlight, you can make notes, and then have a go at tackling the questions.

Make sure that you're answering in full sentences.

So, have a go and then when we come back, we will review the answers.

Okay, let's see how you got on.

So, question number one is, what does Eid-al-Fitr mean? So again, I answered in full sentences, so I said Eid-al-Fitr means the Festival of Breaking of the Fast.

Question number two was, how long does this festival last? So, Eid-al-Fitr tends to last for three days.

Write one way in which Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Fitr.

So, any of these would had been right.

So, Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Fitr by socialising with their friends, that could be one of them, and family, exchanging gifts, eating special meals, wearing the best clothes and decorating their homes.

So, any of those answers would have been right.

Question number four is, what do Muslims thank God for during Eid-al-Fitr? So, during Eid-al-Fitr, Muslims thank God for giving them the strength and the self-discipline needed to complete Ramadan.

So, those are the answers.

If you want to pause the video now to make sure that you've got this answers right, then you can do so.

Right, let's have a look at the next festival now.

So, we got Eid-al-Fitr, but we also have Eid-al-Adha.

And Eid-al-Adha tends to happen 70 days after Eid-al-Fitr, which is the Festival of Breaking of the Fast.

And Muslims celebrate Eid-al-Adha, which is known as the Festival of Sacrifice.

And this festival remembers when Abraham, who is considered to be a prophet in Islam, was going to sacrifice his son to show his devotion and obedience to God.

And so during Eid-al-Adha, Muslims look at Abraham's example, to consider their own obedience to God.

So, during this festival, during that story where God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son to show him how much he loves God, Muslims believe that the devil tempted Abraham, by saying he should disobey God and spare his son.

But because Abraham was willing, he loved God so much that he was willing to sacrifice his son, God actually commended him for his obedience.

So, that's what Muslims celebrate during this Festival of Sacrifice.

They go, oh wow, Abraham was so willing, he was so devoted, he had so much love for God, that he was willing to sacrifice his own son, how do we compare to him? And so Eid-Al-Adha is used by Muslims to compare themselves a little bit to the prophet Abraham and see how obedient are we to God compared to him? Now, during this time, Muslims may ask for forgiveness for the times when they haven't been fully devoted to God, and they pray for strength to be more devoted and more faithful to God in the future.

Now, let's look at this task.

So, we've got Eid-al-Adha means the Festival of_? Eid-al-Adha happens_? Days after_? And then the last one is the festival remembers the prophet_ for his obedience to God.

So, at the bottom you've got the options.

So I colour coded them because it's going to be one of them that slots in to each of these boxes, and assign the correct word.

Eid-al-Adha, does it mean the Festival of Sorrow, or does it mean the Festival of Sacrifice? Eid-al-Adha, does it happen 17 days or 70 days? Does it happen after Ramadan or does it happen after Eid-al-Fitr? Does it remember the prophet Abraham or does it remember the prophet Jesus for his obedience to God? So, have a go, pause the video, if you want to go back and see the previous section.

Okay, let's have a look and see what the answers are.

So, Eid-al-Fitr, Eid-al-Adha, sorry, means the Festival of Sacrifice.

And Eid-al-Adha happens 70 days, not 17, happens 70 days after Eid-al-Fitr.

And the festival remembers the prophet Abraham for his obedience to God.

It remembers that prophet Abraham, he was so devoted to God that he was willing to sacrifice his own son.

So, if you want to make sure that you've got this right, you can pause the video now.

So, let's have a look at a little bit more information about Eid-al-Adha.

Now, Eid-al-Adha also marks the end of the Hajj.

Remember the Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca.

Eid-al-Adha actually comes at the end of the Islamic calendar.

And in Muslim majority countries, Eid-al-Adha is a public holiday, and it's a day off for workers and for students, and in the UK, Muslims may take the day off work or school to celebrate.

Just like during Eid-al-Fitr, Muslims they celebrate Eid-al-Adha by going to the mosque for prayer, eating delicious meals, exchanging gifts and wearing their best clothes.

And during Eid-al-Adha, it's considered to be obligatory to give money to charity to be used to help the poor so they too can celebrate.

So, Eid-al-Adha, it comes at the end of the Islamic calender, and marks the end of Hajj.

In Muslim countries it's a public holiday, in the UK, Muslims can take the day off work or school to celebrate it.

And very similarly to Eid-al-Fitr, Muslims like to celebrate by going to the mosque for prayer, eating delicious meals, exchanging lots of gifts, and wearing their best clothes.

And lastly the important point here, it is considered to be obligatory to give money to charity, to be used to help the poor.

Last set of questions my friends.

So, let's have a look at the three questions.

Question number one is Eid-al-Adha marks the end of_? What does it mark the end of? Number two, what can Muslims in the UK do during Eid-al-Adha? And then question three is what is obligatory during Eid-al-Adha? So my key tips again, is read text, circle, underline, highlight, make some notes, and then answer the questions in full sentences.

Have a go.

Let's review our answers my friends, have a look, number one, Eid-al-Adha marks the end of Hajj, give a tick if you got it right.

Number two, what can Muslims in the UK do during Eid-al-Adha? So, during Eid-al-Adha, Muslims can take the day off work or school to celebrate.

What is obligatory during Eid-al-Adha? So, during Eid-al-Adha, it's obligatory to give money to charity, to be used to help the poor so they too can celebrate.

One, two and three.

If you want to pause the video at this point to make sure that you've got this answers right, you can do so now.