Light and Dark Religious Education Project 1: Hanukkah Key Stages 1 & 2
What is Hanukkah? Over 2300 years ago in a country called Judea (modern Israel), there lived many Hebrew, or Jewish people. There also lived a very wicked man called King Antiochus. Antiochus ordered all the Jewish people to give up their God, religion, and customs and worship only the Greek gods. By his orders, Jewish temples were destroyed or used for his purposes, and those Jews who would not worship how he commanded were severely punished. Some of the Jewish people chose to obey Antiochus, but others refused. One of these men who refused to worship the Greek Gods was Judah Maccabee. Judah had four brothers and together they formed an army with as many as would join with them. Their goal was to defeat the Syrians who oppressed them so that the Jewish people could be free to worship as they believed. They chose to call themselves Maccabees, which means hammer. The Maccabees and the Syrians fought for about three years until finally the Maccabees defeated the Syrians and reclaimed the Temple in Jerusalem. Their first priority was to clean and rededicate the Temple to the service of God. So they washed and scrubbed the temple clean and removed the Greek symbols and idols from within the walls. Now they were ready to rededicate it unto their God. Hanukkah (or Chanukah) means rededication. The only problem was that they could not find any blessed oil to light the lamps. They searched and searched. Finally, in one of the Temple chambers they discovered a very small amount of oil. The Maccabees knew that there was just enough oil that the lights could be lit for one evening. Then a miracle happened. That very small flask of oil lasted not just one night but eight nights. This is why the Menorah has eight candles. Each one represents a night that that small flask of oil kept the lights of the holy Temple lit.
What is a Menorah? A Menorah is a very special arrangement of nine candles. Eight of the candles are for each night of Hanukkah, and the highest candle, known as the Shamash or servant, is used to light the other candles. On the first night of Hanukkah, one light is lit, and this continues for eight days until all eight are shining brightly. This reminds the people of the miracle that happened so long ago. The candles are placed in the Menorah from right to left, but lit from left to right. Special blessings are recited each night before the lights are lit. Long ago olive oil was used in Hanukkah Menorahs, but over the years colourful candles have been substituted. Menorahs come in all shapes and sizes and resemble the Holy Temple s Menorah. In Israel, the Hanukkah Menorah is called the Hanukiah.
What is a dreidel? A dreidel is a four-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side. The dreidel game is played by giving each player a number of coins. Before spinning the dreidel, each player puts a fixed proportion of the amount of coins received into the Kupah or kitty. Each player in turn spins the dreidel. When the dreidel falls, it will fall on one of the four letters. According to the letter, the following will happen: Nun no win/no lose Gimel take all (from the kitty) Hey take half (from the kitty) Peh or Shin lose (what you deposited) Note: nun, gimel, hey, and shin are the Hebrew letters used on the dreidel outside Israel (they represent the phrase, A great miracle happened there ). In Israel, the letters represent the phrase, A miracle happened here. The game continues until players run out of funds or agree to stop (anyone losing all funds is out of the game). The dreidel game was popular when Antiochus ruled. Jewish people, struggling to keep their faith alive, would gather together to study the Torah, which was outlawed by Antiochus. They would keep the dreidel near by so, if soldiers appeared, they could hide their scriptures and pretend to play with the dreidel. In Israel the dreidel is called a sivivon.
Making a dreidel This paper dreidel is great to use as a Hanukkah decoration. The rules for playing are listed below. Supplies needed: A printer and paper Scissors Glue Crayons or markers A straw 1. Print this page and glue it to thin cardboard (like a cereal box). 2. Cut along the edges. Decorate the top. 3. Cut an x in the tiny circle on the top. 4. Fold along the inside lines and form a top shape. Glue the flaps into place. 5. Stick a straw or wooden dowel through the tiny circle at the top.
Materials needed: Make a handprint Menorah Clean hands Newspaper Dark-coloured finger paint Two heavy-duty paper plates or foil pie plates Large sheet of light-coloured construction paper Yellow finger paint 1. Cover your work area with newspaper. Pour a dark-coloured paint onto two paper plates and place side by side. 2. Lay out a large light-coloured sheet of construction paper on the newspaper. 3. Put one hand in each plate of paint. Carefully lift hands out of paint, link thumbs together so they overlap (they will make the centre candle), and place both hands down on construction paper with fingers spread out to make a Menorah print. 4. Wash your hands and then dip your thumb into yellow paint and dab a flame at the top of each candle.
Menorah
Colouring-in page 1
Colouring-in page 2
Colouring-in page 3
Light and Dark Religious Education Project 2: Diwali Key Stages 1 & 2
What is Diwali? Diwali (also called Deepavali) is a major Hindu, Jain, Sikh and Buddhist festival. Known as the festival of lights, it symbolises the victory of good over evil, and lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. Celebrations focus on lights and lamps, particularly traditional diyas. Fireworks are associated with the festival in some regions of the country. Row of Lights The name of the festival comes from the Sanskrit word dipavali, meaning row of lights. Diwali is known as the festival of lights because houses, shops, and public places are decorated with small earthenware oil lamps called diyas. These lamps are placed in rows in windows, doors and outside buildings to decorate them. The lamps are lit to help the goddess Lakshmi find her way into people s homes. They also celebrate the return of Rama and Sita to Rama s kingdom of Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. In towns (and in Britain), electric lights are often used in Diwali displays. In India, oil lamps are often floated across the river Ganges it is regarded as a good omen if the lamp manages to get all the way across.
Diwali is celebrated for five consecutive days in the Hindu month of Ashwayuja. It usually occurs in October/November, and is one of the most popular and eagerly awaited festivals of India. Hindus, Jains and Sikhs alike regard it as a celebration of life and use the occasion to strengthen family and social relationships. For Jains it is one of the most important festivals, and beginning of the Jain year. It is also a significant festival for the Sikh faith. The Five days of Diwali Diwali is celebrated over five days in most of North India. All the days except Diwali are named using the designation in the Indian calendar. 1. Dhan-trayodashi or Dhanteras: Dhan means wealth and Trayodashi means 13th day. Thus, as the name implies, this day falls on the 13th day of the first half of the lunar month. 2. Naraka Chaturdasi: Narak means of a new era of Light and Knowledge. Chaturdasi implies 14th day. 3. Diwali: the actual day of Diwali, is celebrated on the third day of the festival, when the moon completely wanes and total darkness sets in the night sky. 4. Varsha-pratipada or Padwa: beginning of the New Year (Kartikadi Vikram). Pratipada means the first. 5. Bhayiduj (also Bhayyaduj, Bhaubeej or Bhayitika): on this day, brothers and sisters meet to express their love and affection for each other.
Legends of Diwali Diwali is dedicated to various gods and goddesses. The festival also marks an important date in the Hindu calendar, as according to legends the kingdom of Ayodhya celebrated the coming of Lord Rama after a long exile of 14 years. The tradition of lighting diyas and candles dates back to history when the people of Avadha lit diyas throughout the kingdom to show the way to their beloved Prince Ram, his wife Sita and his brothers. It is celebrated as the victory of light over darkness and good over evil. Diwali also celebrates the power of the three goddesses, Lakshmi, Kali and Saraswati. Dhanteras is dedicated to Lakshmi, whose blessings are essential for a prosperous, fruitful and peaceful life. Kali-Chudash (the day before Diwali) is dedicated to Goddess Kali whose blessing gives us the strength to maintain the wealth we have. Strength, physical, mental and spiritual, is essential for all of us to lead a happy life. Diwali itself is dedicated to the goddess Saraswati. Knowledge is the ultimate wealth, for it cannot be stolen from you. It is also the ultimate strength, for it often defeats brute force. There are various legends associated with the festival of Diwali. Some of the famous legends are as follows: According to the legends, Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, was incarnated on the new moon day (Amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month during the churning of the ocean (samudra-manthan); hence the association of Diwali with Lakshmi. From that day, she has been worshipped as the symbol of wealth and prosperity. It is also said that on this very day, Lord Vishnu rescued Lakshmi from the prison of demon king Bali, and for that reason Lakshmi is worshipped on the day of Diwali. According to another legend, Lord Krishna Killed the demon king Narakasur on the day preceding Diwali and rescued women from his captivity. The celebration of this victory of good over evil and celebration of freedom went on for two days, including the Diwali day. The celebration of Diwali is also associated with the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana and his return back to Ayodhya, his hometown. The people of Ayodhya decorated the entire city with earthen lamps and illuminated it to welcome their loving prince, his wife and his brother.
Ramayana The original Ramayana story had 50,000 verses to it. Here is a much shorter version. It is a story of good over evil, which is a concept that sits at the heart of Diwali. During Diwali, lamps are lit to celebrate the return of Rama and Sita to Rama s kingdom of Ayodhya after 14 years of exile. Once upon a time, in the ancient city of Ayodhya, lived a king whose name was Dashratha. He was a great and happy king and he had four sons. Ram was the firstborn and was the king s favourite son. One day, the great holy man, Vishwamitra, came to the palace of King Dashratha. The king welcomed him. He promised Vishwamitra that he would grant him any wish he wanted. Vishwamitra asked for something dearer to the king s heart than his kingdom and all the riches in the world he asked for his son Ram. Vishwamitra told the king that he need Ram to help him fight two demons that King Ravan of Lanka was sending to annoy him. The king was horrified. The thought of sending his favourite son, who was only sixteen years old, to fight two demons, sent a shiver down his spine. The king offered to go himself or to send the whole royal army to fight the demons. But Vishwamitra insisted that King Dashratha kept his promise. Ram left the palace of Ayodhya to go with Vishwamitra to fight Ravan s demons. Prince Laxman, who was Ram s young brother, went too. When they reached Vishwamitra s home in the forest, he showed them a huge store of weapons. There were shields, spears, bows and arrows, and even tridents.
Vishwamitra showed Ram and Laxman how to use these deadly weapons. Ram and Laxman kept watch day and night, waiting for the demons, without sleeping. Then, one evening, the sky darkened quickly and two fierce demons appeared. Ram crushed the first demon with a wind arrow and threw it a distance of 800 miles. Laxman shot a flaming arrow at the second demon. The demons were no more. Vishwamitra was pleased so pleased that he invited the young princes to go with him to visit King Janak in the neighbouring kingdom of Mithila. King Janak of Mithila had a beautiful daughter called Sita. King Janak was determined that she should marry a good, brave and strong man, so he set a test that her future husband would have to pass. The king had a bow which was very heavy and almost impossible to lift. He said that he would give his daughter to the man who could bend this bow and fit a string to it. People came from far and wide, but no one could shoot the bow. Ram fell in love with Sita the first time he saw her. If only he would shoot the bow! Everyone watched in silence as Ram lifted the bow easily. As he bent the bow to fasten the string to it, the bow snapped in two! Everyone was amazed at how strong he was and then cheered as King Janak announced that Ram could marry Sita. King Dashratha was told and he came to the wedding, too. Everyone was happy as Ram and Sita set off to return to Ayodhya to live there happily ever after for a while, at least. For twelve years, Ram and his brothers helped their father to rule Ayodhya. One day, King Dashratha decided that he was too old and too tired to be king any longer. It was time that Ram took over. Everyone was pleased that Ram was to be their new ruler all except Manthara, the Queen Kaikeyi s handmaiden. She wanted Bharat, Ram s brother, to be the new ruler. Bharat was away, visiting far-off kingdoms.
Manthara was wise and cunning. She remembered that King Dashratha has once promised the queen two wishes, but the queen had never made them. Now she suggested two wishes to the queen: Make Bharat the ruler and send Ram away from Ayodhya for 14 years. Those two wishes made the king so sad. He didn t want to grant the wishes, but he had made a promise, and promises should be kept. So Ram was sent away from Ayodhya and his younger brother Bharat was to become ruler. Ram and Sita left Ayodhya, and Laxman decided to go with them. King Dashratha became sad and weary. He missed Ram and Sita, and he missed Laxman, too. Everyone was so sad when the king died. Hearing that his father had died, Bharat came rushing back to Ayodhya. No one had told him that he was to be king instead of Ram. When he returned, he was angry with everyone. He did not want to be king he wanted Ram to be king. Bharat set off to look for Ram, to bring him home and make him King. After searching for many weeks, he found him. Bharat begged Ram to return as king, but Ram refused. His father had sent him away for 14 years, and for 14 years he would do as his father had told him. Bharat and Ram agreed that Bharat should go back to Ayodhya and be king for 14 years. But Ram would be the true king. His sandals would be put on the royal throne to remind everyone. And just one other thing: Bharat must not live in the palace, but in a mud hut, like a hermit. Ram, Sita and Laxman lived happily together in the forest. They slept under the stars on beds of leaves and grass and lived on fruits and berries. But they became uneasy. There always seemed to be someone following them, someone watching them just like a shadow. The shadows of demons.
One day, they heard a scream and they came face to face with a hideous demon. She had wild bloodshot eyes and tangled hair. Her voice, when she spoke, was like a growl. She was called Surpanakha, and was the sister of Ravan, the powerful ruler of Lanka and the king of the demons. She had never seen such handsome young men like Ram and Laxman before and she fell in love with them, there and then. Surpanakha looked at Sita and became jealous. She rushed at Sita with bared fangs and outstretched claws. Laxman rushed to Sita s side and cut off the demon s nose and ears. Screaming in agony, the demon rushed off into the depths of the forest. Surpanakha went straight to her brother, Ravan, the mighty demon king. Ravan was angry that Laxman had hurt Surpanakha and promised his sister that he would not rest till Ram and Laxman had been punished. He swore that they would suffer and die a horrible death. Ravan thought for a long time about what he should do. I ll Capture Sita and bring her to Lanka, he thought. Ram would follow to rescue his wife. Ravan would wait, surprise Ram and kill him. Ravan was pleased with this plan and decided to kidnap Sita himself. He took his flying chariot, Pushpak, and travelled with amazing speed to the house of his friend, Maricha. Maricha agreed to go with Ravan and took the shape of a beautiful deer. Ravan disguised himself as a poor hermit. They would surprise Sita. One morning, Sita spotted a deer outside their hut. She had never seen such a beautiful animal before. She asked Ram to bring her the deer as a pet so that she would have company while they were away hunting. Ram told Laxman not to leave Sita s side for a moment. He followed the deer into the forest to capture it and bring it back for his wife.
Ram found the deer hard to catch and it led him deeper and deeper into the dark, dark forest. Finally, Ram strung his bow and shot an arrow that pierced the deer s heart. The deer was changed into the demon Maricha. Sita Laxman, called the demon sounding just like Ram. Ram knew that something was terribly wrong, and rushed back to Sita. Back at the hut, Sita and Laxman heard what they thought was Ram s voice. Sita begged Laxman to go and help Ram. Laxman didn t know what to do. He had promised his brother that he would not leave Sita but he wanted to rush to help Ram if he was in trouble. Go and help Ram, argued Sita. Laxman agreed. He drew a circle around the hut with his arrow and told Sita that she must not step across this line. As long as she stayed behind this line, no harm would come to her. As soon as Laxman went into the forest, an old hermit came to the hut begging for food. Sita gave him food but was careful to stay behind the line that Laxman had drawn. But the old man said that he couldn t reach the cup of water that she had put down for him. Step forward, my dear, he said. Sita stepped across the line. Instantly, she was caught in a vice-like grip as Ravan took hold of her. Sita was frightened. She tried to struggle, but Ravan was too strong. Ravan bundled Sita into his magnificent flying chariot and sped off to Lanka. Sita was his prisoner! Ram and Laxman realised that they had been tricked. They hurried back to the mud hut, only to find Sita had disappeared. They hunted high and low for Sita, calling out her name until their voices were weak. But there was only silence in the forest. Not a leaf moved and the birds and animals were silent. The princes needed help.
Help was on hand. The monkey people arrived, led by their king Sugreeva. Ram and Laxman told Sugreeva all about Sita. The monkey king offered to help them. The monkeys could climb to great heights and travel long distances, jumping from branch to branch of trees. Sugreeva promised to reward the first monkey who found Sita. So hundreds of these nimble little creatures scattered in different directions to look for Sita. Now there was one monkey called Hanuman. Ram had a feeling that it would be this monkey who would discover where Sita had been taken. Ram took the ring that he wore off his finger and gave it to Hanuman. He knew that Sita would trust the carrier of this ring as a true friend of Ram. A bird flying high saw Sita sitting crying in Lanka. The bird whispered the news to Hanuman. But Lanka was an island and many miles of water would need to be crossed to reach it. Hanuman said he would leap across the ocean. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, took a deep breath and grew to an enormous size. He launched himself into the air with a mighty roar. He flew high up into the air, across the ocean, till he landed lightly on the sandy beach of Lanka s shore. Hanuman sneaked into the city and, after searching everywhere, he found Sita. He told Sita that he was a friend of Ram and gave her Ram s ring. Sita took a jewelled ornament from her hair and told Hanuman to give it to Ram so that he would know that she was alive and well. Hanuman knew that he must return to Ram. But being a monkey, Hanuman had mischief in his blood. He uprooted trees and shook the house down. Ravan ordered that the monkey be captured and brought to him. Hanuman was taken to Ravan s palace. Knowing that his tail is a monkey s pride, Ravan ordered that Hanuman s tail be dipped in oil and set on fire. Hanuman took a deep breath and broke free. He charged around the city, setting fire to everything with his flaming tail. Hanuman took another deep breath and disappeared into the sky with a thunderous roar.
When Hanuman returned home, Ram was so pleased that he hugged him like a brother. He had found Sita. But there was one little problem. How would the monkey army cross the sea? They decided to build a bridge that would reach the shores of Lanka. Monkeys of all sizes scrambled to collect branches, stones and large boulders and dragged them to the shore and piled them one on top of the other in the sea. In five days, the bridge was finished. Ram, Laxman, and Sugreeva led the monkey army across the bridge to Lanka. Ravan s army was waiting for them an army composed of terrible demons. The monkeys hurled trees and stones at the demons and fought with their teeth and claws, and Ravan decided that it was time for him to join the fight. All his brave generals and warriors had been defeated. Ravan put on his dazzling armour made of solid gold and precious jewels, He mounted his chariot, drawn by four magnificent black horses and, with his ten heads and countless arms, he attacked. The monkey folk attacked the terrible demon, but their stones and boulders rolled off his body like water off a duck s back. Laxman rushed forward to help his monkey friends, but Ravan wounded him with a powerful thunderbolt. The monkeys told Ram that they knew of some herbs that could save Laxman s life. Hanuman raced to the rescue. He was swift as the wind and flew up into the air and disappeared in the direction of the Himalaya mountains. When Hanuman landed on the mountain, he found a million different kinds of herbs. He had no idea which were the right ones that would save Laxman s life and knew that the only thing he could do was to pick up the whole mountain and take it back to Laxman. Hanuman returned to Lanka with the mountain in the palm of his hand. The monkey folk made a medicine out of the herbs gave it to Laxman. It worked like magic and Laxman was made better.
Ram decided that it was time that he took on the terrible Ravan in battle. Ravan s 20 arms swung their weapons all at the same time and, every time Ram managed to cut off one of Ravan s heads, another one would grow in its place! The monster seemed indestructible. Finally, Ram hurled his weapon with all his might at Ravan. A deafening roar was heard as the mighty Ravan was destroyed. Ram sent Hanuman to Sita to tell her the good news. He needed Sita to show that she still loved him and only him. Sita turned to Laxman and told him to build a fire. She told Ram that to prove her love she would walk through the fire that Laxman built, and if she was not loving then the flames would burn her. Sita calmly walked into the flames. The crowd gasped with horror as the flames wrapped around Sita but a few moments later they gave a sigh of relief as Sita walked out of the flames, not a hair on her head was harmed. Finally the 14 long years were over and Ram, Sita and Laxman were ready to return to Ayodhya. Bharat was overjoyed when he heard the news. When Ram, Sita and Laxman entered the gates of Ayodhya, a cheer went up from the crowds. The brothers were so pleased to see each other again. Ram gave Sita a beautiful pearl necklace. Sita gave the pearls to Hanuman to say thank you for all he had done. Hanuman was thrilled to have such a gift. At last Ram s coronation was complete. The gods smiled down on the new king of Ayodhya. From then on prosperity and happiness reigned in the land.
Diwali: card template LIGHT & DARK PROJECT PLANS
Diwali: colouring-in page
Lakshmi