Teaching your children about your own cultural festivals as well as those from other religions is a fun and educational way to find out about other people’s culture, food, music and traditions. It also gives you the chance to help your child try out a range of activities.

Religious festivals and celebrations help children to learn more about their own religions as well as the practices of other faiths. They are also an exciting way for children to gain awareness of different cultures, religions and traditions. It is important that children are involved in such events from a young age. By taking part in celebrations, young children can find out about the stories and beliefs behind the festivals and how people celebrate with special food, stories and music.

How you can help

You can help your child to learn more by talking to them about festivals – such as Easter – that your family or the community may have celebrated recently. Discuss who was involved, how it was celebrated and why. You may have photographs to help remind you of the festival. Try to find out more about other festivals by talking to friends who celebrate them. The children’s section in your local library is a good starting point for books about other religions and festivals, or carry out a search on the Internet. You could also watch special television programmes or go to street celebrations together.

Fun activities

Festivals also give you opportunities to help your child dress up, draw, paint and cook. For example:

• Your child’s pre-school or other early years setting may have dressing-up outfits from different cultures. Alternatively, at home, you could try and make your own.
• Ask your child if they want to make greetings cards for a friend from a different religion. Help them to find out more about any symbols, colours and pictures that are traditionally related to the festival.
• Religious festivals are often celebrated by eating special food. Try to find out more about the type of food that people eat to celebrate different festivals. If you find some recipes, you and your child could try preparing and cooking a whole festival meal, or some special sweets, cakes or biscuits.

Reading stories with young children can also help them to understand more.

Music

Music also plays an important part in many religious celebrations. If you and your child are planning to make some festival food or greeting cards, you could look out for some suitable music to play while you work! Look in the World Music section of your local library for music from different cultures that is played or sung on special occasions. Listen to the music with your child and talk about whether the music is happy or sad, what language is used and if they know any of the musical instruments.

When you’re out and about in your community or away on holiday, you could look out for street decorations
such as nativity scenes outsides churches at Christmas or lights during Diwali celebrations. Shops and restaurants may also sell special festival food such as Easter eggs or special sweets,

Examples of festivals 

Diwali
Diwali is the most popular festival from south Asia. The festival of lights celebrates the victory of good over evil, light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. It commemorates the victory of Lord Rama over the demon Ravana and the end of over 14 years of exile for Lord Rama.

Diwali goes on for over five days with fireworks being set off in celebration of the festival. Prayers are said to the goddess Laxmi for prosperity at the beginning of the new financial year. In the UK, as in India, the festival is a time for thoroughly spring cleaning the home and wearing new clothes, decorating your home and buildings with lights and the giving of sweets. Diwali is a festival that Sikhs, Hindus and Jains all celebrate, but Sikhs give it a special meaning by celebrating the release of Guru Hargobind from imprisonment at Gwalior.

Passover
Passover is one of the most important religious festivals in the Jewish calendar and lasts eight days. Jews celebrate the Feast of Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) to commemorate the liberation of the Children of Israel who were led out of Egypt by Moses. The story of Passover is told in the Book of Exodus.

Before the festival, Jewish people spring clean their homes to make sure no trace of leaven (yeast) is left. At the start of the festival, the family have a Seder meal in the family home, when the story of the deliverance from Egypt is told. Everyone eats matzah (unleavened bread) and other unleavened foods, coconut pyramids and matzah balls.

Calendar of religious celebrations 2006/2007:

2006

June
2–3  Shavuot (Jewish)
11    Dragon Boat Festival (Chinese)
16    Martyrdom of Guru Arjan (Sikh)

July
9      Anniversary of the Martyrdom of the Bab (Bahá’í)

August
8–9           Raksha Bandhan (Hindu)
21–28       Paryushana-parva (Jain)

September
24    Ramadan (Muslim, until 24 October)

October    
2        Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement (Jewish)
7–15   Sukkot (Jewish)
20       Anniversary of the Birth of the Bab (Bahá’í)
21       Diwali (Hindu/Sikh/Jain)
24       Eid-al-Fitr (Muslim)

November
5      Birthday of Guru Nanak (Sikh)
12    Anniversary of the Birth of Baha’u’llah (Bahá’í)
24    Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji (Sikh)

December
16–23    Hanukkah (Jewish)
25        Christmas Day (Christian)

2007

January
5        Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh (Sikh)
6        Epiphany (Christian)
29      Ashura (Muslim, Shi’a)
20      Al-Hijra – New Year’s Day (Muslim)

February
5       Yuan Tan – New Year (Chinese)
15     Parinirvana Day (Buddhist)

March
4    Purim (Jewish)
14   Holi (Hindu)
21    Naw-Ruz (Bahá’í)

April
1        Palm Sunday (Christian)
3–10    Passover/Pessach (Jewish)
6        Good Friday (Christian)
8        Easter Day (Christian)
11        Milad Al-Nabi – The Prophet’s Birthday (Muslim)
13        Baisakhi    (Sikh)
14        Vaisakhi – New Year Festival (Sikh)

May
2    Visakha Puja – Buddha Day (Buddhist)
23    Anniversary of the Declaration of the Bab (Bahá’í)
29    Anniversary of the Ascension of Baha’u’llah (Bahá’í)

Holy days usually begin at sundown on the day before this date. The calendar is accurate, but some dates may vary regionally because they are determined by the lunar calendar.