RE in the World this week

Although Christmas is quickly approaching and many of us will be buying presents, it is important to not lose sight about the religious history of Christmas and how it became a national holiday. Christmas actually means ‘Christ’s Mass’ which means the celebration of Jesus Christ who Christians believe to be God on earth. The annual event celebrates the birth of God’s one and only Son. However, December is not just a time for the widely known Christian festival of Christmas. There are numerous ancient religious traditions which are celebrated in December, including one belonging to another one of the main religions of the world: Judaism. They call it Hanukkah which translates to mean dedication. The festival commemorates the Jews’ struggle for religious freedom. Hanukkah gained its famous nickname – “the festival of lights” – due to the continuous lighting of 8 candles over an 8 day period. This represents the Hanukkah miracle of the candle which stayed lit for 8 whole days after the Jews defeated the Maccabees in a 3 year war to represent God’s love and pride in the Jews. Interestingly, Jesus himself was a Jew and would have celebrated Hanukkah during his life time. The Jewish people do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah or the Son of God so this separated Jesus’ followers from the Jews and thus Christianity was born. When you learn about different religious festivals, you begin to notice them all around us in the world. Here are a couple of suggestions of films, TV programmes and books you could watch or read over the Christmas holidays about Christmas or Hanukkah. TV SERIES: Friends Series: 10 Episode 1: “The One with the Holiday Armadillo” TV CHANNEL: 4 Programme: “Secret life of children at Christmas” FILM: “Christmas Grace” BOOK: “Your People Shall Be My People: How Israel, the Jews and the Christian Church Will Come Together in the Last Days” – Author: Don Finto

By Jessica B & Ella H

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  • Artsmark Platinum Award - Awards by Arts Council England
  • Lancashire Socio-economic Equality Badge
  • SMART
  • UNICEF
  • School Mental Health Award
  • Ofsted - Outstanding Provider
  • International School Award