Religion & WorldviewsHindu, Sikh and Buddhist traditions25 min★★ difficulty

Festivals of light, colour and service

Diwali, Holi, Vaisakhi and Wesak look very different, but each puts a belief into public, physical form.

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Explain how festivals, worship and rites of passage express belief

Key learning points

• Diwali and Holi
• Wesak
• Vaisakhi

This lesson at a glance

25 minutes
15 parts to scroll through
4 quick checks
Marked quiz at the end
Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

festivalsworshippassageexpressbelief

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 15 · Discover7%

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Part 1 of 15

Watch first

Festivals of light, colour and service

An English teaching video on this topic from Illustrate to Educate. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Explain how festivals, worship and rites of passage express belief

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 15

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Diwali and Holi

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 15

Learn

Diwali and Holi

Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains, with lamps, sweets and gifts, expressing light overcoming darkness and knowledge overcoming ignorance. Holi, in spring, uses colour and playfulness to mark renewal and the loosening of social barriers.

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 15

Learn

Wesak

Wesak marks the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. Practices include giving to those in need, releasing captive animals in some traditions, meditation and decorating temples with lights and flowers.

Quick check

Part 5 of 15

Quick check

Which festival marks the founding of the Khalsa?

Quick check

Part 6 of 15

Quick check

What does Diwali express?

Reset break

Part 7 of 15

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 15

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Vaisakhi

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 15

Learn

Vaisakhi

Vaisakhi celebrates the founding of the Khalsa in 1699 and involves processions, readings of the Guru Granth Sahib, and langar served to whoever comes. Service to others is the point, not a side effect.

Quick check

Part 10 of 15

Quick check

What does Wesak commemorate?

Quick check

Part 11 of 15

Quick check

Why is generosity described as practice in Buddhist teaching?

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 15

Worked example

Worked example: reading a festival

Question: what does Wesak's practice of giving express? Answer: it expresses the belief that compassion reduces suffering. The four noble truths identify craving as the cause of suffering, so acts of generosity are treated as practice, not merely charity — behaviour is the training, not the reward.

Challenge round

Part 13 of 15

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

Mastery quiz

Part 14 of 15

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Festivals of light, colour and service

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

1. Which festival marks the founding of the Khalsa?
2. What does Diwali express?
3. What does Wesak commemorate?
4. Why is generosity described as practice in Buddhist teaching?

Lesson round-up

Part 15 of 15

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

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Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Source

Two teachings on forgiveness

In Christian teaching, Jesus is asked how many times a person should forgive. He answers not seven times but seventy-seven — meaning forgiveness should not be counted at all. The Lord's Prayer links the two directions together: forgive us as we forgive others.

In Islamic teaching, one of the names of God is al-Ghaffar, the Ever-Forgiving. Muslims are taught that God's mercy is greater than any wrong a person can do, and that those who pardon others are closer to God than those who take revenge.

Both traditions distinguish forgiving from forgetting. A person may forgive and still expect justice, and may seek safety from someone who has harmed them.

Original paraphrases written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

What does each teaching say about how far forgiveness should go?
Explain how a believer might use one of these teachings after being hurt by a friend.
"Forgiving someone means letting them off." Give two views on this and say which is stronger, with reasons.

Reading and response
Reading
Read the lesson text again — especially any scripture, story or quotation — then write what it teaches and how a believer would use it.
2 paragraphs (PEE)
Extended writing
Writing
Answer the lesson's big question as an exam answer would: a clear view, a reason, a teaching or example as evidence, and a different view weighed against yours.
250–350 words
Belief in your own words
Writing
Explain what this belief means and give one example of how it changes what people do.
8–10 sentences
Different views
Writing
Write two different views on this question and say which you find stronger, and why.
2 paragraphs
Symbol or belief diagram
Diagram
Draw the symbol, place of worship or idea from this lesson with labels explaining what each part means, then photograph it.
1 labelled drawing

Write your answer, notes or working here

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Photos of paper work, diagrams or working outHow many minutes did the written work take?

Part 1 of 15 · Watch & discover

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