Religion · Unit 2

Festivals and Celebrations

Holidays and celebrations across the world's religions

Festivals are where religion is most visible to outsiders, and they carry a great deal of a tradition's theology in a form people actually participate in.

The unit covers Christmas and Easter, Hanukkah and Passover, Diwali and Holi, Ramadan and Eid, Vesak and others - what each commemorates and how it is observed.

This unit breaks down into 21 short steps and 120 questions, starting at difficulty 1 and building to 2. Below you can see exactly what it covers, how the path is structured, and worked examples with explanations.

Steps
21
Questions
120
Difficulty
1-2

What this unit covers

  • Christmas and Easter
  • Hanukkah and Passover
  • Diwali and Holi
  • Ramadan and Eid
  • Vesak and Other Festivals

Where this fits

An accessible early unit. No prerequisites.

Where people slip

Dates move because calendars differ. Islamic festivals shift through the solar year because the calendar is lunar, and several others depend on lunar or luni-solar reckoning.

How the unit is structured

Festivals and Celebrations runs as 21 short steps that unlock in order. 15 are practice rounds and 6 are challenge rounds that pull together everything before them. Questions start at difficulty 1 and climb to 2 as you progress.

Step 1 · easierStep 21 · harder

Challenge rounds

Example questions

30 real questions from this unit, with the answer and the reason behind it, grouped by what they practise. There are 120 in the unit altogether.

Christmas and Easter

  • Build the sentenceLevel 1

    1. Build a true sentence about Christmas.

    Answer: A nativity scene shows baby Jesus

    A nativity scene shows baby Jesus.

  • Choose all that applyLevel 1

    2. Which of these might you see at Christmas? Pick all that apply.

    • A decorated treecorrect
    • A nativity scenecorrect
    • A dreidel
    • A menorah

    A decorated tree and a nativity scene are seen at Christmas, while dreidels and menorahs belong to Hanukkah.

  • Fill the blankLevel 1

    3. At Easter, some Christians eat spiced buns marked with a ____ on top.

    • crosscorrect
    • star
    • moon
    • heart

    Hot cross buns are marked with a cross and are a traditional Easter treat.

  • Match the pairsLevel 1

    4. Match each Christian celebration to something linked with it.

    Answer: Christmas = Christmas tree; Easter = Easter eggs; Advent = Advent calendar

    A Christmas tree, Easter eggs, and an Advent calendar are all part of Christian celebrations.

  • Multiple choiceLevel 1

    5. Which Christian festival celebrates Jesus coming back to life?

    • Eastercorrect
    • Holi
    • Eid
    • Vesak

    In Christian belief, Easter celebrates Jesus rising from the dead.

  • Fact or fibLevel 2

    6. In many countries, Epiphany is celebrated around the 6th of January, soon after Christmas.

    Answer: True

    Epiphany, around the 6th of January, remembers the visit of the Wise Men to Jesus.

Diwali and Holi

  • Build the sentenceLevel 1

    7. Build a true sentence about Holi.

    Answer: Holi is the Hindu festival of colors

    Holi is the Hindu festival of colors.

  • Choose all that applyLevel 1

    8. Which of these are true about Diwali? Pick all that apply.

    • It is a festival of lightscorrect
    • People light small lamps called diyascorrect
    • Families fast from dawn to dusk
    • It is a Buddhist New Year

    Diwali is a festival of lights where people light small diyas; it is not a fasting month or a Buddhist New Year.

  • Fill the blankLevel 1

    9. The small oil lamps lit during Diwali are called ____.

    • diyascorrect
    • menorahs
    • dreidels
    • eggs

    Diyas are the little clay lamps that fill homes with light at Diwali.

  • Match the pairsLevel 1

    10. Match each religion to one of its festivals.

    Answer: Islam = Eid; Judaism = Passover; Hinduism = Holi

    Eid is a Muslim festival, Passover is Jewish, and Holi is Hindu.

  • Fact or fibLevel 2

    11. Rangoli are colorful patterns made on the floor during Diwali.

    Answer: True

    Rangoli are bright patterns drawn on the ground to welcome guests and good fortune at Diwali.

  • Guess the numberLevel 2

    12. Diwali is often celebrated over how many days?

    Answer: 5 days

    Diwali is commonly celebrated as a festival lasting about five days.

Hanukkah and Passover

  • Fact or fibLevel 1

    13. During Hanukkah, families light one more candle each night for eight nights.

    Answer: True

    On Hanukkah, an extra candle is lit each night until all eight are shining.

  • Fill the blankLevel 1

    14. At Passover, Jewish families eat a flat bread called ____.

    • matzahcorrect
    • naan bread
    • white toast
    • a croissant

    Matzah is the flat, unleavened bread eaten during Passover.

  • Guess the numberLevel 1

    15. How many nights does Hanukkah last?

    Answer: 8 nights

    Hanukkah is celebrated for eight nights, with a new candle lit each night.

  • Build the sentenceLevel 2

    16. Build a true sentence about Hanukkah.

    Answer: The menorah is lit during Hanukkah

    The menorah is lit during Hanukkah.

  • Choose all that applyLevel 2

    17. Which of these foods are often eaten at Hanukkah? Pick all that apply.

    • Latkes (potato pancakes)correct
    • Sufganiyot (jam doughnuts)correct
    • Hot cross buns
    • Mince pies

    Latkes and sufganiyot are fried in oil for Hanukkah, while hot cross buns and mince pies are Christian treats.

  • Match the pairsLevel 2

    18. Match each festival to an object linked with it.

    Answer: Hanukkah = menorah; Diwali = diya lamp; Passover = matzah

    A menorah is lit at Hanukkah, diyas are lit at Diwali, and matzah is eaten at Passover.

Ramadan and Eid

  • Build the sentenceLevel 1

    19. Build a true sentence about Ramadan.

    Answer: Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan

    Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan.

  • Choose all that applyLevel 1

    20. Which of these are true about Ramadan? Pick all that apply.

    • It is a month of fastingcorrect
    • Many Muslims do not eat during daylight hourscorrect
    • People throw colored powder
    • Families decorate a Christmas tree

    Ramadan is a month of fasting when many Muslims do not eat during daylight; it is not about colored powder or Christmas trees.

  • Fact or fibLevel 1

    21. Many Muslims break their Ramadan fast in the evening by eating dates.

    Answer: True

    It is a common tradition to break the daily fast at sunset with dates and water.

  • Fill the blankLevel 1

    22. The meal Muslims eat before dawn during Ramadan is called ____.

    • suhoorcorrect
    • iftar
    • seder
    • supper

    Suhoor is the early morning meal eaten before the day's fast begins.

  • Multiple choiceLevel 1

    23. During Ramadan, what do many Muslims do from dawn until sunset?

    • Fast, so they do not eat or drink
    • Decorate a Christmas tree
    • Throw colored powder
    • Hunt for chocolate eggs

    In Ramadan, many Muslims fast, meaning they do not eat or drink during daylight hours.

  • Odd one outLevel 2

    24. Three of these are part of Ramadan and Eid. Which is the odd one out?

    • Throwing colored powdercorrect
    • Fasting during the day
    • The iftar meal
    • The greeting 'Eid Mubarak'

    Throwing colored powder belongs to Holi, while fasting, the iftar meal, and 'Eid Mubarak' belong to Ramadan and Eid.

Vesak and Other Festivals

  • Build the sentenceLevel 1

    25. Build a true sentence about Vesak.

    Answer: Vesak celebrates the life of the Buddha

    Vesak celebrates the life of the Buddha.

  • Choose all that applyLevel 1

    26. Which of these festivals are celebrated in Buddhist traditions? Pick all that apply.

    • Vesakcorrect
    • Losar, a Tibetan Buddhist New Year
    • Eid
    • Hanukkah

    Vesak and Losar are celebrated in Buddhist traditions, while Eid and Hanukkah are not.

  • Fact or fibLevel 1

    27. At Vesak, many Buddhists light lanterns and candles.

    Answer: True

    Lanterns and candles are a common part of Vesak celebrations.

  • Fill the blankLevel 1

    28. At Vesak, many Buddhists honor the ____.

    • Buddhacorrect
    • Prophet Muhammad
    • Guru Nanak
    • goddess Lakshmi

    Vesak is a day for Buddhists to remember and honor the Buddha.

  • Match the pairsLevel 1

    29. Match each religion to one of its festivals.

    Answer: Buddhism = Vesak; Sikhism = Vaisakhi; Islam = Eid

    Vesak is Buddhist, Vaisakhi is Sikh, and Eid is a Muslim festival.

  • Multiple choiceLevel 1

    30. Vesak is a special festival for followers of which religion?

    • Buddhismcorrect
    • Islam
    • Judaism
    • Christianity

    Vesak is a festival celebrated by Buddhists.

Where these questions come from. Each unit starts as a plan of the concepts it should cover and the difficulty it should span. Questions are written against that plan with AI assistance, then checked by a validator that rejects anything without a single defensible answer, an explanation, or plausible wrong options. How we write questions sets out the whole process, and corrections are fixed in the bank and reach the site and the app the same day.

How you practise

This unit mixes 14 different question formats, so you are recalling and applying rather than recognising the same layout every time.

  • Build the sentence
  • Choose all that apply
  • Fact or fib
  • Fill the blank
  • Guess the number
  • Match the pairs
  • Multiple choice
  • Odd one out
  • Picture question
  • Put in order
  • Sort into groups
  • Spell it
  • True or false
  • Type the answer

Practise Festivals and Celebrations

120 questions across 21 steps. Start with step one and crawl at your own pace.

Play this unit

Read about Festivals and Celebrations

Explainers from our blog on what this unit covers. Each one ends with real questions from the bank.

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See all 18 units in Religion