Festivals of light

Many religions celebrate major festivals with lights. Christians buy a tree at Christmas which they cover with lights.

Diwali, the five-day Hindu festival in late October, is often called the "Festival of Lights". The goddess Lakshmi comes at night to bless every house which is lit with candles. The candles are to welcome her.

Hanukka is an eight-day Jewish festival in December. Every night of this festival, a candle is lit in a special candlestick. People give presents and it is a time of great happiness.

Another time of great joy is the feast of Eid ul-Fitr. It is a Muslim feast which falls at different times every year. It marks the end of Ramadan, a fast during which Muslims do not eat or drink during the hours of daylight.

The great Sikh festival takes place in November and celebrates the birthday of their founder, the Guru Nanak, with processions, feasts and 24-hour readings of the Guru's writings.

1  Match the religion to the festival.

2  Read the text to find out if you are right.

Michael Vaughan-Rees, Geraldine Sweeney, Picot Cassidy: In Britain; Cornelsen Verlag, 2000, page 28