Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Religious Studies · 4RS1 · Free · no account needed
The major festivals: how the six religions answer
Which major festival does the specification name, and what does it commemorate? Issue 2 names specific festivals for each religion at Paper 2's 2.1, so the row is the specification's own content rather than a general survey.
The question is Paper 1's 2.1 — The major festival(s) of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Religious Studies (4RS1). You are examined in the religion your centre enters, so each answer below links to the full unit for that religion — the explanation, the Grade 9 notes, the sources, the misconceptions, and the Teach and Defend gates. This page is the comparison; the unit is the exam.
The six answers, side by side
Buddhism — Wesak
Position. Wesak, marking the birth, enlightenment and death (parinirvana) of the Buddha.
Inside the tradition. Theravada countries mark all three at Wesak; some Mahayana traditions separate them, and Nirvana Day is its own observance.
Rests on. Issue 2 Paper 2 content 2.1 (Buddhism
What this cell flattens. That one festival holds all three events is itself the point about how the Buddha is regarded.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Wesak.
Christianity — Christmas and Easter
Position. Christmas (the birth of Jesus, with Advent and Epiphany) and Easter (arrest, trial, death and resurrection, with Lent and Holy Week).
Inside the tradition. Orthodox dating differs; the relative weight given to Christmas and Easter differs by tradition.
Rests on. Issue 2 Paper 2 content 2.1 (Christianity
What this cell flattens. The specification names BOTH, and 'which is more important' is a set Discuss statement — Easter is the theological answer.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Christmas and Easter.
Hinduism — Navaratri and Divali
Position. Navaratri (Shakti, Durga's defeat of Mahishasura) and Divali.
Inside the tradition. Which is central depends on region and tradition; Shakta Hindus centre Navaratri.
Rests on. Issue 2 Paper 2 content 2.1 (Hinduism
What this cell flattens. Divali is celebrated with different narratives in different regions, and Sikhs also mark it for their own reasons.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Navaratri and Divali.
Islam — Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha
Position. Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr, with reference to the Night of Power; Eid-ul-Adha at the time of Hajj.
Inside the tradition. Shi'a Muslims additionally mark Ashura, commemorating Husayn at Karbala.
Rests on. The Qur'an — the first revelation — Qur'an 96:1–5 (Surah Al-Alaq) (translated); Issue 2 Paper 2 content 2.1 (Islam
What this cell flattens. Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha are confused in three separate examiner reports; Fitr ends Ramadan, Adha falls at Hajj.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha.
Judaism — Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Pesach
Position. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as the High Holy Days; Pesach.
Inside the tradition. Broadly shared; observance varies in strictness rather than in meaning.
Rests on. Issue 2 Paper 2 content 2.1 (Judaism
What this cell flattens. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are one season with two movements — judgement and atonement — not two separate festivals.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Pesach.
Sikhism — Baisakhi and the Gurpurbs
Position. Baisakhi, marking the creation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh and the panj pyare; the Gurpurbs.
Inside the tradition. Broadly shared.
Rests on. Sikh practice — The Khalsa and the Five Ks; instituted by Guru Gobind Singh at Baisakhi, 1699; Issue 2 Paper 2 content 2.1 (Sikhism
What this cell flattens. Baisakhi is also a harvest festival, and the Khalsa foundation is what the specification examines.
Taught in full: 2.1 · Baisakhi and the Gurpurbs.
Where they agree
Every festival here commemorates a FOUNDING EVENT rather than a season, and each renews the community's identity by re-enacting it.
Where the real disagreement lies
Whether the festival is chiefly commemorative (Wesak, Baisakhi), penitential (Yom Kippur, Lent) or celebratory (Divali, Eid) — and most are more than one at once.
How to use this in the exam — and when not to
Revision only. In an answer use your own religion's column, and get the two Eids the right way round.
The other comparisons
- Death and life after death — What happens after death?
- Sanctity of life, abortion and euthanasia — Is human life sacred, and may it ever be deliberately ended?
- Relationships between rich and poor — What do believers owe the poor?
- The principal text and its authority — What is the principal text, and what authority does it carry?
- The place of worship — What is the place of worship called, and what are its key features?
- Pilgrimage — Is pilgrimage required, and where do believers go?
- Equal rights and equal opportunities — What roles may women hold in the religious community?
- Conflict and war — May a believer fight?
- Leaders and leadership — Who has authority, and where does it come from?