Naw Ruz: 'The beginning of spring' (21 March)
To explain the Baha’í Faith holiday of Naw-Ruz and to encourage understanding of different religious holidays.
by Emma Burford
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To explain the Baha’í Faith holiday of Naw-Ruz and to encourage understanding of different religious holidays.
Preparation and materials
- The script is suitable for Years 3 to 6 to perform.
- Cast:
Mum
Dad
Gran
Child 1
Child 2
Child 3
Child 4
Big Brother
Big Sister
Miss Cook
Presenter
Prof. Kew
Mr Green
Principle 1
Principle 2
Principle 3 - Staging ideas Split the stage into three sections, with the left side being an area for Miss Cook, Mr Green and the three Principles; the centre (which could be a kitchen, living room or outside) being for the family, and the right side being for the Presenter and Prof. Kew.
- Costume ideas The best costumes are the simple ones that symbolize a character, for example, all the children in black with pieces of costume showing their character – Gran could wear a woollen cardigan; the Principles could just wear black with a sash saying what their principle is. I’m sure the children will have lots of ideas!
- Props Table and nine chairs centre stage (optional: the family could sit on the floor).
- Links with art Children could create posters that explain the equinox and hold them up during Prof. Kew’s explanation.
You could also produce pictures and posters to accompany the three principles of the Baha’i Faith. - Curriculum link Drama, English and RE.
Assembly
- Today we are going to introduce you to a festival that is happening this month. This festival celebrates the start of spring. Let’s watch the children tell their story.
- The first day of spring
(Dad, Gran, Child 1, Child 2, Child 3, Child 4 are sitting round the table, centre stage)
Mum (entering and sitting down) That’s it! I’ve finally put away all your Christmas presents! It’s only taken me three months!
Dad Why is it that at Christmas the living room always looks like Toys R Us?
Gran So many presents! We never had that many when I was a girl.
Child 1 We know, Gran. We’re very lucky!
Mum Anyway, at least this means I can now get on with my spring cleaning.
Child 1 Ah! Mum’s legendary spring clean!
Child 2 Spring has definitely arrived then!
Child 3 Well, it should do anyway – because it’s the holy day of Naw-Ruz.
Gran Naw-Ruz? What’s this Naw-Ruz?
Mum I can’t say I’ve heard of it either!
Dad Is this a new computer game or something?
Child 4 No, Dad, it marks the coming of spring.
Child 3 Oh, I remember that from last year! Miss Cook said . . .
Miss Cook (entering left side of the stage area) Naw-Ruz is one of the nine holy days of the Baha’í Faith.
Child 3 She said,
Miss Cook It always falls on or around the twenty-first of March. (Steps back and freezes)
Child 1 Which is the vernal equinox, apparently.
Dad The vernal equinox?
(Big Brother enters and sits down)
Big Brother Hi, everyone, what are we talking about?
Dad The vernal equinox.
Big Brother Oh . . . what’s that?
Child 2 Well, the word ‘vernal’ comes from the Latin word ver, meaning spring. In some religions the vernal equinox is a holy day.
Dad When did you get so clever!
Child 1 We learned it from a video we watched.
(Presenter and Prof. Kew enter right side of the stage area)
Presenter Hello and welcome to Science Explained. Today we are talking about the wonderful world of . . . the equinox. And here to explain it is Professor Charlie Kew.
Prof. Kew An equinox happens twice a year each year. You know that the Earth moves around the sun. Well, an equinox marks the moment when a location on the Earth’s equator, known as the subsolar point, is vertically below the centre of the sun. On these two days, there are twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness. Day and night are the same length.This normally happens around the twentieth or twenty-first of March and the twenty-second or twenty-third of September each year. The March equinox is called the vernal equinox. (They step back and freeze)
Child 2 So there, at the vernal equinox, we have the holy day of Naw-Ruz – the beginning of spring.
Child 1 And the beginning of spring cleaning in our house.
Big Brother OK, I think I get that. But who celebrates this holy day?
Child 4 I thought you were cleverer than us!
Big Brother Not in everything, I admit. We never learned this when I was at school.
(Big Sister enters and sits down)
Big Sister What are we all doing? Everyone seems to be listening very carefully!
Dad We’re learning about Naw-Ruz.
Mum The holy day to celebrate the coming of spring.
Gran It’s on the same day as the vernal equinox.
Big Sister That being . . ?
Gran It’s when the sun is directly above a point on the equator. And day and night are the same length.
Child 4 Wow, Gran. Well remembered!
Child 3 You’re all taking it in!
Child 2 We’re teaching our parents!
Big Brother And you were just about to tell us who celebrates this holy day.
Child 1 Oh, that’s an easy question! It’s celebrated in the Baha’í Faith.
Child 2 Originally known as Babism.
Child 4 Miss Cook said,
Miss Cook (stepping forward) The Baha’í Faith started in the nineteenth century in Persia, now called Iran. The Baha’i Faith has three core principles.
(The three Principles enter on the left side of the stage area)
Principle 1 I am the first principle and I teach the unity of God. There is one God only.
Principle 2 I am the second principle and I teach the unity of religion. In their central teaching all religions are united because they all worship and reveal the same one God.
Principle 3 I am the third principle and I teach the unity of humanity.
Miss Cook Thank you, Principles. The main aim of the Baha’í Faith is to achieve world peace. (They all step back and freeze)
Mum I must tell Miss Cook what a wonderful teacher she is.
Dad I know. The children are remembering all this information!
Child 3 This day is celebrated in countries such as Iran, where it’s a national holiday.
Child 4 Azerbaijan.
Child 1 Afghanistan.
Child 2 Tajikistan.
Dad So it all comes from the Baha’í Faith?
Child 2 Yep. Baha’ullah was the founder of the Faith.
Child 3 He said that Naw-Ruz should be kept as a holy day.
Big Sister And he said that Naw-Ruz means the beginning of spring?
Child 4 Well, we had an assembly on him and his son, Abdul-Baha.
Child 1 Baha’ullah’s successor.
Child 3 Mr Green told us . . .
(Mr Green enters on the left)
Mr Green Baha’ullah said that Naw-Ruz was associated with the Most Great Name of God and was a festival for those who observed the fast.
Big Brother (to Big Sister) That’s when . . .
Big Sister I know! A fast is when you don’t eat any food.
Big Brother Would be difficult for you!
Big Sister Shall we move on!
Mr Green Abdul-Baha, Baha’ullah’s son, explained that Naw-Ruz is to celebrate the spiritual springtime and the bringing of new life. (Steps back and freezes)
Mum It really does sound like a lovely festival.
Gran And what do they do at these festivals?
Child 1 There’s prayer, music and dancing.
Child 2 And as those who observe the holy festival have been fasting all day, in the evening there’s a huge dinner.
Dad Sounds good to me!
Mum Well, I’m very glad that you’ve learned something about the festival.
Dad Me, too. You kids are turning out all right!
Mum And you’ll be even better when you all help me celebrate the coming of spring with some feather dusters, a Hoover and Mr Muscle.
Children Oh, Mum!
Child 2 I think I definitely prefer to celebrate Naw-Ruz in the Baha’i way.
Time for reflection
Spend some time thinking about the joy and the wonder of spring – the new life we see all around us.
Prayer
Lord God,
help us to learn about other religious ceremonies, festivals and celebrations
so we can appreciate the wonders of your world.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Think of a world without any flowers’ (Come and Praise, 17)
Publication date: March 2013 (Vol.15 No.3) Published by SPCK, London, UK.
