Welcome to Religions of the World. Christianity: The Religion of Christians. Christianity is the world鈥檚 biggest religion. The most important person for Christians is Jesus, the son of God. He was born over 2000 years ago and the story of his birth (called the Nativity) is why Christmas is celebrated every year.
The Christian Story of the First Christmas. In a town called Nazareth, there was a young woman called Mary who was engaged to married to a carpenter called Joseph. One day, God sent the Angel Gabriel down from heaven to visit Mary and tell her that she was going to have a baby boy. He would be called Jesus. The angel also told her that Jesus would be God鈥檚 son. The Angel Gabriel then appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 鈥淒on鈥檛 be afraid.鈥
Mary and Joseph were both very scared after the angel spoke to them. They had never see anything like that before but they trusted in God. The country that Joseph and Mary lived in was ruled by the Romans. The Roman Emperor was in charge and he wanted to have a list, also called a Census of everyone who lived in the country.
He commanded everyone to go back to the town where they were born so he could make the list and count all of the people. Joseph鈥檚 family came from a small town called Bethlehem, which was a long way from where they were living so they had to walk for days to get there.
When they arrived in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph tried to find a place to stay, but because everyone else was visiting so they could also get on the Roman list, there was no room at any of the inns. They thought they鈥檇 have to sleep outside in the cold. Then one kind innkeeper said Joseph and Mary could stay in the stable with his animals. Joseph and Mary stayed in the stable and made it as comfortable as they could.
Just as the angel had said, Mary gave birth and Jesus was born. Mary laid baby Jesus in a manger which is where the animal鈥檚 food was usually kept. In the hills near Bethlehem, a group of shepherds were watching their sheep. In the night, an angel appeared and spoke to them. 鈥淭his amazing baby is born, who will bring peace on Earth. He will show everyone God鈥檚 kindness.鈥 The shepherds decided to travel to Bethlehem to see Jesus. They found Jesus in the manger, just like the angel had said.
They told everyone the good news. 鈥楥ould he be God鈥檚 son?鈥 they wondered. Far, far away, there were three wise men. They studied the stars and the Earth and had read in old books that a great king would be born when a new star appeared. A new star did appear in the sky.
The three wise men felt sure that it meant that a new king had been born in the land of Israel, so they travelled to Bethlehem to meet him.
The shining new star guided the wise men to the place where Jesus had been born. The three wise men entered the stable and bowed down to worship the baby Jesus. They each gave him a gift to welcome him into the world. The three gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh. The visits from the shepherds and the wise men made everyone in the town start talking about the birth of Jesus.
They wondered if he had been sent from God to bring us peace. Now every year, Christians celebrate Jesus鈥 birthday as one of their main holy days: Christmas Day.
Video summary
This short animated film narrates the story of the first Christmas.
The story follows Mary and Joseph from being told they will have a baby by the angel Gabriel, through to the birth of Jesus and the visits from the shepherds and wise men.
The film is bright and colourful and immerses pupils in the story through a clear, friendly narrative.
This short film is part of a series of animated films teaching pupils about religions of the world.
Teacher Notes
Pupils could think of questions they would like to ask Mary and Joseph about their thoughts and feelings at different times during the story.
Pupils could take turns playing the role of Mary or Joseph, answering other pupils' questions in a 'hot seat' situation.
This short film will be relevant for teaching KS1 religious education in England and Northern Ireland, Foundation Phase in Wales, and Early and 1st Level Religious and Moral Education in Scotland.
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A short animated film explaining the Five Pillars of Islam.
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A short animated film narrating the Jewish story of Moses.
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A short animated film narrating the Jewish story of Hanukkah.
Sikh Stories. video
A short animated film narrating the Sikh Story of the Milk and the Jasmine Flower and Duni Chand and the Silver Needle.
More Christmas Teaching Resources:
Christmas. video
In this short film for primary schools, 11-year-old Nathan tells us about the tradition of Christmas and all the things he does at this time of year.
X is for Xmas Truce. video
Through newsreel, children's commentary and dramatic monologue, this short film for primary schools tells the story of one Christmas Eve in 1914 when peace broke out in the trenches.
Hunting the Northern Lights in Lapland. video
In this short film for primary schools, Harry and Halle go on an exciting journey to Lapland in search of the Northern Lights.
