SMore From the AP
Week Ending October 14, 2016
Diwali or Deepavali by Mrs. Shanthi Pughazhendi
Diwali or Deepavali means rows of lighted lamps. It is a festival of lights and all Hindus around the world celebrate it joyfully. In this festival, people light up their houses and shops with diyas or lamps. During this festival, people worship Goddess Lakshmi for wealth and wisdom and prosperity.
This year Diwali is celebrated on October 30, 2016. It is an official holiday in Fiji, Guyana, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago.
The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and hope over despair.
Hindus interpret the Diwali story based upon where they live:
In Northern India Diwali is celebrated as the day Lord Rama and Sita return, a story from the Indian epic “Ramayana”.
Brief outline of the story:
Prince Rama and his wife Sita, are banished from their kingdom in Ayodhya by their father the king. Rama’s brother Lakshmana goes with them to the forest. They are banished for fourteen years. After many years in the forest Sita is kidnapped by the ten-headed demon Ravana. He takes Sita to his island of Srilanka. With the help of the monkey warrior Hanuman, Lord Rama rescues his wife. The people in the northern part of India light diyas or lamps to guide Rama and Sita back from the forest to the kingdom.
In Southern India Deepavali is celebrated as the day Narakasuran was killed. It is believed that Narakasuran, a malevolent demon, tortured common people and they prayed to Lord Krishna to defeat him. Some communities believe that when Narakasuran was to be killed, Lord Krishna asked him his last wish. Narakasura replied that he wanted to enjoy the last day of his life in a grand manner and Deepavali was celebrated. That was the beginning and the practice continued.
This day normally falls on the new moon day of that month. The celebration includes millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, around temples and other buildings in the communities and countries where it is observed. The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five-day period, but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Lunisolar month Kartika. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali night falls between mid-October and mid-November. Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate, and decorate their homes and offices. On Diwali night, Hindus dress up in new clothes or their best outfit, women wear kumkum ( is a powder used for social and religious markings in India. It is made from turmeric. The turmeric is dried and powdered with a bit of slaked lime, which turns the rich yellow powder into a red color) on their forehead, and light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in family puja (prayers) typically to Lakshmi – the goddess of fertility and prosperity. After puja, fireworks follow, then a family feast, including gorging on sweets, receiving blessings of elders, and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends. Firecrackers, thought to frighten away evil spirits are also used with abandon, which makes this a particular popular festival for children. Diwali also marks a major shopping period in nations where it is celebrated.
On Diwali day, shops remain open till the late afternoon, believing that good sales on Diwali day predict a prosperous year ahead. In the corporate sector, the process of buying and distributing Diwali gifts begins several days before the big day, and slowly picks up pace. Sweets and dry fruits and nuts are the most common gifts.
There are several ways to decorate the houses.Probably the most well recognized are Rangoli Patterns, beautifully made decorations, drawn on floors and even pavements, usually with rice flour and water.
Diwali is a holiday all about being a source of light to the world. As teachers that is what we are, a beacon of light. Many of our Indian students celebrate Diwali, thank you for allowing me the time to share an important tradition of ours. There are books in the OSE library as well as resources in our databases that Mrs. Jones can offer. Please feel free to ask any questions you have! Thank you for being a light!
Happy Deepavali
The Principal Ponders
One of my favorite books to share with my students when I was in the classroom was People by Peter Spier. It perfectly portrays the many differences between all types of people, from the clothes they wear, to the shapes of their eyes, to the color of their hair to the foods they eat and the kind of houses they live in, to the types of transportation they utilize. The most powerful part of the book in my opinion is the part where it emphasizes how boring our world would be if everyone were the same in every way.
Kids notice things. They notice if we’re tall or short. If our eyes are blue or brown. If we’re skinny or fat. AND…….they have no problem telling us what they notice! This is why it is so important for us to not only teach our students about different cultures and what is important in each one, but also to celebrate these differences. If you find this sentence in the S’more, email me for a free Sonic drink! Understanding that people are not all the same helps kids embrace and value the things that make each person or each group of people unique.
As educators, we try to expose our students to different cultures by planning Christmas Around the World activities in December or having flamenco dancers perform for Cinco de Mayo in May, or maybe having specific foods from represented countries. These are all “fun” ways to celebrate culture, but how can we go deeper as teachers? We can use the resources we have around us (like Shanthi!) to learn more about the background and history of the unique traditions of various cultures. I LOVED the stories that Shanthi shared! We also have a responsibility to our students to challenge the many cultural misconceptions that exist, such as:
· Everyone is the same.
· People from the same culture share the same values
· Cultural differences create divisiveness
· Most people only identify with one culture
With everything going on in our world today, never has there been a time when it has been more critical to teach our kids to accept and value the differences in others and more importantly, to dispel the misconceptions like those listed above. We need to encourage them to embrace and learn about each other’s backgrounds and I think they might be surprised to find out that they are more alike than they are different.
P.S. If you would like to borrow the book People, it is on my shelf in my office. Feel free to come and grab it.