Diwali!

Last Saturday was an important day for Hindus all around the world. The 14th of November was Diwali, commonly known as the Indian festival of lights. The big day involved a lot of preparation, and my family was swamped with tasks to do during the days leading up to Diwali! The first step is to thoroughly clean the house. Though this step can be annoying, it is essential in our culture. All the floors where scrubbed till they shone, and all the cabinets and shelves had to be arranged perfectly! The next step, is by far my favourite…Decorations!! The festival is a chance to get creative and bring colour to the house. I spent the most part of Friday creating rangoli (sand art) with flower petals and coloured powder. My brother and father helped me with the larger one – the photo on the left. It was the size of a whole square meter!

After that, we hung flower garlands all around the house, and strung lights on all the balconies. It was a wonderful process during which my family bonded a lot! I also applied mehendi (henna) that day on my mother’s and my hands.

Finally, on the evening of Diwali, we all got dressed up and got online to Zoom with our extended family. It was wonderful to see everyone, and we spent a good amount of time complementing each other’s outfits, and catching up. Then, we sang a few Diwali prayers together to conclude the Zoom call. Our evening however, was far from over! As soon as night fell, we placed diyas (small oil lamps/candles) all around the house.

We had invited a few family friends over to celebrate, and soon the house was full of music and dancing and wonderful smelling food! We even lit sparklers in the balcony together.

Our guests had brought some boxes of mithai (Indian desserts) which is another essential part of all Indian celebrations! We stayed up late that night, dancing together and playing card games till 2 am, an important Diwali tradition in every Indian household! It really was a wonderful evening, lit not only by a hundred gentle candles, but also by the laughter and happiness that emanated from us all.

Learning Outcomes:

5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.