Happy Diwali!
October 23rd marks the U.S. observance of Diwali this year. For those that do not know my family personally, my husband’s family is Indian, and although he was born and raised on Long Island, he grew up celebrating many of the traditional Hindu holidays. Thus, our marathon of a holiday season starts not with Thanksgiving but with Diwali, the Festival of Lights, which is typically celebrated in late October or early November.
It is important to both my husband and I that our girls understand their heritage on both sides of the family, and the holidays provide the perfect opportunity to explore and learn more about our family and cultural traditions. For those unfamiliar with Diwali, it is the biggest holiday celebrated by Hindus worldwide and the largest holiday in India. While it has multiple meanings and origins, the general theme of good triumphing over evil is the same. It is typically celebrated by participating in a small ceremony (or pooja) in which offerings are made, decorating the house, baking sweets and snacks, wearing new clothes, and giving gifts. Of course, no holiday celebration is complete without a big family meal, which for many celebrating Diwali is often vegetarian.
Thanks to the wonders of the Internet, there are so many resources available for learning about other cultures. I have found a number of Diwali-themed activities to do with my girls, recipes for us to make together, and some ideas for Diwali-themed gifts. For example:
Books and Stories: On Amazon, I have managed to find some really great children’s books about Diwali. For M, we started reading Amma, Tell Me About Diwali, a few weeks ago, and she has been educating all of us on the story of Diwali since then. And for Z this year, I was really excited to find a Bright Baby Touch and Feel board book (love those!) about Diwali, which is full of bright colors and pictures that she loves.
Coloring Sheets: If you do a search on the Internet for coloring or activity sheets on whatever holiday or tradition you are interested in, you will find too many to count. I printed off a bunch of Diwali-themed coloring sheets that feature diyas (pronounced “divas,” which are the candles lighted for the holiday), rangoli patterns, and Hanuman, the monkey god, who features prominently in the story of Diwali. Coloring sheets are great for reinforcing holiday stories and demonstrating things that might not be common in your everyday life.
Recipes: I love Indian food, and when I was pregnant with M, I read several books, including Dr. Alan Greene’s Feeding Baby Green, about how to introduce different types of foods and spices to infants and toddlers. Pretty early on, we introduced the girls to some typical Indian spices and foods. Fortunately, we have a Patel Brothers Indian market in Norwalk that carries different produce, prepared foods, and every spice and chutney that you could imagine (check it out!). So in addition to traditional curries, which we make year round, last year for Diwali we made a traditional Indian sweet called peda. Perhaps not the healthiest of recipes, but they are really easy (just four ingredients!) and fun for the girls to make. M loved rolling the dough and stamping them with a spool.
Gifts and Toys: If you haven’t discovered Uncle Goose wooden blocks, go to their website immediately … well, maybe after you finish reading this post. Their blocks are just beautiful, made in the United States, and they have so many fun options. Some of the many options include traditional blocks, numbers, and numerous language block options. I may have been the first person to order the Hindi blocks, which they introduced this past summer, and I am really excited to give them to the girls this week.
For more ideas on celebrating other cultures, check out Pinterest – there are so many boards with language resources, toddler and children activities!
What ways do you explore your heritage with your children?
What traditions do you hope to pass down to your children?
