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02 Dec, 2024
Ideas To Celebrate Diwali in Schools
18 Oct, 20241-2 minutes
In this blog, you will learn:
- What Diwali is and who celebrates it.
- Why schools should celebrate Diwali.
- Discover more about our cover staff recruitment services.
Diwali is just around the corner, and if you’re looking for ways to mark the occasion and celebrate the festive period, we’ve got you covered!
From participating in Diwali arts and crafts, to embracing cultural values, our blog dives into multiple different ways to celebrate the occasion and promote inclusivity at schools.
What is Diwali?
Diwali is a five-day Festival of Lights, celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains all over the world. It is India's biggest and most important holiday of the year. Diwali is a diverse holiday celebrated across different religions, faiths and beliefs and takes place annually in October or November.
Diwali has different meanings for different cultures, religious groups and regions - therefore celebrations vary. However for many communities, especially in North India, Diwali marks the start of the New Year and is a huge celebration.
Why should schools celebrate Diwali?
Diwali gives students, Teachers, parents and the community the opportunity to explore different cultures and religions and champion diversity.
For anyone in your school that celebrates Diwali, it's great for others to come together and show the same respect and understanding towards their significant holiday.
Diwali is often celebrated for its religious significance, but it’s also important to teach students about the cultural significance and the role it plays in society. As Diwali is a time for giving and helping others, it is important for schools to instil and foster these cultural values and life skills.
Ideas to celebrate Diwali in schools
Ideas to celebrate Diwali in schools:
- Teach the story of Rama and Sita.
- Decorate the school.
- Make oil lamps and lanterns.
- Make Diwali cards.
- Try some Diwali treats.
- Practise Mandala Rangoli.
- Wear henna art.
Teach the story of Rama and Sita
If you’re celebrating Diwali at your school, it’s important to introduce students to the story of the deities Rama and Sita. Rama and Sita is a significant tale from the Hindu religion that is especially told around the time of Diwali.
In the story, Rama and Sita represent goodness and light, to triumph over evil and drive away the darkness. This is a nice way to teach students about Diwali, Hindu beliefs and the valuable lessons that the story teaches pupils.
Decorate the school
It wouldn’t be a celebration if the school wasn't decorated for the occasion! Show that your school recognises and encourages diversity and inclusivity by decorating the school with eye-catching classroom displays.
Why not allow students to contribute to displays and decorations with their very own Diwali artwork and creations, from garlands to lanterns? This is a great opportunity to learn about the different Diwali decorations and what they mean or represent.
Use vibrant colours and patterns to mimic the fireworks and decorations that are usually used to celebrate Diwali, as well as positive messages to inspire students and teaching staff during Diwali.
Make oil lamps and lanterns
Being the Festival of Lights, Diwali is often celebrated by lighting oil lamps known as diyas and watching big firework displays. People typically decorate their homes, shops and other public places with diyas to welcome the gods into the new year and bring them good luck.
Place small diyas around the school to recognise the importance of diyas for Indian culture and for all students to feel they have some luck and positivity.
You could organise an art lesson or club in school for students to make Diwali decorations like diyas and lanterns. Lanterns are an important part of Hindu tradition and are meant to protect against bad spirits and negative energies.
Both can easily be made by students from supplies already in schools. Post pictures of the homemade and customised lanterns and diyas on your school website and social media pages as well as on display around the school. This is a great way of celebrating student achievements and promoting inclusivity.
Make Diwali cards
Why not encourage pupils to make Diwali cards to give to their family, friends and classmates and wish them a happy Diwali? This is a great way for Teachers and Teaching Assistants to encourage students to be creative and artistic as well as connect with friends and family.
Provide your students with stickers, stencils, paint, any craft supply to make their cards colourful, creative and special.
Try some Diwali treats
Diwali celebrations aren't complete without a selection of sweet and savoury dishes. During Diwali, people wear their best or traditional clothes, give and receive presents and enjoy delicious food together.
On the fourth day of Diwali, which coincides with the Hindu New Year, families prepare traditional sweet and savoury dishes and share them with neighbours and friends to signify good wishes for the coming year.
From samosas and pakoras, to Gulab jamun and cardamom biscuits, you could encourage students to bring traditional Diwali treats to school for the whole class to enjoy. If possible, why not cook traditional food at school to give students the chance to try new flavours and food? It’s a great way for schools to partake in one of Diwali’s most important traditions.
Practice Rangoli
In preparation for Diwali, people decorate their houses and entrance ways with the traditional indian art form rangoli to welcome gods into their homes and to bring good luck. Rangolis are colourful mandala patterns that people make on the floor out of coloured powder, rice and flowers, and are very common for Diwali celebrations.
You could encourage your staff to teach and explore rangoli in their lessons and practice making their own rangoli patterns with students. Inspire children to create their own version of rangoli to decorate the classroom, diwali cards or lanterns, to allow their creativity to flow.
By learning to appreciate the cultural significance of rangoli, students can better understand different heritages and traditions.
Wear henna art
Mehndi or henna tattoos are a popular form of semi-permanent body art worn during Indian festivals including Diwali as a symbol of health, luck and celebration. For a fun activity, you could let your class design henna hand art in the lead up to Diwali.
Encourage students to trace the outline of their hands as a guide, and allow their creativity to flow with some beautiful henna designs and mehndi patterns.
Even better, why not ask a henna artist from the local community to come into school to give pupils and Teachers the chance to have some henna art. There are many mehndi artists offering their services, and this is a great opportunity to learn from a professional about the art and culture behind henna and share stories behind the origins of Diwali.
You could even ask students to pay for their henna art to raise money for charity or a good cause by asking students to bring in some money to pay for their Henna.
Recruit teaching staff
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If you’re struggling to fill a teaching vacancy, why not get in touch with one of our team to see how we can help?
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