Crunchy Collages

Diwali, traditionally known by its Sanskrit name Deepavali, means 'a row of lights'. The five-day festival falls in October or November (the dates change according to the lunar calendar).  It is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains.  

There are lots of myths about how the festival started and they change depending on which part of India you are in. Some Hindus believe that Diwali marks the homecoming of  King Rama, who returned after defeating the evil Ravana in a battle that lasted for 14 years.   Others believe it's the day on which the beautiful goddess Lakshmi was rescued from an evil king. Yet others insist that it's the day on which the blue-skinned god Krishna destroyed a demon. Whatever the different beliefs everyone agrees that it symbolises the triumph of light over darkness, goodness over evil and knowledge over ignorance.   Another meaning of Diwali is rebirth and people often wear new clothes to represent this, they also thoroughly clean their houses and in India, decorate their courtyards with patterns, known as 'rangoli' created with powdered paint, pulses and seeds. Doorways are draped with garlands of mango leaves and marigolds, known as 'torans' It also means that winter is coming and seeds must be sown to ensure food supplies for the following year.   Everyone enjoys eating at Diwali, especially sweets!    At Nythe many children and their families celebrate Diwali at home and we wanted to share this festival at the Saturday Academy.   We will be making Rangoli designs using beans, peas and pulses.  We will enjoy some Indian sweets and to keep the cold out when we set off our own festival of lights we will  have some traditional winter soup with an Indian twist.   

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