Discovering The Essence Of Indian Festivals

Introduction

The warm glow of twinkling string lights sparkling at night, the soothing sounds of shlokas chanted during aarti, marigold flower garlands adorning doorways and entrances, mouth-watering aroma of sweets from brightly lit food stalls and the streets and markets buzzing with overly enthusiastic shoppers. 

These are the signs that the Indian festivals are just around the corner. But there is so much more to all of them than shopping, dazzling lights, decorations and socialising. It is about deep, meaningful values, traditions, celebrating togetherness, hope and gratitude, which they symbolise and we may tend to overlook in all the shine and splendour of festivities. 

As parents of young, impressionable minds, who are invariably supercharged and carried away by the entire splendour of Indian festivals, we have to take it upon ourselves to educate them about their rich heritage and the innumerable lessons it has to offer. 

If you are a parent seeking ways to emphasise the significance of your festivals, then continue reading as we share practical ways to communicate the importance of festivals in Indian culture.

What Are Festivals?

Let us begin this journey by firstly going inwards and understanding ourselves what festivals are and their significance. And you would be drawn to go back in time and recall those fun-filled moments you spent on certain special days with your family and friends. Where one indulged in delicious meals, performed meaningful rituals, and revisited the lessons of the festival through stories that strengthened their faith.

Unfortunately, with the hustle and bustle of life, we have begun to overlook the actual essence of these festivals and have reduced them to social activities. And as parents, it is our moral duty and responsibility to pass on the valuable lessons to our children to keep our rich heritage and traditions alive. 

So why wait? Let me share with you some simple techniques that I follow at home.

Practical Ways To Build Awareness About Indian Festivals:

Well, to be honest, this was a tradition that my mother followed, and I blindly incorporated it into my life. 

Step 1: At the start of each year, I take a print of the list of Indian festivals, highlighting the ones that we as a community celebrate and tape it to my refrigerator. 

Step 2: As festivals approach, I start my conversations with my child in the form of stories. I introduce him to the heroes (deities), give him a glimpse of their superpowers, the valuable lessons they have taught us and reveal the deep-rooted essence behind celebrating that festival. 

This simple act has helped him to worship our deities with newfound respect. 

Step 3: Closer to the festival’s date, at the time of preparation, I begin educating my son on the ritualistic aspect of celebrating that festival. 

For example, for Diwali, I tell him the significance of deep cleaning the entire house, lighting diyas, making rangolis, chanting mantras, exchanging gifts and sweets. I use spiritual storybooks like The Story of Dussehra and Diwali from Mummas Learning Company.

 For Navratri, the 9-day festival, I tell him the significance of each of the days, Kanya pujan, etc.. 

It is all part of a hard day's work for a mother, a marathon shift which never ends. But believe you me, it is worth every bit of it, when you see your child respecting different traditions, sharing and caring for others and carrying forward the message of unity and love. 

Now that we have the awareness box ticked, let’s take a look at how to build a child’s interest around festivals.

Practical Ways To Build Interest Around Festivals:

All the sugar rush from Indian sweets makes our kids go wild, and it can become quite a challenge to channelise their energy productively. To help them overcome boredom and reduce the constant background noise of television or music, I have designed an exciting curriculum to combine both fun and learning. Let us take a look:

• I begin by reading interesting stories on important Hindu festivals, highlighting the significance of Hindu rituals and traditions, the lessons to be learnt, key heroes, etc.
• Then, I organise a festival-themed scavenger hunt or game where children can search for hidden clues and solve puzzles related to the history, characters, valuable lessons and ritualistic aspects of the celebration. This ignites their curiosity and gets them all gung-ho to participate in the festivities. 
• Give them some glitter, sparkle and decorative articles, and they will be engrossed in DIY craft activities, and that is exactly what I do. This inspires their creative minds to unleash their talents. 
• In the evenings, I initiate a fun fact quiz to check my child’s understanding of the upcoming festival.
• I consider my son a valuable member of the planning committee. I involve him in decisions related to decorations, food menu, choice of attire, exchanging of gifts, etc.
• This year onwards, I plan to let him create his own individual festival cards or gift hampers. I will allocate him a small budget to allow him to take on the responsibility of managing funds and make the celebration extra special.

With a little creativity and planning, we can turn any festival into an unforgettable adventure for our children. Taking time out to engage them in interesting DIY art and craft activities, decorations will spark their interest and motivate them to contribute to the festivities. 

Conclusion

India’s rich culture and heritage need to be acknowledged and celebrated. Each festival is unique, representing the values and essence of our communities. As parents, we need to take on the responsibility to pass on these values to future generations so that they have a sense of identity and stay connected to their roots. 

At Mummas.in I have handpicked essential stages and aspects of our beloved deities’ life journeys and transformed them into age-appropriate short spiritual stories in English with fun activities. Making them the perfect recipe to nurture a child’s spongelike mind and sow the seeds of their precious lessons.

FAQs

Q1. Why is it important to teach our children the essence of our festivals?

We need to educate our children on the values, traditions and rituals of our festivals for them to carry it forward. And to give them a sense of identity so that they stay connected to their roots.

Q2. How can we keep our children engaged during festivals?

We can share stories, involve them in fun activities, DIY projects and allocate a responsibility to help them contribute to the festivities. The hands-on experience will make it an enjoyable and learning experience for them.