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, so many resources are available to learn about other cultures. I have found several Diwali-themed activities to do with my girls, recipes for us to make together, and some ideas for Diwali-themed gifts.
Books and Stories
On Amazon, I have found some great children’s books about Diwali. We started reading Amma, Tell Me About Diwali a few weeks ago, and my daughter has been educating all of us on the story of Diwali since then. They also love Raaga’s Song: A Diwali Story.
Coloring Sheets
If you search 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 my first, 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 you could imagine.
So, in addition to traditional curries, which we make year-round, last year for Diwali, we made a traditional Indian sweet called pedal. Perhaps not the healthiest of recipes, but they are easy (just four ingredients!) and fun for the girls to make. My girls love rolling the dough and stamping it with a spool.
Gifts and Toys
Uncle Goose wooden blocks are beautiful, made in the United States, and they have many fun options. Some options include traditional blocks, numbers, and numerous language block options. I may have been the first to order the Hindi blocks, and I am excited to give them to the girls this Diwali.