Aim

To understand Divali as a New Year festival
To become familiar with some of the ways in which Divali is celebrated

Lesson

Begin by revising what was taught in the previous week about New Years. Last week marked the start of a new school year for millions of children all around the world. However for millions of Indian people all around the world, this time of year marks the start of a new calender year also. Indian people celebrate the start of their new year with the festival known as Divali.

Use a video, images or text to describe the celebration of Divali.

Activity

Following discussion, groups of children can:

• create a rangoli pattern
• design a Divali card
• make a diva
• make barfi
• make a garland
• talk about the similarities between Divali and more secular New Year celebrations
• talk about the symbolism within the celebrations, for example, new clothes, the perfumed bath, the lamps.

A Primary Vision resource provided by Stockport Christians in Schools Trust