Diwali is the festival of lights, one of the most recognized and celebrated annual festivals in India and beyond. Folklore has it that it originated from the ancient hindu myth when lord rama returned to ayodhya spectacularly having defeated the demon King Ravana. Lighting diyas, fireworks, and gifts characterise the festival. Besides its religious implications, diwali also signifies the victory of good over evil and light over darkness.
Diwali is a festival of fun and excitement for the children. It offers a great occasion to inject some moral values and, with it the compassion in their little hearts, into flamboyance. It shall be telling them the story of Lord Rama, mixed with values relevant to the festival, so as to stir a mature morality in their lives with compassion in it.
What is a green diwali?
This is a festival that cuts across the wrap of tradition with sustainability. While it has been associated with the celebrations connected with the use of firecrackers and their potentially harmful effects on the environment, a green diwali insists on a celebration that does not compromise the health of our planet.
The operative significance of the green diwali is that it is an avenue through which the planet would benefit. By helping to go easy on firecrackers and making them an approach based on cleanliness, a green diwali is therefore an offer to cleaner air, healthier water, and a sustainable planet. Furthermore, this would provide a possibility for kids to engage in the preparations for a green diwali, thereby giving them the rare experience of instilling responsibility and respect for the environment.
At the time of celebrating diwali environmentally, you will bond with your children, making decorations, cooking traditional foods, and engaging in activities performed for community development. All of this is wonderful for building a relationship together.
Simple eco-friendly diwali ideas for crafts for kids
The best way to go green and welcome the festive spirit of diwali is to engage in these eco-friendly art-and-craft ideas. Some suggestions:
1. Paper lanterns:
Brighten your diwali nights with colourful lanterns made of recycled paper or old newspapers; they contain a small tea candle as a light source.
2. Homemade diyas:
Create beautiful unique and sustainable diyas from clay or natural materials such as coconut shells.
3. Natural items:
Use flowers, leaves, and other natural items to create festive decorations for your house.
4. Paint:
Old bottles, jars, and other such items shine and show off as colourful decorations after they are painted.
Eco-friendly activities for animal and nature conservation
1. Beyond art and crafts:
Crafts provide a creative and fun method to inspire kids towards ecological celebration for diwali, but many are activities that parents can engage their children in to educate them about animal and nature conservation.
2. Community clean-ups:
Organise a neighbourhood or local park cleanup with your family and friends. Get rid of litter and debris that can be a threat to animals and the environment. Look for local organisations that conduct clean-up drives on a regular basis; offer your assistance as a volunteer.
3. Planting trees:
Organise tree planting within the community: trees are considered to be a crucial part of ecosystems as they release oxygen, absorb carbon dioxide, and serve as habitats for wildlife. Lead tree-planting activities in your neighbourhood, your local parks, and/or even your backyard. Donate to organisations involved with reforestation and tree planting.
4. Water conservation:
Teach them how important conserving water is by explaining how the lack of water is a challenge for animals and plants. Make sure to encourage kids to conserve water by turning off taps when they are not in use, having shorter showers, and fixing leaky faucets. Bring water-efficient showerheads, faucets, as well as toilets to your home. Avoid using items like plastic bags, bottles, and straws. Instead of disposable, offer reusable options. These eco-friendly activities will encourage an active role in conserving animals and nature while also offering lessons to children. No action is small; it counts!
Diwali activities for family bonding
This is a holiday for family and friends to come together, expand your definition of family here. These are a few simple activities that can be enjoyed by everyone:
1. Traditional games and activities:
i) Play ludo or snakes and ladder: These two games are perfect for catching up and anyone can join in.
ii) Carrom: this Indian game has been a favourite for generations and is always good for the family.
iii) Diya decorating contest: let’s all make it a competition to see who can make the most beautiful and creative diyas.
iv) Safety demonstration for children during a firecracker: if you are going to use firecrackers make sure you do this so they know how to safely handle them
2. Creative activities:
i) Make rangoli: Have the children sit down and make rangoli using coloured sand, flowers, etc.
ii) Paint or draw: Get some paint and join your children in painting whatever diwali-related picture they like to come up with.
iii) Short stories or poems about diwali: Can be about their favourite memory at diwali time, or anything they came up with.
3. Outdoor activities:
i) Visit a temple or gurdwara: Go to a nearby temple or gurdwara, they will typically have festivities that you can partake in.
ii) Go for a walk or a picnic: Walks are always found to be inspiring, so what better time to connect with our children than on this auspicious day.
iii) Light lanterns: Have each person in the family make a lantern and release it into the sky as a sign of hope, peace, and prosperity!
4. Culinary activities:
i) Cook traditional diwali dishes: Work with the kids and make the diwali food that you and your community are used to eating. This is a good lesson for your kids and who knows they might make a tasty dish you have not had before.
ii) Diwali feast: Make plans for the kids to invite a friend over to dine with the family.
Celebrating a sensitive and creative diwali includes activities to make the festival enjoyable and also support the environment. Instead of traditional firecrackers, families can resort to alternatives like noise-makers or led lights. And make it a point to use natural material decorations that are lovely and sustainable.
While you nurture your children in rituals and traditions that hardly damage the entire universe, diwali can be the ultimate family experience. The aim should remain to celebrate it with sensitivity and creativity, to promote sustainability and the spirit of community. Nurturing traditions, promoting sustainability, and fostering community spirit will indeed inspire diwali to continue on and on through the years for the pleasure of generations to come.
At Delhi Public School (DPS) Warangal, we believe the question of whether or not to rank students is complex and multi-faceted, which compels a re-examination of one’s educational values and aims. Moving away from ranking and towards learning affords students the chance not just to succeed but to grow and thrive with unprecedented generosity.
Although the festival has often been about firecrackers and devastating environmental impacts, there are several innovative ways to celebrate the festival-settling on those which cleave to sound planetary health. In shifting the focus onto real values of diwali-from bonding with family to that of the community and the iniquities of good over evil-we can create a celebration that is fully meaningful and at the same time eco-friendly. Just as we have emphasised the antics of firecrackers, we can turn the tide towards activities that would foster sustainability-holds planting drives, cleaning up roads, and reducing landfill waste.