Community Holidays: Reflections on Diwali

Khan Lab School

November 3, 2021 / 5 mins read

This year, Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, is observed on Thursday, November 4, 2021. The following is a blog post about Diwali written by Mansi Patel, one of our KLS parents.KLS community members are encouraged to share about holidays they observe for future blog posts bycompleting this Google Form.

A photo of a rangoli colorful powder design on the floor for Diwali. — *Rangoli design*

The word Diwali, or Dipawali, translates to “row of lights.” Diwali is one of the main festivals of India. It is celebrated with the lighting of many small lamps, called diyas, around the home. These diyas are small earthen bowls and come in many varieties. People fill them with oil and use a cotton wick to create the lamp.

To prepare for Diwali, we clean and paint our home. We decorate our home with diyas, flower garlands, and rangolis—designs made on the floor with colorful powder.

A photo of Ghugara/ Gujiya, which are sweets made for Diwali. — *Ghugara / Gujiya (sweet)*

During Diwali, we make many sweets and savory treats (like ghugara / gujiya and mathiya) at home and invite family and friends over for dinner.

The day after Diwali marks our new year. Many people around the world celebrate this day as their new year, and it is a holiday for them. Early in the morning, we dress in new clothes and visit Temple to pay our respect and seek blessings from God. After that, we visit our elders to seek their blessings.

Diwali is the time to perform special rituals, visit family and friends, and celebrate this special time of the year together.

A photo of Mathiya, a savory treat made for Diwali. — *Mathiya (savory)*

We wish you all a very happy, healthy, and prosperous Diwali!