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Celebrating Diwali at BestStart Pyes Pa
ਸਤਿ ਸ੍ਰੀ ਅਕਾਲ Sat Sri Akaal
Diwali is one of the most exciting times of the year for our Indian families and it allows us all to celebrate this festival of light to further strengthen and honour our cultural ties and connections.
Diwali is the festival of lights which is celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains around the world, including those that are in New Zealand. The significance of Diwali is the removal of darkness and ignorance from the mind, instead filling it with knowledge and goodness.
Over the last couple of weeks we have been completely immersed in discovering more about India's amazing and colourful culture. This has been a super-exciting time filled with a range of interesting learning opportunities specifically designed to support our tamariki to develop a better understanding of the world around them; nurturing their open-mindedness, developing compassion for others and providing opportunities to develop an understanding and respect for the difference of others.
This links with our localised curriculum by embodying whakamana/empowerment - being proud of who we are; our culture, beliefs and abilities and kaitiakitanga me manaakitanga/citizenship - showing respect and acceptance for all irrespective of their gender, culture, religion etc.
Our kaiako worked with our tamariki to gain a deeper understanding of the Diwali Festival through hands-on activities leading up to our evening celebration, including making paper lanterns, diyas, reading stories about Diwali, showing off our Indian dance moves and decorating our walls and ceiling with colourful decorations.
“Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit” - Jawaharlal Nehru