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Titoki Holi at BestStart Manuroa
Beststart Manuroa Road (Titoki, Centre 3) had a great start of this month with a festive mood.
Our tamariki and kaiako were busy and excited preparing for Holi which is an Indian festival. Holi, also known either as the festival of colours, love or spring, is one of the most popular and significant festivals in Hinduism. We, at Titoki decided to celebrate holi in a sustainable way.
Our tamariki made their own natural colours using flowers, leaves, cornflour and food colour. This process of making natural Holi colours took us a week and was a great learning curve for all of us. Our tamariki learnt about sustainability and the importance of using natural materials on our skin and in our body.
On the day of celebration i.e., on 8th March, our tamariki and kaiako came dressed in beautiful cultural clothes. They started the celebration by applying 'Tilak' on each other's forehead. Tilak is considered to be sacred and auspicious in Hindu culture. It is believed that it enhances the intuitive power, generates devotion and imparts serenity. Tilak ensures connecting with the divine energy as our own body is considered the temple of God.
After that our children learnt about the process of making traditional Indian dessert 'Kheer' using milk and rice by observing their kaiako. We ended our celebrations by eating the yummy 'Kheer' together and discussing the highlights of the day for each of us.