Teach-Primary-Issue-19.7

Religions and cultures around the world have a host of festivals that celebrate their cultures and ideas. Be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule or Yalda Night; many religions have a festival of lights that marks the triumph of light and good over darkness and evil. For some religions these are core festivals, intrinsically linked to faith. For others, they may be minor festivals but can be widely celebrated, even overshadowing those that are theologically more significant. The traditions and theology behind these celebrations are varied and make for a fascinating lesson or lessons. 1 | DIWALI STORIES Begin by exploring the reasons that Hindus celebrate Diwali. Some of these are associated with important sacred stories, including The Story of Rama and Sita, The Defeat of Narakasura, and The Return of the Pandavas. Introduce pupils to a couple of these stories (BBC Teach has a lovely video on Rama and Sita at tinyurl.com/ tp-BBCramasita ) and discuss what they notice. Can they link the name ‘festival of light’ to any elements of the stories? Another reason to celebrate Diwali is worship of Lakshmi. The festival’s main day (known as Lakshmi Puja) is dedicated to the goddess Lakshmi, who is the goddess of wealth, prosperity, and good fortune. The celebrations of Lakshmi Puja involve cleaning the house, setting up alters and offering prayers. How do pupils think the goddess of good fortune and prosperity links to the themes they have heard in the Diwali stories? 2 | DIWALI CELEBRATIONS Having explored the stories and theology behind Diwali, we can now explore the human aspect. While there are many reasons Hindus celebrate Diwali, the manner of celebration is similar. Central is the lighting of rows of diyas (earthenware oil lamps) or other lamps (Diwali means START HERE MAIN LESSON RE Begin with revisiting or introducing Hindu worldview traditions. It is important to explain that Hindu traditions are many and varied, and the typical western notion of Hinduism is an oversimplification of a religion and worldview that has many different approaches to faith. This is important, as there are many different reasons for celebrating Diwali depending on which Hindu tradition a person is part of. You may wish to give a general summary, explaining that there is great variation in tradition and in the sacred texts that are used (e.g. there is no ‘Hindu Bible’ that gives common stories). You could also dispel a few common misconceptions, such as it being a strictly polytheistic religion. l The stories that inspire Diwali in Hindu worldview traditions l How and why other Dharmic religions mark Diwali l The festivals of light that other religions hold l How to compare the theological and human aspects of different festivals WHAT THEY’LL LEARN Many religions find joy in celebrating this five-day festival. Learn all about their traditions with Matthew Lane KS1 / 2 LESSON PLAN theteachinglane.co.uk Beyond the lights: let’s explore Diwali 92 | www.teachwire.net