Diwali: Hindu Festival of Lights - Montessori Curriculum Activities and Reading

I must confess that I had not heard of the festival of Diwali until I viewed a television program episode that featured it. After that introduction, I began discussing Diwali with my Montessori students. They really enjoyed comparing Diwali to other cultural celebrations, and were delighted to find some similarities to ones they were more familiar with, like Hanukah.

Diwali is celebrated for five days. It follows the lunar calendar, and takes place on the fifteenth day of Kartika (the Hindu month that corresponds with October/November). Diwali means “rows of lighted lamps” and the celebration is known as the Festival of Lights.” People create rows of lights to commemorate heroes in Indian mythology who have triumphed over evil. Small oil lamps called diyas are lit in homes, gardens, outside walls, etc. There are many interesting Montessori activities to explore Diwali that you can share with your students.