Though many calendars have Diwali’s official date as October 24, 2022, this “festival of lights” is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs in many regions for 5 or even 6 days. Depending on the region, Diwali traditions may differ, as the purpose for celebrating may also vary. However, according to the Hindu American Foundation, the common themes are the “symbolic victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil.”
I have collected some Diwali resources to share with your students in this Wakelet, including a free downloadable toolkit of lessons from the Hindu American Foundation. Along with the toolkit there are some other lessons that are new to the collection this year, as well as some I bookmarked last year.
While I think it’s important for all students to have their cultures understood and for students to learn about the traditions of others, it can be difficult to avoid cultural appropriation. Here is a post I published last year that has some good resources we can all use to help us reflect on how we can encourage learning without reinforcing harmful stereotypes.
