Hey There!
EU-MIND Values-16: Festivals & Celebrations
Action Plan:
- Shourya is the Group Leader and is responsible for taking care of Other Tasks.
- I, Samarth, am the Editor for the WEEBLY page, and I will also prepare the Questionnaries.
- Atharva is our Photographer and Video Editor.
- Aryan will take care of our Interviews.
- Afreen is the one who will Write our Reports and will Summarize our Answers.
PHASE III: |
The Research on the Topic: |
|
A) The Main Question:
Do the festivals and celebrations in our families/community show respect and tolerance for various cultures and religions?
Sub-Questions:
(a)Description:
(i)Diwali:
Intro & What Happens? Diwali (or Deepavali, the "festival of lights") is one of the largest and brightest festivals in India. The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. Its celebration includes millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, around temples and other buildings in the communities and countries where it is observed. The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five-day period, but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Luni-solar month Kartika. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali night falls between mid-October and mid-November.
Role of family members & who attends the Celebrations? Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate, and decorate their homes and offices. They do the laundry, clean all the rooms and sort out their papers in both their home and business. It's like a spring cleaning of sorts, a "cleansing" ritual to rid oneself of any unnecessary elements in one’s environment. On Diwali night, Hindus dress up in new clothes or their best outfit, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in family puja (prayers) typically to Lakshmi – the goddess of wealth and prosperity. After puja, fireworks follow, which are burnt and enjoyed alongwith friends and family. Then, a family feast including ‘Mithais’ (sweets) and ‘Pakwans’ (traditional dishes) and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends follows. Deepavali also marks a major shopping period in nations where it is celebrated.
How is the house decorated? Firstly, people draw small footprints with Rice Flour and Vermillion powder, which is a way of indicating that they are waiting for the arrival of the Goddess Lakshmi. Secondly, people make the entrance way to their home or business colorful using the traditional motifs of Rangoli designs. These along with the interior rooms and the entrance door of the house is decorated with bells, flower garlands, wall hangings, mirrors, LED lights, etc. This is a joyful way to welcome the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity. Thirdly, in the evening, people light small oil lamps (called "diyas") and place them around the home. They also turn all the LED lights on. The lamps symbolize knowledge or one's inner light, which brings about inner peace and fights off any traces of darkness and ignorance.
Special Dishes Served: Traditionally, on Diwali night, many Mithais and Pakwans are served to the guests and to the family members, mostly comprising of Kheer, Kaju-Katli, Mysore Pak, Kulfi, Kesari Jalebi, Chikki, Malpua and Coconut Ladoo/ Burfi.
Do the festivals and celebrations in our families/community show respect and tolerance for various cultures and religions?
Sub-Questions:
(a)Description:
(i)Diwali:
Intro & What Happens? Diwali (or Deepavali, the "festival of lights") is one of the largest and brightest festivals in India. The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair. Its celebration includes millions of lights shining on housetops, outside doors and windows, around temples and other buildings in the communities and countries where it is observed. The festival preparations and rituals typically extend over a five-day period, but the main festival night of Diwali coincides with the darkest, new moon night of the Hindu Luni-solar month Kartika. In the Gregorian calendar, Diwali night falls between mid-October and mid-November.
Role of family members & who attends the Celebrations? Before Diwali night, people clean, renovate, and decorate their homes and offices. They do the laundry, clean all the rooms and sort out their papers in both their home and business. It's like a spring cleaning of sorts, a "cleansing" ritual to rid oneself of any unnecessary elements in one’s environment. On Diwali night, Hindus dress up in new clothes or their best outfit, light up diyas (lamps and candles) inside and outside their home, participate in family puja (prayers) typically to Lakshmi – the goddess of wealth and prosperity. After puja, fireworks follow, which are burnt and enjoyed alongwith friends and family. Then, a family feast including ‘Mithais’ (sweets) and ‘Pakwans’ (traditional dishes) and an exchange of gifts between family members and close friends follows. Deepavali also marks a major shopping period in nations where it is celebrated.
How is the house decorated? Firstly, people draw small footprints with Rice Flour and Vermillion powder, which is a way of indicating that they are waiting for the arrival of the Goddess Lakshmi. Secondly, people make the entrance way to their home or business colorful using the traditional motifs of Rangoli designs. These along with the interior rooms and the entrance door of the house is decorated with bells, flower garlands, wall hangings, mirrors, LED lights, etc. This is a joyful way to welcome the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity. Thirdly, in the evening, people light small oil lamps (called "diyas") and place them around the home. They also turn all the LED lights on. The lamps symbolize knowledge or one's inner light, which brings about inner peace and fights off any traces of darkness and ignorance.
Special Dishes Served: Traditionally, on Diwali night, many Mithais and Pakwans are served to the guests and to the family members, mostly comprising of Kheer, Kaju-Katli, Mysore Pak, Kulfi, Kesari Jalebi, Chikki, Malpua and Coconut Ladoo/ Burfi.
(ii)Christmas:
What Happens? Christmas is a Christian holiday that honors the birth of Jesus and a cultural holiday for non-Christians.
It is celebrated all over the world, as a religious holiday or as a time of celebration by Christians and non-Christians alike. The traditions are different from country to country, but they nearly always include a feast, giving gifts or cards, and enjoying church or public festivities such as singing Christmas carols and songs. Santa Claus is a tradition in many countries of the world.
How are houses decorated during Christmas: During Christmas all types of Christmas themed ornaments and lights can be seen everywhere. People decorate their homes and put colorful garlands of lights in their windows. Not to be forgotten are the Christmas trees, with which most people choose to decorate their homes with when Christmas draws near. In India, people use the Coniferous Pines which they plant in their gardens while some use artificial trees, but what the trees all have in common is that they are beautifully decorated with both lights and ornaments.
Who attends the celebration? The entire Christmas season is a time of celebration, many people go to special family parties or spend time with friends and may dress up more than usual. However, on Christmas day, many people are at home with their family, and just spend time together while they open presents.
Special dishes served: Indian people cook a variety of foods on Christmas, including Biryani with chicken or lamb/mutton, chicken and mutton curry, followed by cake or sweets like Kheer. Long established Christian communities such as Goan Catholics have pork dishes as part of their main course of their Christmas dinner. These include Pork Vindaloo and Sorpatel. For dessert a dish called Bebinca is popular.
What Happens? Christmas is a Christian holiday that honors the birth of Jesus and a cultural holiday for non-Christians.
It is celebrated all over the world, as a religious holiday or as a time of celebration by Christians and non-Christians alike. The traditions are different from country to country, but they nearly always include a feast, giving gifts or cards, and enjoying church or public festivities such as singing Christmas carols and songs. Santa Claus is a tradition in many countries of the world.
How are houses decorated during Christmas: During Christmas all types of Christmas themed ornaments and lights can be seen everywhere. People decorate their homes and put colorful garlands of lights in their windows. Not to be forgotten are the Christmas trees, with which most people choose to decorate their homes with when Christmas draws near. In India, people use the Coniferous Pines which they plant in their gardens while some use artificial trees, but what the trees all have in common is that they are beautifully decorated with both lights and ornaments.
Who attends the celebration? The entire Christmas season is a time of celebration, many people go to special family parties or spend time with friends and may dress up more than usual. However, on Christmas day, many people are at home with their family, and just spend time together while they open presents.
Special dishes served: Indian people cook a variety of foods on Christmas, including Biryani with chicken or lamb/mutton, chicken and mutton curry, followed by cake or sweets like Kheer. Long established Christian communities such as Goan Catholics have pork dishes as part of their main course of their Christmas dinner. These include Pork Vindaloo and Sorpatel. For dessert a dish called Bebinca is popular.
(iii)Navratri:
What happens? Navaratri or Navadurga Parva happens to be the most auspicious and unique period of devotional practices and worship of Shakti (the sublime, ultimate, absolute creative energy) of the Divine conceptualized as the Mother Goddess-Durga, which lasts for nine days. These nine days are filled with special pujas, yagnas, rituals, fasting, meditations, silence, singing and dancing honoring Mother Divine, her entire creation- all forms of life, all forms of art, music and knowledge. She is worshipped as the savior of mankind from ignorance and all forms of evil.
How the house is decorated? Traditional diyas, copper or steel thalis(plates), brass table diyas, rangolis, and decorative brass, copper and silver ornaments are some of the decoration accessories that people use to deck up their houses for this nine-day festival. Also, those people who have the idols of Goddess Durga in their homes decorate her with expensive clothes, jewelries and accessories to make her look more beautiful than ever.
Special dishes served: Traditionally, dishes like Sabudana Khichdi, Kuttu (buckwheat flour) dosa, Samosa, Kheer, Lassi (sweet buttermilk), and rice flour Dhokla are savoured and eaten by the people.
What happens? Navaratri or Navadurga Parva happens to be the most auspicious and unique period of devotional practices and worship of Shakti (the sublime, ultimate, absolute creative energy) of the Divine conceptualized as the Mother Goddess-Durga, which lasts for nine days. These nine days are filled with special pujas, yagnas, rituals, fasting, meditations, silence, singing and dancing honoring Mother Divine, her entire creation- all forms of life, all forms of art, music and knowledge. She is worshipped as the savior of mankind from ignorance and all forms of evil.
How the house is decorated? Traditional diyas, copper or steel thalis(plates), brass table diyas, rangolis, and decorative brass, copper and silver ornaments are some of the decoration accessories that people use to deck up their houses for this nine-day festival. Also, those people who have the idols of Goddess Durga in their homes decorate her with expensive clothes, jewelries and accessories to make her look more beautiful than ever.
Special dishes served: Traditionally, dishes like Sabudana Khichdi, Kuttu (buckwheat flour) dosa, Samosa, Kheer, Lassi (sweet buttermilk), and rice flour Dhokla are savoured and eaten by the people.
(iv)Ganesh Chaturthi:
What Happens? Ganesh Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated in honour of the elephant-headed god, Ganpati/Ganesh. The festival generally lasts ten-eleven days, but family traditions differ about when to end the celebration. Domestic celebrations may end after 1, 1-1⁄2, 3, 5, 7 or 11 days, when the idol is brought to a body of water (such as a lake, river or the sea) for immersion. Due to environmental concerns, a number of families now avoid bodies of water and let the clay statue dissolve in a container of water at home. After a few days, the clay is used in the home garden. In some cities a public, eco-friendly process is used for the immersion.
Role of the family members: In homes, families install small clay statues for worship during the festival. The idol is worshiped in the morning and evening with offerings of flowers, Durva, Karanji and Modaks. The worship ends with the singing of an aarti in honour of Ganesh, other gods and saints.
How is the house decorated? To get a beautiful Ganpati décor, people select a nice corner and turn it into their pooja (worship) space. They then cover the background and the table with red bandhani (a type of cloth) material and decorate their pooja room with flowers, and add hangings on side walls. They also place an arch around the idol. They also add flowers to the platform and light it up to get a cool and beautiful look, as lights can add a magical effect to one’s Ganpati decoration. Some use thermocol to make a gorgeous pooja mandap for Ganpati and then they paint the mandap and decorate it with glittery designs.
Special dishes served: Whilst the tiring preparations and celebrations of the festival, the people have mouthwatering and tasty sweets and dishes, filling their stomachs to their full. Some of these special dishes are Modak, Sabudana Laddoo, fruit Kheer, Tamarind rice (Puliyodarai), Badaam (Almond) Laddoo, Sev Puri (a traditional snack), Coconut Barfi, and Pedhas.
What Happens? Ganesh Chaturthi is the Hindu festival celebrated in honour of the elephant-headed god, Ganpati/Ganesh. The festival generally lasts ten-eleven days, but family traditions differ about when to end the celebration. Domestic celebrations may end after 1, 1-1⁄2, 3, 5, 7 or 11 days, when the idol is brought to a body of water (such as a lake, river or the sea) for immersion. Due to environmental concerns, a number of families now avoid bodies of water and let the clay statue dissolve in a container of water at home. After a few days, the clay is used in the home garden. In some cities a public, eco-friendly process is used for the immersion.
Role of the family members: In homes, families install small clay statues for worship during the festival. The idol is worshiped in the morning and evening with offerings of flowers, Durva, Karanji and Modaks. The worship ends with the singing of an aarti in honour of Ganesh, other gods and saints.
How is the house decorated? To get a beautiful Ganpati décor, people select a nice corner and turn it into their pooja (worship) space. They then cover the background and the table with red bandhani (a type of cloth) material and decorate their pooja room with flowers, and add hangings on side walls. They also place an arch around the idol. They also add flowers to the platform and light it up to get a cool and beautiful look, as lights can add a magical effect to one’s Ganpati decoration. Some use thermocol to make a gorgeous pooja mandap for Ganpati and then they paint the mandap and decorate it with glittery designs.
Special dishes served: Whilst the tiring preparations and celebrations of the festival, the people have mouthwatering and tasty sweets and dishes, filling their stomachs to their full. Some of these special dishes are Modak, Sabudana Laddoo, fruit Kheer, Tamarind rice (Puliyodarai), Badaam (Almond) Laddoo, Sev Puri (a traditional snack), Coconut Barfi, and Pedhas.
(b)How do people celebrate these festivals at home and in town?
(i)Diwali:
Diwali marks the beginning of the New Year according to the Hindu calendar. Also known as the festival of lights, Diwali encourages artistic expression through vibrant performances, unique exhibits, and colorful decorations. Even Bollywood (Indian Cinema) loves Diwali, On-screen and off it. The week leading to Diwali always is officially the party season. All egos and problems are cast aside as all actors and actresses gather at parties bedecked in finery. The ones who attended swore that they got all that was promised and more.
Also, most of these stars joined a campaign of a ‘Pollution-free Diwali’ with the motto ‘Green Diwali, Safe Diwali’, and ‘This Diwali, say NO to Crackers’ this year-2015. And surely, many people paid heed to their advice and this time, the Air and Noise Pollution levels were comparatively lower. See, these people have the right idea, if lesser crackers would be burnt, there would be lesser mishaps and lesser accidents and automatically Diwali would become a lot safer, more Eco-Friendly, and full of more happiness.
Other Target Groups: On the same night that Hindus celebrate Diwali, Jains celebrate a festival of lights to mark the attainment of ‘Moksha’ by Mahavira, Sikhs celebrate ‘Bandi Chhor’ Divas and some Buddhists also celebrate Diwali remembering the great Indian Emperor Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism. Diwali is an official holiday in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji. It is also celebrated where there are large Indian communities living such as in Canada, USA, Britain, South Africa and New Zealand.
(i)Diwali:
Diwali marks the beginning of the New Year according to the Hindu calendar. Also known as the festival of lights, Diwali encourages artistic expression through vibrant performances, unique exhibits, and colorful decorations. Even Bollywood (Indian Cinema) loves Diwali, On-screen and off it. The week leading to Diwali always is officially the party season. All egos and problems are cast aside as all actors and actresses gather at parties bedecked in finery. The ones who attended swore that they got all that was promised and more.
Also, most of these stars joined a campaign of a ‘Pollution-free Diwali’ with the motto ‘Green Diwali, Safe Diwali’, and ‘This Diwali, say NO to Crackers’ this year-2015. And surely, many people paid heed to their advice and this time, the Air and Noise Pollution levels were comparatively lower. See, these people have the right idea, if lesser crackers would be burnt, there would be lesser mishaps and lesser accidents and automatically Diwali would become a lot safer, more Eco-Friendly, and full of more happiness.
Other Target Groups: On the same night that Hindus celebrate Diwali, Jains celebrate a festival of lights to mark the attainment of ‘Moksha’ by Mahavira, Sikhs celebrate ‘Bandi Chhor’ Divas and some Buddhists also celebrate Diwali remembering the great Indian Emperor Ashoka’s conversion to Buddhism. Diwali is an official holiday in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji. It is also celebrated where there are large Indian communities living such as in Canada, USA, Britain, South Africa and New Zealand.
(ii)Christmas:
Christmas Day is a public holiday in the nation, and is even celebrated culturally by a large number of non-Christian people, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.
Many Christians mark Christmas Day by attending special church services, spending time with family members, wearing new clothes and eating a festive meal. Some families exchange gifts or give small presents or sweets to children. They may display small electric lamps or small clay oil-burning lamps and decorate their homes with banana or mango leaves. Some also put up a nativity scene with clay figures or a Christmas tree. Christmas trees in India are usually imitation pine trees or branches of native trees or bushes. The most notable of the decorations are the beautiful garlands of lights that can be seen all over the town.
Some stores and malls may put up Christmas decorations and have actors playing Santa. Christmas celebrations in tourist areas and hotels may be created to emulate how Christmas Day is celebrated in the countries where tourists and travelers are from.
In residential buildings, railway stations, places of work, schools and shopping malls, multicolored garlands of lights can be seen. The beautifully decorated Christmas trees are, however, not only to be seen in people´s homes. Most schools and workplaces also put up decorated Christmas trees, and this is not to mention all the trees that are set up outdoors. It may sound strange to people nowadays, who have never known Christmas without all the lights and decorations, but in India, where the Christmas celebrations are not comparatively as grand as in other countries, happiness and loveliness are still felt amongst the people.
Christmas Day is a public holiday in the nation, and is even celebrated culturally by a large number of non-Christian people, and is an integral part of the Christmas and holiday season.
Many Christians mark Christmas Day by attending special church services, spending time with family members, wearing new clothes and eating a festive meal. Some families exchange gifts or give small presents or sweets to children. They may display small electric lamps or small clay oil-burning lamps and decorate their homes with banana or mango leaves. Some also put up a nativity scene with clay figures or a Christmas tree. Christmas trees in India are usually imitation pine trees or branches of native trees or bushes. The most notable of the decorations are the beautiful garlands of lights that can be seen all over the town.
Some stores and malls may put up Christmas decorations and have actors playing Santa. Christmas celebrations in tourist areas and hotels may be created to emulate how Christmas Day is celebrated in the countries where tourists and travelers are from.
In residential buildings, railway stations, places of work, schools and shopping malls, multicolored garlands of lights can be seen. The beautifully decorated Christmas trees are, however, not only to be seen in people´s homes. Most schools and workplaces also put up decorated Christmas trees, and this is not to mention all the trees that are set up outdoors. It may sound strange to people nowadays, who have never known Christmas without all the lights and decorations, but in India, where the Christmas celebrations are not comparatively as grand as in other countries, happiness and loveliness are still felt amongst the people.
(iii)Navratri:
In Western India, particularly in the state of Gujarat, Navratri is celebrated with the famous Garba and Dandiya-Raas dance. Garba is a graceful form of dance, wherein women dance gracefully in circles around a pot containing a lamp. Besides the Garba is the Dandiya dance, in which men and women participate in pairs with small, decorated bamboo sticks, called dandiyas in their hands. At the end of these dandiyas are tied tiny bells called ghungroos that make a jingling sound when the sticks hit one another. The dance has a complex rhythm. The dancers begin with a slow tempo, and go into frenzied movements, in such a manner that each person in a circle not only performs a solo dance with his own sticks, but also strikes his partner’s dandiyas in style!
In Western India, particularly in the state of Gujarat, Navratri is celebrated with the famous Garba and Dandiya-Raas dance. Garba is a graceful form of dance, wherein women dance gracefully in circles around a pot containing a lamp. Besides the Garba is the Dandiya dance, in which men and women participate in pairs with small, decorated bamboo sticks, called dandiyas in their hands. At the end of these dandiyas are tied tiny bells called ghungroos that make a jingling sound when the sticks hit one another. The dance has a complex rhythm. The dancers begin with a slow tempo, and go into frenzied movements, in such a manner that each person in a circle not only performs a solo dance with his own sticks, but also strikes his partner’s dandiyas in style!
(iv)Ganesh Chaturthi:
The festival is celebrated in public and at home. The public celebration involves installing clay images of Ganesha in public pandals (temporary shrines) and group worship, with the ladies singing the aarti traditionally. At home, an appropriately-sized clay image is installed and worshiped with family and friends. At the end of the festival, the idols are immersed (and dissolve) in a body of water such as a lake or pond.
In Maharashtra the Marathi aarti "Sukhakarta Dukhaharta", composed by Samarth Ramdas in the 17th century, is sung. In Goa, Parvati and Shiva (the God parents of Ganesh) are worshiped by women, who fast. Communities who ordinarily eat seafood refrain from doing so during the festival.
The target groups and places: It is celebrated throughout India, particularly in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Odisha and other parts of western and southern India. Abroad, Ganesh Chaturthi is observed in the Terai region of Nepal and by the Hindu diaspora in the United States, Canada and Mauritius.
The Celebrations carried out in our town: Living in Mumbai, the capital of the Western state Maharashtra, the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration here is one of the biggest, and on one of the largest scales. Thousands of Lakhs of Mumbaikars (people of Mumbai) take part in the celebartions, most of them keeping Lord Ganesha’s idol in their houses for worship. And those who can’t keep an idol at their homes take part in the celebrations by contributing an amount of the making of a pandal in their area. Some of the celebrations are as follows:
The festival is celebrated in public and at home. The public celebration involves installing clay images of Ganesha in public pandals (temporary shrines) and group worship, with the ladies singing the aarti traditionally. At home, an appropriately-sized clay image is installed and worshiped with family and friends. At the end of the festival, the idols are immersed (and dissolve) in a body of water such as a lake or pond.
In Maharashtra the Marathi aarti "Sukhakarta Dukhaharta", composed by Samarth Ramdas in the 17th century, is sung. In Goa, Parvati and Shiva (the God parents of Ganesh) are worshiped by women, who fast. Communities who ordinarily eat seafood refrain from doing so during the festival.
The target groups and places: It is celebrated throughout India, particularly in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Odisha and other parts of western and southern India. Abroad, Ganesh Chaturthi is observed in the Terai region of Nepal and by the Hindu diaspora in the United States, Canada and Mauritius.
The Celebrations carried out in our town: Living in Mumbai, the capital of the Western state Maharashtra, the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration here is one of the biggest, and on one of the largest scales. Thousands of Lakhs of Mumbaikars (people of Mumbai) take part in the celebartions, most of them keeping Lord Ganesha’s idol in their houses for worship. And those who can’t keep an idol at their homes take part in the celebrations by contributing an amount of the making of a pandal in their area. Some of the celebrations are as follows:
(c)Values shown by these festivals:
(i)Diwali: Diwali teaches us to have Faith and Love for Light which is symbol of Purity, Knowledge, Truth, good deeds and all good. It teaches us that we must believe in the power of Good over Bad as we prefer Light over Darkness. It gives us values to kindle our Inner Light and to value cleanliness, as Lakshmi dwells in a clean environment. It is a perfect time to show love to our dear ones. It is a festival of social brotherhood and is sign of Prosperity. (ii)Christmas: Christmas strengthens our faith as after all, the heartwarming story of the infant Jesus born in the manger is the reason for the season. It inspires us to dream, to wish, to hope for greater things in life as Christmas is the best time to share our hopes and dreams as a family. It teaches us to value simplicity, as the real value of a Christmas gift doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, simple but meaningful gifts are often more appreciated. It also teaches us to experience joy through sharing, as true happiness is not always about getting what they want for Christmas; rather, it’s about being able to give and making a difference in others. (iii)Ganesh Chaturthi: The festival teaches us to be obedient and dutiful to our parents and elders in the family, to be loyal to the task we have been assigned, to show our regard and love for our parents and to not allow ourselves to be held down by our physical limitations. It also teaches us to use wisdom and courage to handle complex situations, and to make ourselves useful to achieve something purposeful, as selflessness is difficult but a much-valued virtue of a good human being. |
|
(d)Our group's favourite festival:
Our group’s favorite festival is Diwali. As mentioned earlier, it is the Festival of Lights. During this festival, the whole of Mumbai and also the whole nation looks like a night sky, with thousands of twinkling stars and the city no longer is dark for the five days of the festival. We enjoy meeting our relatives and close friends, and celebrating with them. Also, decorating and cleaning the house and eating sweets and dishes together with one’s family is fun in itself! Therefore, Diwali is our group’s favorite festival.
Our group’s favorite festival is Diwali. As mentioned earlier, it is the Festival of Lights. During this festival, the whole of Mumbai and also the whole nation looks like a night sky, with thousands of twinkling stars and the city no longer is dark for the five days of the festival. We enjoy meeting our relatives and close friends, and celebrating with them. Also, decorating and cleaning the house and eating sweets and dishes together with one’s family is fun in itself! Therefore, Diwali is our group’s favorite festival.
(e)How do schools take part in festivals in our town?
In our town, the main celebrations that take place are National Children’s Day (14th November), a Diwali party, a Christmas party and sometimes a New-Years party and a Navratri Dance too. In our school Christ Church, we have a Children’s Day party, a Diwali-Dhamaka (A Diwali based fun-fair just before the Mid-Term holidays), a Dandiya Nite (a Navratri dance themed night, where students, parents and teachers come to the school and dance with Dandiyas and then enjoy snacks), and a Christmas and New-Years party (for junior and middle schoolers, just before the Christmas Vacation).
In our town, the main celebrations that take place are National Children’s Day (14th November), a Diwali party, a Christmas party and sometimes a New-Years party and a Navratri Dance too. In our school Christ Church, we have a Children’s Day party, a Diwali-Dhamaka (A Diwali based fun-fair just before the Mid-Term holidays), a Dandiya Nite (a Navratri dance themed night, where students, parents and teachers come to the school and dance with Dandiyas and then enjoy snacks), and a Christmas and New-Years party (for junior and middle schoolers, just before the Christmas Vacation).
Dandiya Nite in our school:
Our Principal and Vice Principal lighting the lamp to inaugurate the Dandiya Nite:
B)How was everything carried out?
(a)Research activities conducted by group members: To compose our article, each of the group members gathered information on one-one festival, and mailed everything to me (the editor). Shourya researched on Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi. Aryan researched on Christmas. I, Samarth, researched on Navratri and prepared the questionnaires. Atharva did not research on anything, but he was our video editor, and he made our Intro video. Also, he gathered and gave me all the images we needed for our article. Afreen summarized the outcomes on the individual interviews. Then, we all discussed for the values of the festivals, and decided which festival teaches us what, and also I and Aryan discussed what-what to include in our conclusion, so that I could include these in our article. Then, I edited and typed the individual reports on our selected festivals, our summary, our conclusion, and the outcomes of our research. In the end, I have now published everything on our page on Weebly, along with the images and our interview summary.
(b)People Interviewed: I interviewed all our group members about their favorite festival, how do they celebrate it, why is it their favorite festival, and about the main question that do they feel that the festivals and celebrations in our families/communities show respect and tolerance for other various cultures and religions. Also, they were asked if they themselves respected all of the festivals. Then, all of them interviewed their families (parents and siblings) on the same topics as above. In total, 15 people have been interviewed (only the group members and families). The age level of the interviewed people was teenagers (14-16) and adults (35-45).
(c)Bibliography: Apart from our group discussions, the URL of the sites which we thank for providing us with the rest of the gathered information and images are:
www.google.co.in food.ndtv.com
www.rediff.com www.wikihow.com
kleverkid.in www.boldsky.com
www.dailytimes.com www.wikipedia.com
(a)Research activities conducted by group members: To compose our article, each of the group members gathered information on one-one festival, and mailed everything to me (the editor). Shourya researched on Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi. Aryan researched on Christmas. I, Samarth, researched on Navratri and prepared the questionnaires. Atharva did not research on anything, but he was our video editor, and he made our Intro video. Also, he gathered and gave me all the images we needed for our article. Afreen summarized the outcomes on the individual interviews. Then, we all discussed for the values of the festivals, and decided which festival teaches us what, and also I and Aryan discussed what-what to include in our conclusion, so that I could include these in our article. Then, I edited and typed the individual reports on our selected festivals, our summary, our conclusion, and the outcomes of our research. In the end, I have now published everything on our page on Weebly, along with the images and our interview summary.
(b)People Interviewed: I interviewed all our group members about their favorite festival, how do they celebrate it, why is it their favorite festival, and about the main question that do they feel that the festivals and celebrations in our families/communities show respect and tolerance for other various cultures and religions. Also, they were asked if they themselves respected all of the festivals. Then, all of them interviewed their families (parents and siblings) on the same topics as above. In total, 15 people have been interviewed (only the group members and families). The age level of the interviewed people was teenagers (14-16) and adults (35-45).
(c)Bibliography: Apart from our group discussions, the URL of the sites which we thank for providing us with the rest of the gathered information and images are:
www.google.co.in food.ndtv.com
www.rediff.com www.wikihow.com
kleverkid.in www.boldsky.com
www.dailytimes.com www.wikipedia.com
C)Outcomes of the research:
The outcomes of the research after editing all the reports on the festivals was the first part of the article that is included above as a part of the main question. The summary on the individual interviews is was that most of the people loved Diwali the most, and this was because it was the Festival of Lights and they liked to meet their friends and relatives. But, some of them also loved Eid, because they liked to exchange presents, dress in traditional and new clothes, visit the mosque for Eid prayers, then jump from house to house meeting family friends and eating food.
So, you see, there are a lot of similarities between Diwali and Eid, and people like them for more or less the same reasons, just that their names and the religions who celebrate them are different. This is the case for most of the festivals and celebrations in our community, city, and country. Also, everyone agreed to the fact that every festival and every religion in our community shows respect for the others, and they themselves too respected them. So, I end my summary here, also agreeing that I myself too respect every festival that is celebrated in our community.
The outcomes of the research after editing all the reports on the festivals was the first part of the article that is included above as a part of the main question. The summary on the individual interviews is was that most of the people loved Diwali the most, and this was because it was the Festival of Lights and they liked to meet their friends and relatives. But, some of them also loved Eid, because they liked to exchange presents, dress in traditional and new clothes, visit the mosque for Eid prayers, then jump from house to house meeting family friends and eating food.
So, you see, there are a lot of similarities between Diwali and Eid, and people like them for more or less the same reasons, just that their names and the religions who celebrate them are different. This is the case for most of the festivals and celebrations in our community, city, and country. Also, everyone agreed to the fact that every festival and every religion in our community shows respect for the others, and they themselves too respected them. So, I end my summary here, also agreeing that I myself too respect every festival that is celebrated in our community.
D)The conclusion on the main question:
Yes, the festivals and celebrations in our families/communities show respect and tolerance for other various cultures and religions. Within all of our families, no one discriminates against people with another religion or culture. Even people of lower castes, and the Secluded Tribes and Secluded Castes (STs and SCs) are given the respect that they deserve and the government takes up their bringing up and upliftment and preserving their cultures, traditions and festivals as its own responsibility. Actually, most of our families want to learn more about other people’s habits. We respect the habits people with other religions and traditions have.
Everybody, of every community, religion and caste is welcome to come and party with us and our community at festivals and other celebrations. For Example, during Navratri, when the dance procession is going on, not only Hindus, but all the people of all other religions are welcome to join in with the others and enjoy each other’s company. The same goes with the Public Pandals (temporary shrines set up mainly for Ganpati and for Goddess Durga, during Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri respectively), where anyone, and everyone is welcome to come and worship the God. Despite of the fact that most people respect various cultures and religions here, there is always an exception, some people do discriminate and sometimes the police have to take over, and the victims are given justice.
Our community shows respect by giving people a day off/holiday for their important festivals; for Example, Eid, a Muslim festival which marks the end of Ramadan, and Christmas, one of the main Christian festivals, are treated as national holidays. This helps the minorities to feel that they also are important in the formation of our community. Our community also shows respect by building foreign supermarkets in our country so people from other countries are not forced to adapt to the Indian traditions and customs. For example Poland can make a typical Polish dish.
Therefore, I conclude my article, by strongly agreeing to the fact that yes, the festivals and celebrations in our families/community show respect and tolerance for various cultures and religions, and it will be so forever.
Yes, the festivals and celebrations in our families/communities show respect and tolerance for other various cultures and religions. Within all of our families, no one discriminates against people with another religion or culture. Even people of lower castes, and the Secluded Tribes and Secluded Castes (STs and SCs) are given the respect that they deserve and the government takes up their bringing up and upliftment and preserving their cultures, traditions and festivals as its own responsibility. Actually, most of our families want to learn more about other people’s habits. We respect the habits people with other religions and traditions have.
Everybody, of every community, religion and caste is welcome to come and party with us and our community at festivals and other celebrations. For Example, during Navratri, when the dance procession is going on, not only Hindus, but all the people of all other religions are welcome to join in with the others and enjoy each other’s company. The same goes with the Public Pandals (temporary shrines set up mainly for Ganpati and for Goddess Durga, during Ganesh Chaturthi and Navratri respectively), where anyone, and everyone is welcome to come and worship the God. Despite of the fact that most people respect various cultures and religions here, there is always an exception, some people do discriminate and sometimes the police have to take over, and the victims are given justice.
Our community shows respect by giving people a day off/holiday for their important festivals; for Example, Eid, a Muslim festival which marks the end of Ramadan, and Christmas, one of the main Christian festivals, are treated as national holidays. This helps the minorities to feel that they also are important in the formation of our community. Our community also shows respect by building foreign supermarkets in our country so people from other countries are not forced to adapt to the Indian traditions and customs. For example Poland can make a typical Polish dish.
Therefore, I conclude my article, by strongly agreeing to the fact that yes, the festivals and celebrations in our families/community show respect and tolerance for various cultures and religions, and it will be so forever.
PHASE V: |
The Comparision and Reflection: |
A) Comparison:
Pages Compared:
Festivals Christ Church(we);
Festivals Billabong High International School
Festivals Pawar Public School
Main Similarities:
The main similarities between the three pages were the all of them researched and gathered information about the most popular festivals of India, that are Diwali, and Ganesh Chaturthi. We and Billabong researched in common about Navratri, which is becoming an increasingly popular festival nowadays in India, although Pawar Public School didn't. Also, all of us included interviews that we conducted. We(Christ Church) and Pawar Public School opted for the original Weebly text-boxes, while Billabong published all their information in a document. But, the most important similarity between us all was abount the Main Question, on which we all agreed on. As we were born the modern generation, the mindset of most of the people was also changed. From our childhood, our parents have taught us to respect all religions and social castes, and thats what we have been seeing around all this while. So, we all agreed that yes, the festivals and celebrations in our families/communities show respect and tolerance for other various cultures and religions, and that is why we have always seen people from all religions taking part in a particular celebration that was organized as an 'Open to All' function. the time And while Christ Church went for the other main festivals i.e Christmas and Navratri, Billabong International and Pawar Public School chose the rather uncommon ones like Raksha Bandhan & Phalki. And while Christ Church opted for only the above mentioned 4 festivals, Billabong International and Pawar Public School even described Eid on their pages.
Main Differences:
The differences between our pages are as follows:
We(Christ Church) went for only the four main festivals that are celebrated i.e Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Christmas and Navratri, but while Billabong International and Pawar Public School did choose Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi, they even chose the rather uncommon ones like Raksha Bandhan & Phalki. The latter two also described Eid on their pages, while we didn't.
We opted for the original Weebly text-boxes, while Billabong published all their information in a document. Also, Billabong International linked their Intro video with YouTube and even inserted the videos of their interviews. They, along with Pawar Public School also used an online survey for viewers to fill, all of which we at Christ Church lacked at.
But, the way in which we were better than our other 2 counterparts, was that we inserted way more images to give the viewers a clearer picture of how the particular festival is celebrated. We even mentioned how festivals and celebrations (i.e Children's Day, Dandiya, Diwali and Christmas) are carried out in our school along with images of the celebration, which none of them elaborated upon. Also, we provided a search box for the viewers to find anything that they need to see urgently on the site in a moment. Apart from all of that, our information was also in a more elaborated and easy-to-read form, so that the viewer could read just the thing he/she wants to without having to fish for a needle in the haystack...
Pages Compared:
Festivals Christ Church(we);
Festivals Billabong High International School
Festivals Pawar Public School
Main Similarities:
The main similarities between the three pages were the all of them researched and gathered information about the most popular festivals of India, that are Diwali, and Ganesh Chaturthi. We and Billabong researched in common about Navratri, which is becoming an increasingly popular festival nowadays in India, although Pawar Public School didn't. Also, all of us included interviews that we conducted. We(Christ Church) and Pawar Public School opted for the original Weebly text-boxes, while Billabong published all their information in a document. But, the most important similarity between us all was abount the Main Question, on which we all agreed on. As we were born the modern generation, the mindset of most of the people was also changed. From our childhood, our parents have taught us to respect all religions and social castes, and thats what we have been seeing around all this while. So, we all agreed that yes, the festivals and celebrations in our families/communities show respect and tolerance for other various cultures and religions, and that is why we have always seen people from all religions taking part in a particular celebration that was organized as an 'Open to All' function. the time And while Christ Church went for the other main festivals i.e Christmas and Navratri, Billabong International and Pawar Public School chose the rather uncommon ones like Raksha Bandhan & Phalki. And while Christ Church opted for only the above mentioned 4 festivals, Billabong International and Pawar Public School even described Eid on their pages.
Main Differences:
The differences between our pages are as follows:
We(Christ Church) went for only the four main festivals that are celebrated i.e Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Christmas and Navratri, but while Billabong International and Pawar Public School did choose Diwali and Ganesh Chaturthi, they even chose the rather uncommon ones like Raksha Bandhan & Phalki. The latter two also described Eid on their pages, while we didn't.
We opted for the original Weebly text-boxes, while Billabong published all their information in a document. Also, Billabong International linked their Intro video with YouTube and even inserted the videos of their interviews. They, along with Pawar Public School also used an online survey for viewers to fill, all of which we at Christ Church lacked at.
But, the way in which we were better than our other 2 counterparts, was that we inserted way more images to give the viewers a clearer picture of how the particular festival is celebrated. We even mentioned how festivals and celebrations (i.e Children's Day, Dandiya, Diwali and Christmas) are carried out in our school along with images of the celebration, which none of them elaborated upon. Also, we provided a search box for the viewers to find anything that they need to see urgently on the site in a moment. Apart from all of that, our information was also in a more elaborated and easy-to-read form, so that the viewer could read just the thing he/she wants to without having to fish for a needle in the haystack...
B)Reflection:
What went well?
While reflecting our work, I would say that almost all of the things went well. Our group met at regular times when our teacher gave us a new task for our article. All my group members gathered and gave me information and one-one interview that each of them conducted. While Shourya made the arrangements for our meetings at his house, Atharva did the shooting and editing of our Intro Video, Afreen wrote our Interview Reports, and I & Aryan together prepared our questionnaires, managed our interviews, wrote our conclusion and collected all the images required . Although I would like to say that I and Aryan were the ones who did more work than the others, I would acknowledge all my group members who took part in the project, without the help of whom doing the work would've been impossible. The other things that went well were that all the phases of our article were finished and published before the deadline, we got good amount of views, and the most important of all, we enjoyed doing this project. Overall, I'd say that we all have dedicated ourselves fully, given in our best and have worked hard to make this project our best, the most unique and 'one-of-its-kind'.
What would I do differently?
The things that I would've done differently are that I would've asked my group members to shoot their interviews while they took them, so that i could've had published them on our page. Also, I would've included an online survey like the other schools did. Lastly, I also would've tried to link one or two of our videos, along with our Intro and action plan on YouTube, for everyone associated with Eu-Mind Values 2015-16 to have an easier look on.
What went well?
While reflecting our work, I would say that almost all of the things went well. Our group met at regular times when our teacher gave us a new task for our article. All my group members gathered and gave me information and one-one interview that each of them conducted. While Shourya made the arrangements for our meetings at his house, Atharva did the shooting and editing of our Intro Video, Afreen wrote our Interview Reports, and I & Aryan together prepared our questionnaires, managed our interviews, wrote our conclusion and collected all the images required . Although I would like to say that I and Aryan were the ones who did more work than the others, I would acknowledge all my group members who took part in the project, without the help of whom doing the work would've been impossible. The other things that went well were that all the phases of our article were finished and published before the deadline, we got good amount of views, and the most important of all, we enjoyed doing this project. Overall, I'd say that we all have dedicated ourselves fully, given in our best and have worked hard to make this project our best, the most unique and 'one-of-its-kind'.
What would I do differently?
The things that I would've done differently are that I would've asked my group members to shoot their interviews while they took them, so that i could've had published them on our page. Also, I would've included an online survey like the other schools did. Lastly, I also would've tried to link one or two of our videos, along with our Intro and action plan on YouTube, for everyone associated with Eu-Mind Values 2015-16 to have an easier look on.
|
Hereby, I conclude my project, completely fulfilled that I and my group have given in our best, and have truly made this project a success...
|