Diwali is a Hindu festival and it’s being celebrated today, Thursday 19th October! The great thing about festivals is that they capture the imagination of everybody; you don’t have to be of that faith to enjoy the food, stories and celebration. I love it when you see people with the fairy lights on their houses in October. Some people, lacking in Religious Studies knowledge, would think someone’s put their Christmas lights up crazy early, but those in the know, realise it is just for Diwali!
You can keep your RS knowledge up-to-date every time a festival comes along, by reading what the newspapers are saying and showing the public. The Evening Standard had a handy guide to Diwali today, whereas the Guardian showed the best pictures from around the world.
You can catch up on all of your main religious festivals by watching the 3 minute animation called Y is for Yom Kippur. Other good short videos are the BBC Teach Festival of Diwali which is 4 minutes long, and the 5 minute long Hindu Story of Rama and Sita. For a beautiful short video National Geographic have Diwali – Festival of Lights, which is only 3 minutes long.
