Learning Beyond School, Sec 15, Gurugram (2026)

27/10/2016

Diwali is certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. 5 days before the dazzling festival as I was busy preparing every small thing for the day, my son (9 year old) came from school and he was really excited. They were celebrating Halloween in school the next day!
After finishing his lunch, he came to me little sheepishly, and whispered in my ear, "Mumma, we have a party tomorrow and I have promised my friends that I will get cup cakes for it. Will you make them for me?" " Of course, why not?" Was my sudden reply.
Elated, he went off to his room for changing and getting fresh. As I sat there alone, a thought came to my mind.
Why do they have a Halloween party and why not a Diwali party in school?
Since when has Halloween become a topic of interest everywhere? I have been hearing this in the past few years only. The most weird part is that he wants to celebrate the day of dead people.
After racking my brain on the topic for good amount of time, I thought- why not? Let school take care of days like Halloween as I don't think I will ever put in efforts for it at home. And if kids want to celebrate it, then what's wrong in it.... I think they have a great time dressing up like demons, witches and vampires.
Now if we look at both the festivals, we find a common thing- For Halloween people light up dark places and buy haunted attractions. Bon fires and parties are hosted all night.
Diwali is also about lights and candles. We burn crackers and try not to leave a single corner of our house in dark.
So I explained the concept to my son and told him that both the festivals are important to maintain a balance in life. Good and evil are two aspects and as a matter of fact, both exist in nature. So let the next generation decide. Make them think as to why should they celebrate these festivals.
I told my son that festivals are not just for partying, or for bursting crackers or playing with colours. They should have a meaning for him if he celebrates them. It's been years we have been listening to what our previous generations had to tell us about these auspicious days. But in my opinion, we should have our own reasons for each day of our life, for each celebration!
For concluding I would just like to wish everyone a happy and a safe Diwali and a blast Halloween!
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