In our ‘Celebrations Around the World’ topic we have been learning about different festivals and celebrations which are held.
So far we have covered Bonfire Night, Remembrance Day and Chinese New Year. Over the last few weeks, we have been learning about Diwali.
Diwali is a festival which comes from India. It is usually celebrated in November and is nicknamed the festival of light. Together, we heard the story of Rama and Sita and retold the story using puppets. In the story, people light diya lamps for Rama and Sita to find their way home. They symbolise the main message of the festival which is the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.
During the festival people also light candles, fairy lights, fireworks and diya lamps to remember this message.
In class we made diya lamps using clay. First, we warmed up the clay with out hands to make it softer. Then, we rolled it into a ball and poked a hole in it. Next, we squashed the sides to make a bowl shape. After, we made a pointed shape which diya lamps traditionally have and left them to dry.
When they had dried, we painted our diya lamps bright colours to match the vibrant colours which are often used in Indian art such as orange, red, green and yellow. We decorated them with glitter to make them extra sparkly as Diwali is the festival of lights after all!
Well done Reception.
What was your favourite part of making the diya lamps?
