CHILDREN'S DISCOVERY MUSEUM (CDM) OF SAN JOSE CELEBRATES DIWALI, FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS Story and Pictures: India Parent Magazine
October 8-9, 2016. To five-year-old Chitra, Diwali means “lots and lots of crackers.” To ten-year-old Rishi, Diwali brings in new year for Indians. “It’s really awesome and everyone is in such a happy mood. Our family considers it as one of the biggest festivals of the year. We just meet at someone’s house and put on a lot of lights” To mom Shalini, Diwali is togetherness. “For my family it's just a day where we get together with family friends and have a good time and enjoy firecrackers.” Diwali or deepavali as it is called meaning “row of lamps,” is an of- ficial holiday not just in India but also in Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore and Fiji. For many Indians, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activi- ties together in their homes. It is celebrated as the triumph of good over evil by lighting small clay lamps to drive away the darkness. It traditionally signifies the arrival of King Rama and his wife Sita to claim thier kingdom after killing the evil king Ravana thus bringing joy and prosperity to thier people. At Children Discovery Museum (CDM) , where Diwali has taken
JeNae Kaiser Special Projects Manager Children Discovery Museum
its turn to be an annual celebration in line of Cultural Awareness Initiative Program since last few years, many children will perform at the much awaited Diwali Cultural Show that takes place on October 8 and 9, 2016. “last year was the second time I am coming to this event, largely because of the fun we had last year,” elu- cidated Lakshmi who came with her two children. “CDM is a unique platform to enjoy Diwali celebrations since it brings incredible diversity of participants and audiences which really is something that I enjoy and look forward to,” she said. “In addition there is so much to do.”
“CDM synthesizes it into a single event for the benefit of main stream Americans and highlights Diwali in a secular fashion. Most Americans don't get this perspective in simi- lar Diwali events.”
CDM is a non-profit organization, and by participating in such cross cultural activities, kids are giving back to the community while promoting the message of Diwali to fam- ilies for main stream Americans, Ranjani Manda of Aero- dance further elaborated. The cultural show itself celebrates color and diversity and participants always feel good about themselves and how they project their personality. It is not often, that kids from all walks of life get an opportunity to drape themselves in colorful Diwali attire. In addition, since this is truly a community service, the time they spend for this cause can also be used as part of their community service hours. Enjoying the Cultural Show!
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker