October 16, 2022
Soham Pattnaik
Class 4, Euro School, Navi Mumbai
As part of our Diwali traditions, we light clay diyas with oil, decorate our house with flowers and garlands, make rangolis, prepare sweets, perform Lakshmi Puja at home and enjoy the festival with the family. I think traditions are important because they make every festival meaningful and beautiful. They bring the family together. They also help us know our roots. But there are some traditions that may be harmful. Oddly, lighting firecrackers has become a part of Diwali traditions these days. We do not follow this, as it was never a part of the original Diwali celebrations. It causes a lot of pollution and harms humans, animals and birds. We should celebrate festivals like the old times where we enjoy ourselves while taking care of the environment.
Khushi Srivastava
Class 6, Ambience School, Gurugram
I think traditions are important because they promote family bonding. They help people from different generations to connect with each other. For Diwali, I decorate the house, light diyas, make rangolis and perform a puja along with my family. I also visit my grandparents and we enjoy ourselves together. Festivals would be meaningless without traditions. Traditions make festivals unique and more enjoyable. They help us make beautiful memories that we cherish forever.
Ananta Sheth
Class 7, St Joseph’s School, Mumbai
I eagerly wait for Diwali every year. Our family begins cleaning the house weeks in advance. Then, we put up the lights and lantern. I help my mother to prepare sweets and rangoli. I think traditions are important because they help us to know our culture better. People from different states in India celebrate the same festival in unique ways. Traditions strengthen the relationships between people in a community. They give us a sense of belonging and an identity. They also help us understand our religion better as each tradition is linked to a religious event in the past.
Adithya Rathan S
Class 7, The Indian Public School, Erode
I love celebrating festivals with my loved ones. On Diwali, all of us wake up early and bathe. We dress in our traditional attire. I wear a veshti and a kurta. I help my family with all the Diwali preparations including making the rangoli and sweets. According to me, traditions are important because they keep the culture and history of a community alive. Traditions are practices that we learn from the previous generation and pass on to the next. They remind us of our religious teachings and values and help us to maintain good ethics. If customs and rituals are not passed on to future generations, people will never know their family history or religion well.
Kunj Shah
Class 7, Oxford International School, Mumbai
Our whole family celebrates Diwali together every year. I enjoy the delicious food and sweets prepared for Diwali. But most of all, I enjoy the company of my relatives. There are various traditions that are followed during Diwali and other festivals. In my opinion, traditions are important because they remind us of the origin of a festival and also bring people together. For example, the traditions followed on Bhai Dooj nurture the relationship between a brother and sister. In a world where people are connected virtually, traditions encourage people to meet face-to-face and celebrate together. They also remind us of our religion and our morals.
REFLECTION: Traditionally Bound
List any 5 traditions you have been following for many years.
