“Curious Yara: How is Deepavali being celebrated” is a Deepavali story that shows what our Indian brothers and sisters do during Deepavali. This story is more appropriate to introduce to older children due to its complexity.

Book Title: Curious Yara: How is Deepavali being celebrated

Author: Teacher Sherilyn

Central Topic/Theme: Deepavali, Indian culture

Summary

Yara came home with a question to her mom. She asked her “How is Deepavali being celebrated”. Yara’s mom explained to Yara that Deepavali is an important celebration in India. It is called “Festival of Lights”. During Deepavali, the Hindus decorate their homes, wear their traditional clothes and prepare their native food.

Questions to ask

1. What does Deepavali mean?
2. Why do some people celebrate it?
3. How do the Hindus decorate their homes?
4. What do they wear on the day of Deepavali celebration?
5. If you are to celebrate Deepavali, what food will you prepare at home?

Extension activities

• Rangoli Making. Create a rangoli using colored rice. Watch the instruction here on how to color the rice and make a rangoli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDl67YgpyrI.
• Saree Wearing. Show a saree to the children and demonstrate how to wear it.
• Food Tasting. Bring a variety of Indian food for the children to try.