Celebrating Diwali 

Parents & Friends Committee

Parents & Friends Committee Update

From Amith, School Community Member

Finally, the long wait to return to school has come to an end. In late October after the Premier announced the Roadmap for Victoria, the Parents & Friends Committee has sprung to action. 

Parents & Friends met virtually and decided on an event to celebrate the end of lockdown that the community could participate in. Diwali was coming up in the calendar and after some work by Parents & Friends and Principal Sarah, it was decided to perform the event outside the school gates in small groups. The North Melbourne Police was then consulted to have a clarification of guidelines, which seemed fine with our event design.

Special thank you to convenor Sim, School Council members Amith, Zia and Parents and Friends members Ed, Lucy, Rowan and volunteers Shilpa, Apeksha, Sunitha, Lubna, Chetan, Pooja, Sabeeha, Jagruthi, Jatin, Lana, Veronica, Sameera, Raghav, Ramon, Leah, Benji, Rocky, Franky, Jimmy along with their children created the event. 

About Diwali and Rangoli

Diwali originated in the Asian subcontinent and is celebrated by people of many faiths, including Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs. Diwali is a lunar festival, so the date changes every year. In 2021, Diwali day is on the 4th of November, but the festivities usually last five days. The day after Diwali is the start of the new year and people wish each other a happy new year. Diwali marks the win of Good over Evil, Light against Darkness, Knowledge over Ignorance. Perhaps this year Diwali marks our community's fight against the disturbing effects of Covid-19. 

For Hindus the home is lit by diyas, candles, lanterns which light up the darkness of the new moon day, this symbolizes the welcoming of Lord Rama, the 7th incarnation of Lord Vishnu (after killing the demon king Ravana) This is known as the tradition of Diwali. 

Diwali is celebrated over 5 days. In the morning, traditional Rangoli is created inside and outside of homes after they have been cleaned. Rangoli patterns represent happiness and good luck. The designs can be based on simple geometries, more elaborate floral shapes, or even on complex depictions of deities. New clothes are worn on the 3rd day and the Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth & Prosperity) is worshipped, called Lakshmi Pooja. Alongside the elephant-headed Ganesha (God of Power & Obstacles), Kubera (God of Bookkeeping & Wealth Management) and many other gods & goddesses.

Celebrating Diwali at NMPS

On Saturday 6 November the entrances to NMPS became the place to celebrate Diwali and create both traditional and personalised Rangoli in colourful chalk.