India, the land of festivals, a country known for its cultural diversity and heritage, centres around vibrant and colourful festivals. Festivals are a huge part of our society, reflecting not just religious and cultural motives but serving as occasions that bring people together, creating a rich cultural community.
Festivals are a great way to teach children about their religious teachings and legacy. For them, festivals are about colourful decorations, sweets, gifts, games and family celebrations.
What are festivals; technically, they are an event celebrated by a community, centring on a characteristic aspect of a community and its religion or culture. They are an expression of honouring the traditional values with our loved ones and rejoicing in special moments. This article discusses the values and importance of festivals and their celebrations in a child’s life.
Values that students learn by celebrating festivals
Apart from academic development, it is crucial to develop a child emotionally and culturally. Having a rich heritage in a child’s life encourages them to become observant and empathetic towards society and community, leading them on a path to becoming better human beings. Here are some of the values that a child inherits by celebrating festivals.
Family Values
Our festivals are celebrated with the spirit of family bonding, and they are often the occasion when the extended family members rejoice with each other. Whether it is Diwali, Navratri, Christmas or Eid, every family member in an Indian family participates in the preparations. Children during these celebrations are exposed to a happy and fun learning environment allowing them to adapt to the importance of togetherness and respect. They observe their parents, teachers and siblings praying and seeking blessings from the deities and elders of the family.
Cultural Values
The importance of festivals in India is associated with strong religious beliefs and insightful stories. Every child enjoys a good storytime; during the celebrations of these festivals, children understand the roots of their religion, beliefs and the legacy that their community has followed to build the culture they share with their society. Navratri is a perfect festival for children to learn cultural values, develop different outlooks towards society and as an individual and learn the power of a community and its impact on society.
Life Values
Every religion has core life lessons roped into its beliefs and religious stories. Such as, Diwali is celebrated as an occasion when Lord Ram returns to Ayodhya from his exile, conquering evil. Thanks, Giving is celebrated to share gratitude towards your loved ones. Our festivals make it easy for students to adapt life morals and principles that allow them to create better life narratives.
Individual Values
Learning about the significance of Nav Durga during Navratri, the Characteristics of Lord Ram during Diwali, Humility and Perseverance of Jeuses during Christmas is one of the most empowering qualities about festivals. Stories of strong deities and personalities of religious gods motivate children to adapt and develop personality traits that contribute to their overall development.
Social Values
The importance of Indian Festivals lies in the social gatherings of diverse social groups. Schools of Indore celebrate festivals with a culturally rich class of students who are exposed to different cultures. Celebrating festivals of different heritages allows children to develop respect and knowledge towards other religions' beliefs and understand secularism.
Take Away
For children, it is important to understand the stories about festivals. They are a great way for parents and teachers to help their child develop Family, Cultural, Life, Individual, and Social values by simply sharing the importance of festival.