Blog: SHEMROCK Group of Schools

Mother’s Day

Mother's Day is an annual event celebrated to honour motherhood in many parts of the world.  Though Mother’s day is celebrated on different dates around the world, the feelings remain the same everywhere. In many countries, Mother’s Day is celebrated on a Sunday in the month of May, while in few other countries; a different month is selected for the celebration. In India, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. Mother’s Day 2013 will be celebrated on 12^th May. People celebrate the day eagerly to show their appreciation towards their mothers and grandmothers.

Celebrations

The tradition has its origin from UK and USA, where Mother’s Day is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety. Now, 46 countries across the globe celebrate Mother’s Day, every year. On this day, people dedicate their time to honour the importance of mother in their lives. They thank their mothers for the unconditional love and support.

Everyone tries to make his/her mother feel special on the occasion of Mother’s Day. People bake cakes, cookies and pies especially for their mothers. They also present gifts, cards and bouquets to their mothers. Children make this day special for their mothers by giving them rest for a day from the household chores. They prepare & serve breakfast, lunch and dinner to their mothers. Many people arrange outings with their mothers.

Even schools celebrate the occasion by organising various events. Parents and guardians are invited to schools and children participate in songs, skits and present cards & gifts to all mothers present there to honour them.

On the other hand, many big companies launch  female oriented products on the Mother’s Day.

Children staying away from families try to meet their mothers to spend quality time with them on the day. If that is not possible, they send greetings on the phone or e-mail greeting cards, to express their love and gratitude for their mothers.

Tips for the children to celebrate Mother’s Day at their home:

• Prepare a Mother’s Day card and wake your mother up in the morning with beautiful flowers and the handmade greeting card.
• Decorate your home with flowers, pictures of your mother with you and posters to surprise your mother.
• Bake a cake or prepare your mother’s favourite dish by yourself.
• Surprise your mother with a skit played by you and your siblings to show your love for her.
• Ask your mother to share her childhood reminiscences with you.
• Plan a special meeting of your mother with someone very close and lovable to her, like her mother or her friends.
• Arrange an outing, candle light dinner or movies tickets for your mother along with your father.
• Capture your mother’s moods with every surprise you give her and make a collage out of the photos.
• Make her day very special by giving a special gift to her, like her favourite book, perfume, jewelry etc.

Express your love and appreciation for your mother the entire day and make her feel special for being a mother of children like you.

Holi

Holi is the festival of colours, which is celebrated with great enthusiasm and fun in India. The festival of Holi falls on the last full moon day of Falgun (somewhere in the month of March). According to Hindu mythology, the celebration of this festival is associated with the legend of Prahalad, devotee of God Vishnu. The proud King Hrinyakashyapu ordered everyone to pray him as their God instead of other Gods and deities. But his son, Prahalad disobeyed him and did not stop praying God Vishnu. King was angry and made a plan to kill him. Holika, sister of king Hrinyakashyapu took Prahlad in her lap and sat in a bonfire as she had a boon that she could not be burnt by fire. Surprisingly, Holika was burnt alive while Prahlad was safe. Therefore, Holika Dahan (killing) is celebrated by lighting up bonfire on the eve of Holi signifying triumph of good over evil.

This festival of colours bridges the social gap among people of all religions. Although the festival is celebrated in different ways in different parts of country, colours, sweets, water balloons and water guns remain the essence of this festival everywhere. People rub colours on each other’s faces, distribute sweets, hug each other and wish “Happy Holi”.

You can also celebrate the festival of Holi with your children at home. Here are few tips for you to make this festival a fun for your children:

• Tell your children about the significance of the festival and narrate the legend associated with it.
• Include them in preparation of special sweets for Holi, i.e. gujia.
• Help them to make greeting cards for Holi for their friends.
• Take them along with you to watch Holika Dahan in your locality on the eve of Holi.
• Ask them to wish “Happy Holi” to their elders and seek their blessings.
• Tell them to wish Holi to their friends & relatives and also distribute sweets to them.
• Inform them about the chemicals used in colours & gulal and their side effects. Create natural colours with them with the help of turmeric, beetroot and henna.  On the day of Holi, encourage them to play Holi with plain water and natural colours only.
• Apply cold cream on their body and oil on the hair and scalp, to save their skin from colours.
• Instruct them to close eyes if someone applies gulal on their face or throws coloured water on them, to save their eyes.
• Advise them to wear full sleeves clothes so as to cover maximum parts of the body.

And monitor your children closely while they are playing Holi so that this Holi is safe and memorable for your children.

Baisakhi

Baisakhi is a famous Hindu festival, which marks the beginning of a new solar year as per the Sikh calendar. Celebrated on April 13^th every year, Baisakhi is also observed as the harvest festival. On this auspicious day, farmers in northern India start harvesting their crops and celebrate their happiness by praying and thanking God for the bountiful harvest.

Significance of Baisakhi

People believe that on this day River Ganges descended on the earth. That is why, they celebrate the festival of Baisakhi with great religious zeal in the honour of the River Ganges, by worshipping and taking ritual baths in the River.

On the other hand, for the Sikh population of Punjab, Baisakhi marks the foundation day of Khalsa Panth by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh. He did so to eliminate the difference between high & low and to establish brotherhood among Sikh community.

Celebrations

Although the festival of Baisakhi is celebrated with great zest all over India, the special festivities are arranged in northern part of India, especially Punjab. People visit temples, such as Golden temple in Amritsar. The big processions or nagar kirtans are led by ‘Panj Pyaras’ in the honour of the holy book ‘Granth Sahib’.  Baisakhi fairs are the major attractions of the festival. People spend their day in social gatherings, feasting and performing dance depicting the entire process of agriculture.  This festival of prosperity known as ‘Vishu’ and ‘Bohag Bihu’ in Kerala & Assam is celebrated with equal pomp and show. It includes fireworks, shopping for new clothes, gold, grains and merrymaking. Similarly, in Bihar, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, the festival of Baisakhi is celebrated with lots of joy and enthusiasm.

Tips to celebrate the festival of Baisakhi with your children at home

·         Tell your children about the importance of the festival.

·         Go shopping with your children a day prior to the festival to buy new clothes and gifts to make them realize that Baisakhi is as important festival as the other festivals.

·         Encourage them to decorate the house for Baisakhi on the eve of the festival.

·         Ask your children to take bath in the morning and wear new clothes to visit a Gurudwara to enjoy the celebrations and thank God for all His blessings.

·         Participate with your children in the processions or nagar kirtans in your colony.

·         Inspire them to offer services at Gurudwara such as distribution of prasad, cleaning gurudwara, managing shoes of visitors, helping people in langar etc.

·         Encourage your children to prepare Baisakhi greeting cards for their friends.

·         Invite your children’s friends at home and prepare a good meal for all.

·         Explain to them about the ways, the festival of Baisakhi is celebrated at different places.

·         Arrange for the videos of celebrations of the festival at different places all over India and watch it along with your children.

This way you can make the festival of Baisakhi more meaningful and help your children to participate in the global celebrations.

Maha Shivratri

Maha Shivratri is a religious Hindu festival, celebrated all over the country with great zeal. As the name suggests, it is regarded as the night (ratri) which is dedicated for the worship of Lord Shiva. According to Hindu calendar, the festival of Maha Shivratri falls on the thirteenth day of phalgun (between the months of February and March). Mahashivratri 2013 falls on 10^th March.

Significance of the festival

 There are many famous stories associated with the festival of Maha Shivratri, two of which are mentioned below:

1. It is said that during Samudra Manthan by gods and demons, a vessel of poison came out of the ocean. Gods were scared that it will diminish life on the Earth if not consumed by anybody. So, they rushed to God Vishnu who then advised them to approach Lord Shiva and plead Him to protect life of human beings, by drinking the toxic poison. Gods prayed Lord Shiva, pleased with their prayers and out of compassion for human beings, Lord Shiva drank the poison and held it in His neck the entire night and kept Himself awake. Entire night, the gods prayed Lord Shiva, performed various dances and music to keep Lord Shiva awake so that poison could not harm Him. Lord Shiva was happy with their devotion, contemplation and vigilance and hence blessed all of them with the fulfillment of their wishes. Since then, on this day and night-devotees observe fast, chant prayers to God, dance with religious fervour and sing glories of Lord Shiva.
2. Another story is about the reunion of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. When king Daksha, father of Goddess Sati insulted Lord Shiva during the yagna held at his place, she jumped into the sacrificial fire of yagna in anger and ended her life. Lord Shiva was very furious due to the death of His wife and He started performing Tandava, the destructive dance. His anger destructed the kingdom of king Daksha and Lord Shiva retired to the Himalayas in penance, repenting why He allowed Sati to come to her father’s house. Gods were scared that this may bring the world to an end. So, to take out Lord Shiva from aloofness and remorse, they revived sati in the guise of Parvati (reincarnation of Sati). Shiva-Parvati married after a lot of hard work of all Gods and this reunion is celebrated as Maha Shivratri.

Celebration of the festival

Festival of Maha Shivratri is celebrated by worshipping Lord Shiva to seek His blessings. The temples are decorated with flowers and lights. Devotees go to temples in the early morning, to pray to Lord and the crowd can be seen throughout the day. People offer flowers, bel-patra, fruits, milk etc. to Lord Shiva and observe fast the entire day. Group of devotees spend the entire day in singing glories of God, in their homes and temples. The festival of Maha Shivratri is famous not only among people of India but also among people of Nepal & Sri Lanka and celebrated with enthusiasm.

How to celebrate Maha Shivratri with your children

Parents should make their children aware of all the festivals and tell them about the significance behind their celebrations. Here are some tips on how to celebrate Maha Shivratri with your children:

• Tell your children about the importance of Maha Shivratri, its association with the Lord Shiva and narrate few legends of Shiva-Parvati.
• Ask them if they too want to keep a fast on this day and tell them that they can have only fruits and milk during the fast.
• Tell them to take bath early in the morning, wear new or clean clothes.
• Involve them with you in decorating the basket of puja.
• Visit to temple with them, ask them to do the Rudrabhishek of Lord Shiva with milk and offer other traditional things to God.
• Teach them the mantra “Om Namah Shivaya” and ask them to chant it while offering flowers and other things to Lord Shiva.
• Tell them about the importance of meditation and ask them to speak less to store energy if they are observing a fast.
• Spend the day by explaining your children about the qualities of Lord Shiva, His selfless love for devotees, His truthfulness and sacrificial intentions.
• Bring DVDs on mythology and show them the mythological stories about the life of Lord Shiva on television or your computer.
• Ask them to express thanks to God and feel blessed and gratified by sitting quietly in meditation.
• Also, encourage them to offer help at temples and ashrams on this grand and religious day of Maha Shivratri.

These are the infinite ways to inculcate religious zeal and devoutness in children. By adopting such things you can help your children to grow with piousness and feeling of gratitude for those who make sacrifices for others

Basant Panchami

Basant Panchami is a very popular Hindu festival, which is also known by the name of “Shri Panchami”. Every year, this Hindu festival falls on the fifth day of the month of Magh (February or March), according to the Hindu calendar. This year, the festival of Basant Panchmi will be celebrated on 15^th February. The festival is dedicated to Goddess Saraswati and also marks the on-set of the spring season.

Story

There are various stories associated with the celebrations of Vasant Panchami. One of the most popular legends is that of Goddess Saraswati. It is believed that, on this day, Goddess Saraswati originated from the Himalayas in the form a river.

Another legend is that of poet Kalidasa. It is believed that there was a beautiful & learned princess who rejected all the men who did not match her intelligence. This angered all the pandits and they decided to marry her with a fool. So, they presented Kalidasa as a man of wisdom, before the princess. Finally, the two got married, but on the wedding night, the princess realised that she had been tricked. She banished Kalidasa from their house, who in shame & sorrow, went to commit suicide. Goddess Saraswati emerged from the river and asked Kalidasa to take a dip in the river. As he emerged from the river, he became knowledgeable and began to write poetry.

Traditional Celebrations

The festival of Basant Panchami is celebrated primarily in the northern states of India. The traditional celebrations in each state vary widely. On this day, people worship Goddess Saraswati in various forms and offer sweets to the Goddess, which is then distributed as ‘prasad’ to all the people attending the puja ceremony. Since the yellow flowers of mustard crop covers the fields during this season, the yellow colour holds a special significance on this day. People get dressed up in diverse shades of yellow; they offer yellow flowers to the Goddess and prepare yellow sweets like kesar halwa, bundi laddoo etc. Kite flying is also observed in some Northern states.

How to celebrate Basant Panchami at home?

The festival is celebrated with immense joy & enthusiasm by the Hindus. You too can celebrate Vasant Panchami at home. Here are some tips for you to celebrate this auspicious festival with your child:

• Dress up yourself and your child in yellow coloured clothes.
• Involve your child in preparing traditional dishes like kesar halwa.
• Indulge your child in preparing crafts like kites.
• Organise Saraswati Puja at your place. Along with your child, adorn the Goddess with yellow flowers.
• Teach your child to recite the Saraswati Vandana.
• Encourage your child to donate her old books to the poor.

So, follow these simple tips and celebrate this day with full fervour and dedication.