Auckland Diwali Festival

This week Indian communities in Auckland will celebrate Diwali.

The Auckland Diwali Festival takes its inspiration from Diwali or Deepavali (row of lamps), an important and ancient Indian festival celebrated throughout India and in Indian communities around the world. Indians will celebrate the week with family and friends, dressing in traditional clothing, exchanging Indian sweets or gifts, cooking and eating together and enjoying song and dance. 

Video of Auckland Diwali Festival Highlights

Blue Guru Indian music and dance troupe

This week our Indian cultural team will create a few rangoli patterns to welcome guests near the entrance to our house, our school.The bright patterns encourage the goddess Lakshmi to enter, and bring positive energy to our environment. Please come and observe these students create their design outside the Technology Room this week (weather dependent). 

Day one of our 2016 rangoli

Mahi's rangoli design

The word 'rangoli' is derived from the words 'rang' and 'aavalli' which refers to a row of colours. The design usually follows a certain theme. The central design or motif is symbolic and represents natural elements like birds, snakes, fish, flowers, sun, moon or a flower. It usually has a geometric and symmetrical shape, which expresses the infiniteness of time. A rangoli is often bordered by a lotus design, to represent the goddess Lakshmi. The lotus symbolises the beginning of life. 

Mrs Pinto drawing a design for day two 

Mrs Pinto with Tanesha and Mahi

Helpers working on the rangoli

Brike & Zayan were hard at work using their hands

Mahi's second design being filled in on day two

Mrs Pinto's design with colour