Namaste!
As we enter this season of dark mornings and nights, now accentuated by the end of Daylight Saving Time, we naturally turn to bright, cheery colors! And what better way to celebrate color and light, than by celebrating Diwali, the Indian Festival of Lights! Traditionally Diwali is the time to celebrate friends and family by exchanging sweets, setting off fireworks, lighting up houses and stores with beautiful bright lights, and decorating doorsteps and courtyards with intricate designs drawn with colored powders, flower petals and rice flour - called rangoli in some parts of India and kolam in other parts.
This Diwali, in the Youth Wing, we celebrated our own version of the turn of the season by decorating diya (traditional clay lamps), drawing rangoli with colored sand and sidewalk chalk in the Youth Wing Courtyard, and listening to a spirited rendition of the story Ganesha's Sweet Tooth by Sanjay Patel and Emily Haynes. (In fact one of our eager listeners knew the story so well, he participated in telling a part of the story as well!)
Happy Belated Diwali to you and yours, and please enjoy our photos of the events, both here and @bklynlibrary's Instagram page! Below is a selection of related books. Please see our full Book List for Diwali (and related) books and websites that can be enjoyed at any time of the year!
Celebrate Diwali by Deborah Heiligman
Diwali is a major Indian holiday also know as The festival of lights which symbolize the triumph of good over evil. Includes recipe for "Vasu's Peda."
Check the CatalogLighting a lamp: a Diwali story by Jonny Zucker
Follow a family as they celebrate a Hindu tradition.
Check the CatalogDiwali: festival of lights by Rina Singh
Fireworks, food and family. Diwali reminds us that light will always prevail over darkness through the retelling of the legends of Rama, Krishna and Lakshmi in the biggest and brightest of all Indian festivals.
Check the CatalogDivali Rose by Vashanti Rahaman
As the festival of Divali approaches, Ricki wants to confess that he accidentally broke a rosebud off the bush he and his grandfather planted, but grandfather is busy blaming the neighbors who are newly arrived in Trinidad from India. Includes facts about Divali and the people and language of Trinidad.
Check the CatalogGanesha's Sweet Tooh by Sanjay Patel
An original story based on Hindu mythology, this book tells the story about how Ganesha's love of sweets led to a broken tusk and the writing of the epic poem, the Mahābhārata. Includes author's note about the myth.
Check the CatalogMay your year be sweet and full of light and joy!
This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.
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