Sacred festivals

• What Diwali is and how long it lasts

  • Diwali is the Hindu festival of light 
  • It lasts for 5 days in October
• What Holi is and how long it takes place

  • Holi is the Hindu festival of colours that marks forgiveness and the healing of relationships  
  • It takes place in February or March at the time of the1e full moon
• Hindu festivals are a time of family celebrations and also a way to link with the Divine
• The 4 main types of festivals

  • Festivals celebrating a key event in the life of a deity 
  • Festivals celebrating the birth , life and achievement of a Hindu saint 
  • Festivals that are joyful celebrations of family relationships and the cycle of human life 
  • Seasonal festivals and customs associated with nature or harvest
• What happens to celebrate Diwali

  • Diwali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and truth over falsity 
  • Most Hindus see Diwali as the start of the New Year 
  • Houses and temples are cleaned and decorated with lights
  • People also celebrate by lighting firecrackers , filling the air with fireworks (To celebrate Hindu New Year) , buying new clothes and exchanging gifts
• What different groups of people remember during Diwali

  • In South India , the marriage of Vishnu and Lakshmi is celebrated 
  • In Kalighat in Kolkatas , Shiva’s consort Kali is remembered 
  • Most Hindus , especially Vaishnavas , recall the story of Rama and Sita - lamps are lit everywhere to remember their return 
  • Lakshmi , the goddess of prosperity , is remembered as business people get their financial accounts in order and pray for her blessing the next year 
  • Lakshmi is also welcomed into the family home and asked to bring learning and prosperity
• What happens to celebrate Holi


  • Holi is a spring festival where worshippers of Vishnu recall the story of Prahlada’s victory over the demoness Holika 
  • People wear old clothes and smother each other in brightly coloured powders and liquids to remember how Krishna and the milkmaids had fun playing tricks on each other 
  • Normal rules and standards of behaviour are forgotten and everyone joins in with the fun