Time To Celebrate Children’s Day!

Children’s Day… a day for the children and by the children! The children’s day signifies the commitment of the country towards the well-being and welfare of our children. This day is celebrated with much fanfare and joy to revel the innocence and purity associated with childhood. It is known to all that the day is celebrated with fun activities and innovative sessions, especially organized for the children. However, the day is also marked by tremendous social endeavors undertaken by government and non-profit organizations for uplifting the well-being and social rights of the under-privileged children.  Children’s Day is observed in India on November 14. The organization, on this day, promotes various well-being and developmental steps to bring improvement in the living condition and educational arena of the children all over the world. In addition, in many countries, Children’s day is well marked as the International day for the Protection of Children from mal-practices and sexual abuse.

The Historical Aspect
There are numerous theories supporting the reasons for commemorating this day, however, going by the Indian theory, the day coincides with the birth day of the first Indian Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, born on November 14, 1889. Pandit Nehru, more affectionately known as Chacha Nehru, was one of the most ardent propagators of the Indian freedom struggle against the Britishers. He was also known for his eternal love and affection for the country’s children. He fought for the educational and social rights of the children as he strongly believed that they are the future of our country.

The Celebrations
In many schools, Children’s day is celebrated like a grand festival. A wide range of fun-filled and educational activities are organized to make this day memorable and special for the children. For many children, the day is a great reliever from their mundane schedule of studies and gives a chance to rejoice their precious childhood. Some of the attractions of the day are foot-tapping music for the children, dance, feast and competitions of sorts organized by the school.

The day can become memorable for the child with the participation of the parents. The parents can well take initiatives of organizing a small party for the children at home or at their favorite food outlet. Apart from gifts, words of appreciation and affection from the parents can do wonders to boost the morale of the children and bring them closer to their parents.

It is in the last five years that the awareness of the children’s day has almost doubled all over the world. Thanks to the technology, the influx of affectionate SMSs and inspiring messages are reaching almost every mobile handset, thus leading to an increased awareness. The media too has been putting in commendable efforts to recognize and reach help to the disadvantaged children all over the world.

With these unending efforts of media and other organizations, today, we can proudly say that each and every child of our country, nevertheless his class, is precious for the development of our country.

Best Diwali Games to Play and Enjoy

To help you make your Diwali party the most memorable party of the year, here are top ten games to play:

Tombola, Housie, Bongo or Lotto: Called by different names, but almost similar in rules and nature; these are great fun gambling games. Any number or age group of people can play this game. In Housie and Tombola every player gets a ticket with a table of numbers or alphabets printed in small boxes on it. Players have to mark out these numbers on their tickets when called out and achieve a winning combination like first five, first line, second line, third line and full house. Bingo is also similar to Housie while in Lotto picture or symbols are used instead of numbers.

Card Games: Playing cards is an integral part of Diwali parties. But avoid gambling on the auspicious occasion. There are a number of card games that you can play on Diwali like Flash, Rummy, Bluff, slash, 28, etc. However now-a-days experimental card games have evolved replacing these traditional games. You can thus try games likeAK47aka Ace, King, 4 and 7; where these four cards become jokers. These four cards when in hand, can be exchanged for any color or card to make desired sequence. Muflis is the opposite of Flash; where the person with the least number of cards wins. Similarly the other games that you can play includes Blackjack, Kissing-Missing, Discard One, Matha, Lallan-Kallan, 1942 A Love Story,13cards, and so on. Playing such new varieties will keep the card game interesting and the spirits high.

Pin the Missing Part: In this game a picture is pasted on the wall or a board and a part is missing, which you need to pin blindfolded. The player is first taken in front of the picture and then his eyes are blindfolded. The player is circled at his place and then asked to approach the picture and pin the missing part at the right place. This sort of game though is more popular in children, but with some added difficulties and variations these can also be played by the adults.

Board Games: Board games like Bluff/Liar’s Dice, Dice, Jumble Words, Snakes and Ladder, Cash ‘n Guns and so on. These games can make a good time pass and a great part of the entertainment program.

Passing the Parcel: As a family fun activity you can play passing the parcel where people of all age groups can take part and play together. Arranging such games help whole family to play together and thus share the happiness and the bond of togetherness.

Dumb Charades: Dumb Charades is full of fun elements. You can play this game in two groups. In this game one member at a time from each team comes forth and is given a movie/song to enact. The player enacts the movie/song by actions and expressions without speaking a single word; and his team members have to guess that name and win points. The team with most points earned wins the game.

Musical Chairs: Musical chairs is a well-known game for parties and it is a good entertaining activity for Diwali parties. Arrange the chairs in the centre of the hall and play music. While the music is on players move around the chairs and as the music stops, players have to take a chair and the player left standing is out of the game. At the end of every round one chair is removed and the same is repeated. In the end the last sitting player wins the game.

Treasure Hunt: Depending on the available space and resources you can plant a nice Scavenger or Treasure Hunt game either for children or for family groups. Divide the game into few rounds/parts and give hints at the beginning of first round to find the hidden clue/key to reach the next level and so on. The first team or child who ever finds the hidden treasure wins the game.

Contests: Arranging contests like best dressed person, lighting diyas, rangoli making, diyas decoration, firecrackers competition etc.; make a great fun activity.

Crackers: Fireworks is the best part of Diwali. Firing crackers not only reflects the enthusiasm of the festival, but it does also symbolize warding off evil and darkness. Lighting crackers like Chakri, Anaar, Fuljhari, etc. are one of the best childhood moments. Even the adults love bursting fireworks.
Happy Diwali!!!

More : Diwali Messages, Diwali Cards, Diwali Greetings

Diwali Home Decoration Ideas

Apart from lighting, pooja and sweets, home decoration is another very big task on Diwali. Deity of wealth and prosperity, Goddess Laxmi loves beauty and cleanliness; and blesses the well-kept houses. Make sure to clean every room and exterior of your home. You should start cleaning week ahead of the festival to avoid last moment clubbing of many jobs.

Once done, let’s start decorating the home. Here is a set of Diwali home decoration ideas to help you decorate your house beautifully.

Diwali Decoration Ideas
Diwali home decoration ideas varies from person to person according to their budget. Below is a list of decoration tips:

Decorate the House from Outside:
1.Lighting the exterior of the house with LED lights is a trend these days. You can choose various series of the lights, having varied color combination and pattern of decoration.
2. You can combine the lightings with candles, earthen diyas and lanterns.
3. If you have a garden you can decorate your plants with serial lights and hanging lanterns.

Make the Entrance Welcoming:
1. Make rangoli in the doorway or at the main door of your house. You can make rangoli either with the wet/dry colors or you can also use flowers for this purpose. Even there is an option to buy readymade rangoli stickers from the market as well.
2. Adore the rangoli with beautiful flowers and earthen diyas.
3. Decorate entrance with traditional torandwars, bandhanwars and embellished door hangings.
4. Paper lanterns also make a beautiful part at the entrance decoration.

Beautify the Interiors:
1. Place a pair of earthen diyas at every door.
2. Use flower garlands for decorating the pillars, doors, walls. This will give a beautiful look to the interior and fill natural aroma inside the house.
3. New curtains, cushions, bedsheets, rugs or carpets are an effective way to do Diwali home decoration. And if not new then just clean all your cushions etc and give them a press to look tidy and nice.
4. You can also bring in wall hangings and paintings to decorate your house.
5. Drawing Goddess Laxmi’s feet at the doors look very creative and beautiful.
6. Place a large earthen or glass pot filled with water in the living area and decorate it with floating candles and fragrant flowers.

Tips to Make Your Decoration Unique:
Here are unique Diwali decoration ideas to make your home most appealing:
1. Diwali Decoration with Theme: Select a theme for the Diwali home decoration and plan everything according to it. Like if you choose Rajasthani theme you can get Rajasthani printed bedsheets and cushions along with Rajasthani handlooms, sculptures, wall hangings, puppets and paintings, etc. and combine them with earthen diyas, flowers and lights. Similarly your theme can be based on color, work from other states and culture.
2. Eco-friendly Decoration: This Diwali go eco-friendly by recycling used products to decorate your home. You can use your sarees and dupattas as curtains or for wall decoration. You can use old electric bulbs as diyas or as flower vase. Hang all the previous Diwali cards in a series, on a string tied up on the wall. You can use Christmas decorative as well.

More - Diwali Messages, Diwali Quotes

Significance of Halloween Props

What is Halloween?

Halloween has dual spirit of both festive as well as superstitious feel. It is thought that the origin of Halloween is the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain in which people used to light bonfire and wear costumes to keep the roaming ghost away. Now Halloween, which is also known as All Hallow’s Eve is celebrated each year on 31st Oct. With time it has become more secular. The event is now celebrated with all the child friendly activities and fun. The most significant activities in Halloween are trick-or-treat, costume parties, making pumpkin’s jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, playing pranks and visiting haunted attractions. 

Artifacts and Symbols associated with Halloween

Jack o Lantern and Pumpkin:Jack o Lantern is a carved pumpkin and to make this, generally a very large pumpkin is used. As per the Irish folktale, the name “jack-o’-lanterns” has come from a man named Stingy Jack in Ireland. The same tradition had been brought to America by Irish immigrants. America is a home of the pumpkins and so pumpkin as Jack o Lantern became a tradition.

Turnip: In Ireland and Scotland, turnip was traditionally used on Halloween. There big potatoes and turnips were served as an early canvas. But then the immigrants to North America had started using Pumpkins which were larger and softer than turnips.

Trick or Treat :Children celebrate Halloween by playing trick-or-treat activity, which is also known as guessing. From house to house children go in the Halloween costumes and ask for a treat or trick. In treat, the house-owner has to give candies or money or anything as a treat and if not done then trick is played that includes some mischievous activity on the house-owner or his or her property.

Dunking or Apple Bobbing: It is one of the games associated with Halloween. The game is known as “dooking” in Scotland. In this game, apples are floated in tub or large basin and the participants have to remove them by using their teeth. In one variant of the dunking, the participants hold a fork in teeth and then kneel on the chair to get the apples out with fork.

Haunted Places: Haunted attractions add thrill in Halloween. There is no mention of using these in earlier history till the used by the Junior Chamber International (Jaycees) for fund-raising purposes. Haunted ideas generally include haunted houses, hayrides and corn mazes. During festive season it has become a very good business generating sector in USA.

Some Superstitious Associated with Halloween

There is one very interesting superstitious associated with Halloween. It dates back to 18th-century in Ireland and related to a matchmaking cook. The cook might conceal a ring in her mashed potatoes on Halloween night with the hope that her true love would find it on the dinner table.

There is also another story like this in which it was believed that if a woman eats a sugary concoction made out of walnuts, hazelnuts and nutmeg,  before going to bed on Halloween eve, then in her dream she would see her future husband.

Navratri

As the name suggests, “Navaratri” is formed by two words i.e. "nava" (for "nine") and "ratri" (for "nights"). So, Navratri is a 9-day festival observed in the Hindu calendar. It is celebrated two times during an year: one at the beginning of summer, and two at the onset of winters. The latter begins with the day of Ashwina of the bright fortnight. Seeds are sown, sprouting is observed under the blessing of the planets. The festival is celebrated twice a year because we thank the Almighty for maintaining the balance in nature.

Many legends are attached to this festival; all are related to Goddess Shakti and her many forms. The festival holds a special importance to Gujaratis and Bengalis; they celebrate the occasion with great fervor and enthusiasm. Raas Garba is the major attraction for tourist in this season. Dandiya (a form of Raas Garba) is jovially played by men and women during the Navratri.

Navratri is a festival of Goddesses. Just as the child looks to the mother for power, we the earthlings look up for our Goddesses as they are the source of power. While the first three days are dedicated to Goddess Durga, the Warrior Goddess, the next three days celebrate Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth and prosperity. The last three days worship Goddess Saraswati, Goddess of knowledge. Thus, Navratri offers an invocation to Goddesses for a healthy and happy life.

In certain traditions, a way of celebrating Navratri includes observing fasts that breaks on the Mahanavami. On Mahanavami, people prepare delectable sweets and make an offering to nine young girls; representing the nine avatars of Goddess Durga. The tenth day marks Vijayadashami, or what is popularly called as Dusshera.

Ganesh Chaturthi

Lord Ganesha is a popular Hindu deity since He is invoked before the beginning of any auspicious journey. The diety with the countenance of an elephant is synbolic. The head of Lord Ganesha signify Atman or soul and his body suggests Maya or earthly and human desires for pleasures. ‘Ganesha Chaturthi’, thus is a holy day when the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha is celebrated ardently all over the nation. Another name for ‘Ganesha Chaturthi’ is ‘ Vinayak Chaturthi’. It is usually a ten-days festival, that falls in the Hindu month of Bhadra (mid-August to mid-September) and ends on Anantha Chaturdashi.

Believers of Lord Ganesha around the world warmly welcome the idols of Ganesha in their houses. They worship the idol for ten days from Bhadrapad Shudh Chathurthi to Anantha Chaturthi. On the eleventh day, Lord Ganesha is dressed up elaborately; and the idol of Ganesha is then set to be transported to a river or a sea. He is raised high on a platform, surrounded by a crowd of worshippers dancing and singing all through the way. This cheerful procession is a farewell to Lord Ganesha to his heavely abode to Kailash, taking away with himself the adversities in human life. The festival ends with the loud chants of the believers: "Ganpati bappa morya, pudcha varshi laukar ya" (Hail Lord Ganesh, return again soon next year).

The festival is celebrated largely in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. People rejoice the festival as it is believed that Ganesha brings home good luck and prosperity. Ganesha Chaturthi is, therefore, considered an opportunity to wish your loved ones loads of good fortune. Greeting cards are a popular choice. Though, people who want to send their messages in no time go for E-greetings on the festival. Also, sending across charming gifts is another way to convey your blessings to your near and dear ones!

Happy Ganesha Chaturthi!

Teachers' Day (India)

Teachers' Day is a great expression to pay tribute to the teachers who spend their lives in nurturing the young citizens of the country. The role of a teacher in any society is remarkably significant: they inculcate good values and morals among their students, thus becoming helping hands in the building of a nation.

Teachers' Day is celebrated around the world on October 5 every year. Nations usually eulogize a native teacher and celebrate the occasion on their birthday or any other significant day associated with education. Hence, the day of celebration varies from one country to another. Around eighty nations all over the world celebrate the day; and 11 out of them share a common Teachers' Day on February 28.

Coming in a few days in India, Teachers' Day falls on September 5 every year. The day commemorates Dr. Sarvapali Radhakrishnan's since 1962. Dr. Radhakrishnan was the President of India during 1962; also, he was an accomplished philosopher and educator.

Indian schools organize a grand festival on the day. The ceremony usually begins with a speech dedicated to teachers. It is furthered by elaborated feast, dance and songs. 

Usually, students perform the role of the teachers in schools, to express their gratitude. The beauty of Teachers' Day is that it cultivates the bond between a student and their teachers.

Traditional ways of greeting one's teachers is by dedicating them a greeting card. In fact, these days there are so many creative gift ideas for Teachers' Day. Also, with changing times devotional messages to teachers can be easily sent through E-cards. Gifts and cards are beautiful way to articulate your affection and respect for your teacher.

We all have been students sometime in our lives; and Teachers' Day gives us a chance to dedicate a day to our honorable educators.