Today I learnt about the festival called Dashain. (Please note that any description of Dashain I received directly from the mouths of my students. If it is inaccurate either I misunderstood or something was lost in translation).
Dashain, as they instructed me, is a 5 day festival. The students did not know what it originated from, but they knew that it involved a lot of big meals and fun parties. Buying and wearing new clothes is a large part of the festival, at least for the girls. Grandparents in the community put tikka (a red dot) on their grandchildren’s foreheads, wishing blessings upon them. They also give them a small monetary gift. This sentiment is echoed a couple weeks from now during the festival of Tihar. Brothers will put tikka on their sisters and give them money, while sisters will do it back and give their brother's clothes. If they do not have biological siblings they can do it to other people who are close friends. One student was sad because her grandparents are no longer alive so she does not get money, but she does get to buy new clothes and party and dance. The festival means early mornings and late nights spent with family, playing cards, and praying together.
There are some students in our classroom who are not Hindu and do not explicitly celebrate this festival, though, one student, who is Christian, still brought candies for the other students. It seems like Dashain is more of a cultural holiday than a religious one, like Christmas is in Canada.
On the first day of Dashain, some of the students opted just to stay at home. The students that did come were very disappointed they had to be at school and were unhappy the majority of the day. What interested me most was David's reaction to this festival. David instructed the rest of the class to stay home for the remaining days of Dashain. This was not done out of a frustration towards belligerent students, but rather out of an awareness of priority. He re-emphasized the importance of maintaining their culture--how they are not to assimilate to Canadian culture just because they are in Canada now. It is more important that the students receive the full effect of the cultural implications of the holiday than spend a day at school. Being with their families on an important festival is more imperative than that day’s lesson plans. This perspective on priorities was important for me to hear as it is relevant to immigrants and citizens alike.
Dashain, as they instructed me, is a 5 day festival. The students did not know what it originated from, but they knew that it involved a lot of big meals and fun parties. Buying and wearing new clothes is a large part of the festival, at least for the girls. Grandparents in the community put tikka (a red dot) on their grandchildren’s foreheads, wishing blessings upon them. They also give them a small monetary gift. This sentiment is echoed a couple weeks from now during the festival of Tihar. Brothers will put tikka on their sisters and give them money, while sisters will do it back and give their brother's clothes. If they do not have biological siblings they can do it to other people who are close friends. One student was sad because her grandparents are no longer alive so she does not get money, but she does get to buy new clothes and party and dance. The festival means early mornings and late nights spent with family, playing cards, and praying together.
There are some students in our classroom who are not Hindu and do not explicitly celebrate this festival, though, one student, who is Christian, still brought candies for the other students. It seems like Dashain is more of a cultural holiday than a religious one, like Christmas is in Canada.
On the first day of Dashain, some of the students opted just to stay at home. The students that did come were very disappointed they had to be at school and were unhappy the majority of the day. What interested me most was David's reaction to this festival. David instructed the rest of the class to stay home for the remaining days of Dashain. This was not done out of a frustration towards belligerent students, but rather out of an awareness of priority. He re-emphasized the importance of maintaining their culture--how they are not to assimilate to Canadian culture just because they are in Canada now. It is more important that the students receive the full effect of the cultural implications of the holiday than spend a day at school. Being with their families on an important festival is more imperative than that day’s lesson plans. This perspective on priorities was important for me to hear as it is relevant to immigrants and citizens alike.