We continued our exploration of ancient India this past week with the story of Rama and Sita. We used clay to shape India and then drew the map of ancient India in our Main Lesson Books.

The recapitulations of the creation and flood story and the story of Rama and Sita are in our books, and we are ready to spend one more week on stories from the ancient Indian tradition. The students learned about Diwali and made diya lanterns, which we will use in a Diwali celebration Monday as we learn the story of Lakshmi. We can also use these lamps for the Day of Courage celebration on Wednesday. It is no accident that ancient celebrations of light happen at this time of year. As the earth changes position it offers less and less light to those of us who live in the Northern hemisphere. The ancients were truly afraid that the sun would go away and not return, so they created ceremonies to honor the return of light, thus bringing to fruition another year. Different cultures used different kinds of calendars - solar, lunar, the constellations - to set the dates for the celebrations. Through the years the understanding of the cycles of the year have become clear. Sun and moon worship are not as important as they were 2.000+ years ago, but the need for community celebrations continues. We honor our heritage and that of other cultures so that we can bridge the gaps in understanding and promote a more peaceful world. This week we celebrate Diwali, from the Hindu tradition, and Martinmas, from the Western Christian tradition. Let there be light!!!

Have a wonderful, bright week!!

Blessings,

Kathee