Let's introduce you to our members.
A little more about us:
Pictures of Diwali celebrations in our country:
Diwali, The Festival of Lights
Diwali. We all love the 'Festival of Lights’ .We have many ways to celebrate this day. We decorate our homes with strings of colorful lights, eat many sweets, light diyas, wear new clothes, and the most amazing part: FIRECRACKERS! This special day celebrates the return of Lord Ram, Laxman and Sita to Ayodhya after a 14- year exile to the forest. The people of Ayodhya lit diyas and placed them along the roads to celebrate their return.
To please Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, we clean our houses and make it neat and clean .We also decorate our houses with strings and garlands of beautiful lights.
On the day of Diwali, we perform a puja (a worship) for Goddess Laxmi, wish each other a very Happy Diwali and take the blessings of our elders. India is a very diverse country hence sweet choices vary from state to state like ‘gulab jamun’, ‘peda’ and ‘kaju barfi’ mainly from the north; and ‘rasgullas’ from west Bengal. Puddings like ‘kheer’ are not uncommon to regions like Maharashtra and the Southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Some may choose to burst several firecrackers, while some may not to due its effects on the environment (contribution to air pollution). Looking at all the firecrackers, lights, and diyas you can truly see why Diwali is named the ‘Festival of Lights’.
To please Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, we clean our houses and make it neat and clean .We also decorate our houses with strings and garlands of beautiful lights.
On the day of Diwali, we perform a puja (a worship) for Goddess Laxmi, wish each other a very Happy Diwali and take the blessings of our elders. India is a very diverse country hence sweet choices vary from state to state like ‘gulab jamun’, ‘peda’ and ‘kaju barfi’ mainly from the north; and ‘rasgullas’ from west Bengal. Puddings like ‘kheer’ are not uncommon to regions like Maharashtra and the Southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Some may choose to burst several firecrackers, while some may not to due its effects on the environment (contribution to air pollution). Looking at all the firecrackers, lights, and diyas you can truly see why Diwali is named the ‘Festival of Lights’.
Chritsmas, the Festival of Joy
Christmas (or the Feast of the Nativity) is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season centered around it.
The traditional Christmas narrative, the Nativity of Jesus, delineated in the New Testament says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then further disseminated the information.
The traditional Christmas narrative, the Nativity of Jesus, delineated in the New Testament says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, in accordance with messianic prophecies. When Joseph and Mary arrived in the city, the inn had no room and so they were offered a stable where the Christ Child was soon born, with angels proclaiming this news to shepherds who then further disseminated the information.
In conclusion...how important celebrations are:
In Indian culture, celebrations are given utmost importance. Right from childhood, infants in India are made a part of every celebration in the house. This helps them understand the rituals of each festival and they develop a liking for the festivals and celebrations. As they grow older, they get fonder of these festivals and they want to celebrate it in its full potential to enjoy it thoroughly. These festivals bring them closer to each other as well as the country, and instill a feeling of patriotism as well. Our age-old traditions have gifted the country with various festivals and fairs. Many tourists come to India to witness the various celebrations and revel in the enjoyment. Indians celebrate various moments like ploughing day, harvesting day, changing seasons, and many more. Earlier, there was something to celebrate every single day, so people had festivals for 365 days in a year. However, now with our busy schedules, we can manage to celebrate only 8-10 festivals on an average in a year. With so many festivals to celebrate, Indians surely have millions of reasons to rejoice! Furthermore, when students from different countries experience this joy of festivals, it truly enhances the Indian culture.
Padlet 1 links:
1) https://padlet.com/manashree_kamble/9mtvqet7ksesftxo
2) https://padlet.com/neeharika2006/adqbsarg5y5w4mxu
3) https://padlet.com/tanviagrawal1/zn7askoz4x7eip28
4) https://padlet.com/gowrijayesh2006/yzefpfjgeqiqeqlt
2) https://padlet.com/neeharika2006/adqbsarg5y5w4mxu
3) https://padlet.com/tanviagrawal1/zn7askoz4x7eip28
4) https://padlet.com/gowrijayesh2006/yzefpfjgeqiqeqlt
Video Conference 1:
We, the Regions Celebrations team along with the Dances of the World team had the pleasure of interacting with our European (Dutch) counterparts. All of us got something to learn. Here's some snippets of the incredibly joyful session we had :)
Padlet 2 Links:
1) EuMind_Regions_20_21 Celebrations (padlet.com)
2) Chirstmas Padlet
3) A Christmas Padlet
4) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !! (padlet.com)
2) Chirstmas Padlet
3) A Christmas Padlet
4) Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !! (padlet.com)
Video Conference 2:
We, the Celebrations and Dances of the World teams, had another wonderful, intriguing and enthusiastic interaction with the students of Marne College, Bolsward on 19th January, 2021....Here are some pictures of our session.
A link to our survey:
https://forms.gle/8UrGfzJFpPuehnqJ8
Due to the pandemic, we were unable to take interviews in person and physical. We have tried to make the best of our situation and we have collected data through phone calls and messaging platforms.
What we conclude from our research:
- 15 candidates were surveyed, of which 3 were children and 12 were adults. Majority of the candidates believe that the celebrations are varied and very important in our culture. Celebrations, of any form, teach us to tolerate and mingle with people from all backgrounds. Most of the candidates found Diwali, Christmas, Ganesh Chaturti and birthdays to be commonly celebrated with great enthusiasm among the youth.
- The survey candidates were very supportive of our members and gave us honest and unbiased reports. All candidates were patient and gave us useful information for the completion of the surveys.
Reflections:
I had an enriching and enjoyable experience in EuMind. I have been a part of for two years now and I never fail to learn something new every time. As the leader, I noticed a lot of effort and enthusiasm from the team members. I think i could have been more prompt in replying and I could have completed assignments slightly before time. My favourite part of the entire experience was certainly the video conferences. I think it would be great if we could have a few more interactions with our European counterparts. Overall, I think every year being involved with EuMind is a new, exciting adventure and I would love to continue with it!
-Neeharika (Leader, IX-B)
EuMind has been a lovely experience for me. This was my first experience here and I enjoyed it all. It provided us a platform to portray all our skills in the online projects. We got an opportunity to interact with our European counterparts under various circumstances. The video conferences were enriching and informative; they challenged our intellect and made us strive to achieve more. I am truly grateful to have been a part of this incredible journey this year. I would love to see more clubs of this kind. EuMind encourages us to interact with new people and the research work helps us gather information too.
-Manashree (Editor, VIII-B)
I really enjoyed being a part of EuMind 2020-21. This was one of the most informative and amazing experience I have had till date. I liked the video conferences the best and I felt they were very challenging and intriguing. Padlet was a great opportunity to show our creative skills and to express our feelings. We were all equally involved in the projects and never felt pressure on us. This was a really good learning chance for us all. We got exposed to a large variety for traditions and festivals that we did not knew existed. It was a lovely year being involved with EuMind!
-Tanvi (Article writer, VIII-B)
So far, I had a great experience in EuMind and I learnt a lot of new things in EuMind about Europe. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. The team put in a lot of efforts to do their best. What I liked most about EuMind was the video conference as it was an interactive session and I got to know a lot of festivals that I did not know existed. I liked everything about about EuMind. I could have done better with my Padlets as it consisted more of pictures and less content. I think EuMind could have more video conferences so that we can interact with our counterparts more.
- Gowri (Photographer, VIII-B)
-Neeharika (Leader, IX-B)
EuMind has been a lovely experience for me. This was my first experience here and I enjoyed it all. It provided us a platform to portray all our skills in the online projects. We got an opportunity to interact with our European counterparts under various circumstances. The video conferences were enriching and informative; they challenged our intellect and made us strive to achieve more. I am truly grateful to have been a part of this incredible journey this year. I would love to see more clubs of this kind. EuMind encourages us to interact with new people and the research work helps us gather information too.
-Manashree (Editor, VIII-B)
I really enjoyed being a part of EuMind 2020-21. This was one of the most informative and amazing experience I have had till date. I liked the video conferences the best and I felt they were very challenging and intriguing. Padlet was a great opportunity to show our creative skills and to express our feelings. We were all equally involved in the projects and never felt pressure on us. This was a really good learning chance for us all. We got exposed to a large variety for traditions and festivals that we did not knew existed. It was a lovely year being involved with EuMind!
-Tanvi (Article writer, VIII-B)
So far, I had a great experience in EuMind and I learnt a lot of new things in EuMind about Europe. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. The team put in a lot of efforts to do their best. What I liked most about EuMind was the video conference as it was an interactive session and I got to know a lot of festivals that I did not know existed. I liked everything about about EuMind. I could have done better with my Padlets as it consisted more of pictures and less content. I think EuMind could have more video conferences so that we can interact with our counterparts more.
- Gowri (Photographer, VIII-B)