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January, ruled by the Roman god of doorways, Janus, is an important month because it is the first of the year. It is like the first chapter of a book, and indeed it is in this book! You open with so much anticipation and expectancy, not knowing where the story will lead, but hoping for the best. January is a month of optimism, and this should shine through in any learning activity that you undertake. Interestingly, Janus is a god of two faces. One looks back at the past, and the other faces forwards, looking out into the future. This sums up the power of this month and all its festivals. It’s a time for new beginnings, a transitional period, where we move from one thing to another. We keep one eye on the past, so that we know where we’ve come from, but we also look to the future, so that we know where we’re headed. Movement is key this month, and each festival listed below represents some kind of movement into a new era or cycle.
Makar Sankranti
This Hindu festival falls on the 14th of January every year. It marks the beginning of the harvest festival and a time when the days start to grow longer and warmer. It celebrates the journey of the Sun God into the northern hemisphere. The sun is important to Hindus: it represents knowledge, wisdom and light. The idea is that, as the sun travels, we look to the light inside ourselves. We turn away from the darkness and start a new life where we are able to shine brightly and radiate love. This is an auspicious time of year for Hindus and they celebrate this event in many ways, depending on which part of India they live in. Some take a ‘holy dip’ in one of the rivers to show their respect, and if this isn’t possible, they make a point of having a bath on this day. Others prefer to give some kind of offering, including food, clothing, gold and, in particular, pots of sesame seeds. Married women and girls will often apply perfume and sprinkle rose water as a way of appealing to the heavens. Kite flying is also popular at this time of year.
In Southern India, the festival lasts for three days. On the first day they cook up a mixture of rice and milk and offer it to the Rain God; on the second day, they offer the same mixture to the Sun God; and, on the final day, they give their cattle a bath, and dress them up in flowers and bells, as a way of honouring their hard work in the field.
Colour carousel
Think about the ways in which the Hindus celebrate this festival. Split the children into smaller groups. Each group will take an aspect of decoration and have a go at creating something colourful that they can play with. So, for example, one group could have a go at drawing and colouring in kites to fly, while another group could have a go at making paper chains, or flowers which can be worn, carried or waved. Another group might want to take a space in the room and create a river that they can bathe in by using material, or paper painted blue. Have fun and utilise the space you have, and make sure that every corner of the room is filled with colour and movement.
When you’re ready, turn this into a carousel of activity. Encourage the groups to move around the room and take it in turns to play with some of the items created. Make the river a game by asking the children to jump in and out and imagine that they are splashing around. Wave the kites in the sky, and count up how many different kinds you have and what colours and patterns have been used. If you have the opportunity you might want to take the group outside to play with their kites.
Take the flowers and do a similar thing, counting up the numbers, looking at the colours used, and thinking about other aspects, like how they might smell and where they might grow. Use this as an opportunity to create a simple rhyme that young children can join in with and use actions to illustrate the words. So, something like, The flowers are big, and small and round. I hold them in my hand. The flowers are pink and blue and red. I wave them in the air. The flowers are sweet a...
