Maybe rituals "aren't your thing." Maybe they are. Whatever your beliefs and lifestyle, the fact is that The Puja Ceremony is a key component to understanding Hinduism. It's how Hindus, for centuries, have connected with the Divine. And it's a vital element in almost all Hindu holidays - including Diwali - when the Lakshmi Puja takes center stage.
But how often do you see a 5-year-old (or an 8-or-10-year old for that matter) actually sit through a puja? Maybe they don't understand what's going on. Maybe all those Sanskrit hymns bore them.
This Diwali we encourage you to shake things up. Adults: sit back and let the kids take charge of the prayer ceremony with our Step-by-Step Diwali Puja Tutorial! From the starting preparations to final aarti and prasad, our Tutorial instructs kids on what to do - and, more importantly, the meaning and purpose behind each step. It's The Puja - deconstructed and distilled to the essentials. It's learning by doing.
Of course, keep in mind the puja won't be perfect (or very long), but the kids are sure to have fun being "in charge." And feel free to adapt the Tutorial - we set-up a very basic presentation, but you can insert special family traditions or longer mantras if you wish.
We hope our Tutorial will help kids connect with the more spiritual elements of one of Hinduism's biggest holidays.
And here are the cards:
http://www.gnaana.com/visuals/november10/Diwali_Kids_Activity_Puja_1.jpg
http://www.gnaana.com/visuals/november10/Diwali_Kids_Activity_Puja_2.jpg
http://www.gnaana.com/visuals/november10/Diwali_Kids_Activity_Puja_3.jpg
http://www.gnaana.com/visuals/november10/Diwali_Kids_Activity_Puja_4.jpg
This is brilliant Aamba, I am sure this will help a good deal of people. I know for a lot of westerners the transition from reading scriptures to practical application of worship is the most difficult step as we do not have family traditions to show us Upasana/ Puja and there is very little written about it. Many new to Hinduism do not realize that Upasana/ Puja could be as simple as offering a flower or meditating while chanting the name of God to full on Bramanic ritual. Soon I will be reproducing a full daily Puja to Sri Ram to help those who are interested in Ram Bhakti.
ReplyDeleteExactly! Being designed for kids is great for those of us who come to it as adults, we need to be treated like kids sometimes! I'm looking forward to seeing your daily Rama puja!
ReplyDeleteYou know, I was just thinking that it would be nice to have something like this, since so much of Hindu (and, by extension, religious) practice comes from, well, practicing the stuff your parents taught you growing up, and that it's hard to figure out what to do as an adult. I am totally okay with learning things like a child (it's kind of like learning a language).
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this!
Actually, putting this together was enlightening for me as well. I grew up surrounded by pujas - at home, in temples, at functions - but no one every bothered to tell me what it was all about!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad people like it. I thought it was a totally brilliant idea when I saw it. I love that company! I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
ReplyDeleteI want the letter blocks! hehehe
ReplyDeleteI have the letter blocks! Also, the cooking cards and the avatar puzzle. I bought them for my "hope chest" for my future children :)
ReplyDelete