Festival of Light

 

                  Photo by Udayaditya Barua on Unsplash       Photo by Suchandra Roy Chowdhury on Unsplash

New Moon by Langston Hughes

There's a new young moon
Riding the hills tonight.

There's a sprightly young moon
Exploring the clouds.

There's a half-shy young moon
Veiling her face like a virgin
Waiting for a lover.

Tomorrow (Nov 4th) will see a new moon. It will be too close to the sun in the sky to be visible. The moon rises and sets with the sun and is not present in the night sky. Because of this the night sky is darker and an excellent time to view other celestial objects. Click here to find out more about all the wonderful things you might be able to spot.

This night will also mark the celebration of Diwali, the festival of lights. This is a festival of new beginnings, the triumph of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance and light over darkness. Click to take a Diwali quiz.

Diwali is India's most important religious festival and lasts for five days, marking the start of the Hindu New Year.

Rangoli is a popular Diwali tradition –– beautiful patterns made using colourful powders and flowers. People draw rangoli on the floor by the entrance of their homes to welcome the gods and bring good luck!

Writing prompts:

• Write for five minutes in response to the poem above.
• When was the last time you really looked up at a clear, dark, cloudless, starry sky? Write about what you saw (or what you can imagine) and how this made you feel.
• What new beginnings can you make this Diwali? Make a list.
• Write for seven minutes about good triumphing over evil.