Community News

Short pieces relating to recent/upcoming community and cultural events

Diwali

Aira Jain and Aryan Jariwala

Diwali (duh-vaa-lee), also known as the Festival of Light, is a widely celebrated holiday throughout Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism, and the holiday can be traced back to Ancient India about 2,500 years ago. It marks the day that Prince Rama, his wife Sita, and his brother Lakshman return to Ayodhya, a city in India, after a 14-year exile and end the war against the demon king Ravana. During their exile in the forest, Ravana kidnapped Sita; however, with the help of the monkey-god Hanuman, Rama and Lakshman defeat Ravana and save Sita.

Diwali usually lasts five days and is celebrated in October or November, depending on the lunar calendar. The holiday is filled with traditions, colorful decorations, and joyful gatherings. Many people light oil lamps and fireworks to guide Prince Rama home and to symbolize the triumph of light and righteousness. Followers also exchange sweets and gifts. Many girls also put Mehndi (Henna) on their hands.

A fun activity that people enjoy - you could try it too - is creating rangoli art. Rangoli is an art where intricate patterns are made on a flat surface. It could be made using materials such as rice flour, colored sand, and rose petals. You can get the sand from the Michaels in Holmdel or on Amazon.

Also, students are off on October 20th for Diwali.

Halloween COSTUME Ideas

Unsure what to dress up as for halloween? Here are some individual ideas, along with groups of twos, threes, and fours!

ANNA LEO

1. Steps for diy-ing

This is a guide for choosing your halloween costumes + some methods for making the costume yourself.

Scroll through inspiration pictures

If you have social media, platforms like instagram and pinterest have pages of halloween costume ideas. You can also search in browsers (Google, Safari, etc.) for ideas as well. Down below are some website and costume options.

Purchase accessories or materials

To bring your look to life, buy creative pieces of apparel that connect with the costume your portraying. If you’re making your costume, write out a list of the materials necessary to create your vision.

Create the costume and try it on

To make your costume, some common building tools consist of sewing machines, glue, and face makeup. Once your look is complete, try the outfit on to ensure it’s to your liking; no one wants to try on their costume on THE DAY of Halloween to discover it doesn’t meet their expectations.

2. pictured ideas (singles, duos, trios, quartets)