7. Tihar Festival - Festival of Lights

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Understand what Tihar festival is
• Learn about the five days of Tihar
• Know about different traditions during Tihar
• Compare Tihar with similar festivals they know (like Diwali)

60 minutes

• Paper
• Colored pencils
• Regular pencils
• Notebooks

1. Review (5 minutes)

• Quick recap of Dashain festival
• Connect how Tihar comes shortly after Dashain
• Compare festivals learned so far

2. Introduction to Tihar (15 minutes)

Explain the five days:

1. Kaag Tihar (Crow Day)

• Honoring crows
• Draw crows and offerings

2. Kukur Tihar (Dog Day)

• Celebrating dogs
• Draw dogs with garlands and tika

3. Gai Tihar and Laxmi Puja (Cow and Wealth Day)

• Honoring cows
• Goddess Laxmi worship

4. Goru Tihar (Ox Day)

• Respecting oxen
• Their importance in farming

5. Bhai Tika (Brother's Day)

• Sisters blessing brothers
• Special tika ceremony

3. Decorations and Celebrations (15 minutes)

Draw and discuss:

• Oil lamps (diyo)
• Colorful rangoli patterns
• Marigold flowers
• Light decorations
• Traditional sweets

4. Drawing Activity (15 minutes)

Students draw:

• Their favorite day of Tihar
• Traditional decorations
• Oil lamps and flowers
• Rangoli patterns

5. Closing Activity (10 minutes)

• Students write about their favorite day of Tihar
• Compare Tihar with festivals of light they know
• Preview of next week's topic

• Tihar (तिहार)
• Light (बत्ती - Batti)
• Rangoli (रङ्गोली)
• Garland (माला - Mala)
• Brother (भाइ - Bhai)
• Sister (दिदी/बहिनी - Didi/Bahini)

1. Draw different animals celebrated during Tihar

2. Create their own rangoli pattern design

3. Write about which day of Tihar they like most and why

Check students':

• Understanding of the five days
• Knowledge of traditions
• Drawing skills of festival elements
• Class participation

• Compare with Christmas lights and decorations
• Emphasize respect for animals in Nepali culture
• Make connections to other festivals of light
• Keep explanations simple and relatable
• Use drawings to illustrate concepts
• Focus on the festive atmosphere

• Compare with Diwali
• Talk about other light festivals worldwide
• Discuss how different cultures celebrate with lights
• Connect to local festivals that use lights

• Use simple drawings for each day's significance
• Help students understand the sequence of days
• Make connections to their own experiences with pets
• Keep the focus on celebration and joy
• Encourage creativity in rangoli designs