Canyon Vista has a diverse student body of many different ethnicities and races, and this comes with a lot of different traditions. Traditions are a vital part of the community, and are often connected to our ancestors.

Ramadan is a festival where Muslims fast from sunup to sundown, pray together, hold potluck, festivals and more. There are many practices. Two of them are remembering Allah (God) for a continuous period of time and to celebrate and remember the revelation of the Quran as a gift to humanity.

“My favorite tradition is Ramadan,” Raahim Farooqui (6) said. Ramadan is usually celebrated for 1 month every year. “And we get… good things; there blessings.” 

Diwali is a festival that is celebrated for about 5 days. People all over India celebrate the victory of many gods. Northern Indians celebrate King Rama’s return to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. Southern Indians celebrate Lord Krishna’s defeating demon Narakasura. Western Indians celebrate this day when Lord Vishnu sends demon King Bali to rule the nether world.

“My favorite tradition has to be Diwali,” Shlok Patil (6) said. “During Diwali, we often make rangoli, which is just powder that is arranged in a pattern on the doorstep, and we also light a bunch of candles because it’s a festival of lights. Something about the tradition a lot of people don’t know about is that it actually is on the end of the lunar calendar year, not actually the end of the new year, and it’s on the lunar calendar year because the traditional way of Hindi is to follow the lunar calendar year.”

Christmas is the holiday that marks the birth of Jesus Christ. During this holiday people decorate trees with ornaments and lights. They may also get together with families and friends and have a feast. 

“My favorite tradition would be Christmas because I get to spend time with family and open, like, presents and eat,” Brayden Erickson (6) said. 

Easter is a holiday that marks the rebirth of Jesus Christ. One of the most famous activities is an Easter egg hunt. The eggs can be filled with treats like candy or money and people try to find the hidden eggs.

“My favorite tradition would definitely be Easter,” Emily Bishop (7) said. “I spend time with my family and we have Easter dinner.” Her family often doesn’t attend church during the holiday. Some stereotypes associated with the tradition is that everyone goes to church.

Sources: 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2023/03/21/what-ramadan-celebrated-islam/11516555002/

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/pages/article/diwali