From Diwali to Carnaval, students celebrate culture
By Hamdi Ali, Seventh Grade
Many students at Noe celebrate different seasonal activities and or traditions, ranging from Hindu festivals to Mexican Independence Day, which showcase the diversity that exists at our school.
Crystal Baniya is Nepali and celebrates Diwali, a Hindu festival of lights. Commonly celebrated in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, it originated 2,500 years ago.
“It represents light over darkness, meaning that goodness, wisdom, and hope will always defeat evil and despair,” Baniya said.
Diwali is usually celebrated during five cheerful days filled with bright lights, family gatherings, fireworks, and sweet foods.
Teacher Rachel Retana celebrates Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead), Christmas and Mexican Independence Day.
On Dia de Muertos, there are many different celebrations, special foods, costumes, home altars, music, and more. Dia de Muertos is usually celebrated in Mexico, in regions like Oaxaca, Michoacan, and Mexico city. It originated in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica 3,000 years ago.
Retana said Dia de Muertos is important to her because, “The point of the day of the dead is to celebrate it with happiness about people who have passed. It’s not a sad holiday.” Dia de Muertos is important to her because it symbolizes that “souls continue to live on,” meaning that death isn’t an end, it’s a start to the continuation of the soul journey in a spiritual realm.
Seventh-grader Camila Roque celebrates traditional Christian holidays, such as Christmas, Easter, and Good Friday, but also celebrates Carnaval, which is a Cuban tradition.
“(Carnaval is) one of the island’s most vibrant days,” Roque said.
Carnaval is celebrated with massive street parades, thumping drum rhythms, neighborhood dance competitions and giant puppet characters. Carnival originated in the 17th century in the city of Santiago de Cuba. Roque said Cuban carnivals are important to her because, “Cuba is really poor right now, and we all really wanna make sure we keep our festivals and traditions going and just keep the Cuban culture going. We don’t want it to disappear.”
Whether lighting lamps for Diwali, building joyful altars for Día de Muertos, or keeping the rhythm of Cuban Carnival alive through tough times, the people at Noe Middle School carry powerful legacies. These celebrations show that the school is more than just a place to learn math and science, it is a colorful community where history is honored and diverse identities are proudly shared.
