Diwali Assembly
Music playing – chn dancing and waving colored streamers.
Give me a ‘D’
Give me a ‘I’
Give me a ‘w’
Give me an ‘a’
Give me an ‘l’
Give me an ‘I’
What have we got?
(audience – Diwali)
1. Good morning and welcome to our Diwali assembly.
2. Recently the Hindu community celebrated a special religious festival
called Diwali.
3. Hinduism is one of the oldest religions in the world; it began in India
many thousands of years ago!
4. Like many other religions of the world, Hinduism also has special
festivals throughout the year.
5. Today we will be telling you all about Diwali, one of the best-known
Hindu Festivals.
6. Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali which means row of
lights.
7. Diwali is a festival of lights and lasts five days.
8. It celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and goodness over evil.
9. It takes place in the autumn, around October or November.
10. Before the festival the house is cleaned top to bottom.
11.It is then decorated. Little clay lamps called divas are lit and placed in
the windows and outside of doors.
Dad: (has tinsel attached to bottom)
Come on you two! Hurry up with the cleaning, get that dustpan and
brush moving! If you don’t hurry up your mum will be back soon and
you know how she wants everything clean!
Son: But dad, why does everything have to be so clean? Are we having
the queen over for some jelly and ice cream?
Doughter: No Silly, its November and its that special time of year called
Diwali. We have to decorate the house and line it with Divas.
Son: Dad, I know I might sound silly, but why are these lamps called
BEAVERS? Why would anybody name a lamp after a furry animal
from America?
Dad: Beavers? You mean DIVAS? Let me spell it for your, here D.I.V.A.S.
Now do you get it? (son nods) Good well, lets carry on, where has that
green tinsel gone? Can you see it children?
(Dad asks looking puzzled and scratching head)
Son: I though I saw it on the chair over there, but its not there now.
(Mum enters.)
Mum: My word! You have been busy sorting out the house for Diwali. But
where is the tinsel that I left for the mantelpiece?
Dad: Are you sure you left it on the chair, because its not there now?
Mum: What is that on your bottom father? (pointing to dads bottom)
12.
As well as decorating the inside of the house, Diwali is also a time where
Rangoli patterns are painted outside homes to welcome in the guests.
13.
We have designed some rangoli patterns for you to see.
14.
These patterns might be made out of coloured rice or with different coloured
sands or powders.
15.
During the festival, people make a special effort to visit their family and
friends and they will often take a tray of sweet treats with them.
16.
Dance and music also feature in Diwali celebrations.
Dance – music tbc
17.
One of the major features of Diwali is the famous story of prince Rama and
his wife Sita. This story took place in India many years ago.
18.
It is taken from the Ramayana – a poem with around 96,000 verses!
Narrator: (exclaiming) ninety six thousand! (looking worriedly through his
notes) nobody told me that there were that many verse!
Rama: Don’t worry! Ours is just a short play – we certainly won’t be
covering that many verses!
Narrator: and you are?
Rama: (bowing) Rama! Oldest son of…
(Enter King – sit on throne)
King: King Dasharatha, ruler of Ayodhaya
King: And this is my wife (he says holding out his hand for the queen)
Queen: I am Queen of Ayodhaya (she enters importantly not taking her
husband’s hand)
Narrator: I think we can see who wears the trousers around her.
Queen: Trousers? This is the finest silk saree that money can buy!
Narrator: Apologies, just a figure of speech your highness.
Narrator 2: King Dasaratha is getting very old and he wants Rama to become
king.
King : O’ dear wife. I am getting old and life is becoming too difficult.
What is a foolish old man like me to do?
Wife: I know what a foolish man like you can do, give your crown to my
son Bharata
King: But my dear, what about Rama, my oldest son?
Queen: Aren’t you forgetting something? You gave me two 2 wishes a
long time ago when I saved your life.
King: How could I?
Queen: well, I know exactly what I want. First, I want my son Baratha to
be king. (King puts hand on forehead) Second, I want Rama banished
from the kingdom!
(Queen walks away laughing. King starts crying. Rama walks in with
Sita)
Rama: Father, father! What is it? Why are you so sad?
King:
Sita:
My child, I must send you to the jungle for 14 years.
Rama, I am your wife. I will go with you.
( King, Rama and Sita hold each other and cry)
(Lashmana and Baratha walk in.)
Lakshmana:
What’s going on?
Sita:
We have to go to the jungle and live there for 14
years. What will we do?
Lakshmana:
Don’t worry Sita. I will come, too.
Rama, Sita, Lashmana: Goodbye, Baratha.
(all walk away towards jungle)
Baratha:
Please come back! I don’t want to be king.
(Rama, Sita and Lakshmana walk into jungle.)
(In the forest.)
Sita:
What will you hunt for lunch today?
Lakshmama:
Whatever my arrow catches. Stay here.
(Rama and Lakshama pick up bows and arrows and walk away)
Sita:
Watch out for tigers and demons!
(shouting after them)
(Rama and Lakshmana sit with other children)
Narrator 2: Rama and Lakshmana saw many demons and killed thousands of
them. The demon king, Ravana heard about this.
Ravana:
I’m going to kill Rama and Lakshmana!
Narrator 2: What’s this then? A ten headed daemon?
Ravana: Not bad for someone with only one set of eyes!
Narrator 2: Something tells me this one’s trouble!
Narrator 3: Ravana goes out in search of Rama and Lakshmana in the jungle.
(Ravana walks and watches Sita from behind a tree.)(She is dancing around)
Ravana:
What a beautiful woman! She must be my queen!
I’ll steal her from Rama.
Narrator 3: Ravana conjured a beautiful deer to trick Sita.
(Sita sees the deer and goes towards it but it runs away)
(Rama and Lakshmana come back)
Sita:
today. I must have it.
Rama, I saw a beautiful golden deer in the forest
Rama:
Dear? Dear? All right. I’ll get it for you. But while I
am gone, you must stay within this protective circle. Nothing can hurt you
when you’re inside it.
Lakshaman: Bye!
Narrator 3: Rama and Lakshmana go into the woods, leaving Sita alone in
the protective circle.
(Protective circle dance)
Narrator 2: Meanwhile Ravana is watching Sita.
(Ravana transforms into an old man and tries to approach the circle, each
time he finds that he cannot approach it without being hurt. He finally
decides to persuades sita to leave her protective circle capturing her and
taking her back to his lair).
Ravan: Oh sweet child, I am very hungry and very thirsty, won’t you help
me?
Sita: I would love to help you, but you see, I cannot leave this protective
circle.
Ravana: But dear child, I’m sure nothing will happen to you while helping
an old, dying man and I will be forever grateful to you.
Sita: very well, I’m sure it won’t hurt to step out only for a moment.
(As sita steps out of the circle, the demon removes his disguise and drags her
to his lair. Rama and Lakshmana return, only to find that Sita is no longer
there!)
Rama:
Sita, Sita, where are you?
Narrator 4: The two brothers looked all over India for Sita but she’s nowhere
to be found. One day they meet the monkey God, Hanuman.
Hanuman:
Ravana has Sita in his palace in Lanka.
Rama:
How can we go there? There are monsters in the sea.
Hanuman:
We’ll build a bridge across to go to the palace.
Rama and Lakshaman: Lets do this.
(all 3 high five)
Narrator 4: The bridge was built. Rama, Lakshmana and Hanuman went to
Lanka. They fought many demons.
(Fight scene between demons and monkey gods.)
Rama:
Ravana! I have waited for this day for years!
(Rama comes to centre and sees Ravana. He takes his bow and shoots
Ravana. Ravana holds chest and falls.)
(Sita runs to Rama)
Sita:
I’m so happy to see you.
(Rama , Sita , Lakshmana and Hanuman walk out of forest.)
The trio travelled a long way and when they reached the kingdom it was
very dark. There was no moon to light their way.
To help Rama and Sita find their way back home, the people lit little lights
and placed them outside their homes so that their new king and queen could
find their way back home.
These lights were called Divas, which is where the celebration of Divali gets
its name.
From this day Hinuds all over the world celebrate Diwali by lighting lamps,
singing, dancing, making rangoli patterns and lighting fireworks.
We hope you have enjoyed our assembly, thank you for listening.