How to Make Diwali Cards

Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, as well as the Hindu new year. It celebrates the story of when Rama and his wife Sita, gods who were in human form, returned home after Rama rescued her from the demon king Ravana. The people put lamps out to light their way. Diwali is derived from the word Deepavali which means "cluster of lights." This celebration lasts for five days in October/November, and celebrants often make their own Diwali cards to give to others. Making your own Diwali cards is relatively easy once you have gathered a few craft items together.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Card stock in any colors you like
• Lace or cloth scraps
• Glitter glue in any colors you like
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Stickers or pictures of Lakshmi or Ganesha
• 1 metallic pen in gold or silver

1. Cut out a piece of card stock in the size you want your card to be when opened, and then fold it in half.

2. Cut out a picture of Lakshmi or Ganesha so that it will fit on the front of your Diwali card. Using your glue stick, glue the picture to the front of your card. Lakshmi is the goddess of prosperity it is believed she visits all who participate in Diwali. Ganesha is the god of good beginnings and the remover of obstacles. Since Diwali begins the Hindu new year, honoring he and Lakshmi together helps the new year start right.

3. Cut enough lace or cloth scraps to use as a border around the front of your card. Glue your lace or cloth border so that the lace or cloth is about 1/2 inch off the edge of each side of your card.

4. Write your greeting on the front of the card beneath your picture of Ganesha or Lakshmi, but above the border, using your glitter glue. Then wait for the front of your card to dry.

5. Write whatever you would like inside your Diwali card using your gold or silver metallic pen. You should use gold and silver are pens because they are associated with money, and Lakshmi the goddess of prosperity. You have completed your Diwali card.

Tips & Warnings

• *Decorate the inside of your Diwali card with Lakshmi or Ganesha stickers. *Consider decorating the front of your card with metallic colored beads as well as the glitter glue. You could even put fringe with the beads along the bottom instead of the lace or cloth border. *Consider using orange or yellow pens to do the writing inside your Diwali card instead of silver or gold metalic pens. Yellow and orange represent the color of the light from the lamps that were set out by the people for Rama and Sita to light their way home. *Consider color coordinating the items you use to make your Diwali card by consulting a color chart. There is a link to a color chart in the References section. A few pairings could be violet and yellow for complimentary colors, or yellow and green for an analogous color scheme.

• Don't write on the opposite side of the front of your card on the inside or you could wreck your decorations on the front.

References

• Making Diwali Cards
• Making Your Own Diwali Cards

Resources

• Diwali
• The Festival of Diwali
• Color Wheel