Ganesha's Greeting

By Elisabeth Wilhelm, staff writer

Alicia didn't want to go to school. She dragged her feet on the way there, kicking brown leaves out of the way. It was so cold, she saw her own breath. And the dark house at the end of the street did nothing to raise her spirits. The Singh family had just moved all the way from India, and they were still unpacking boxes. The dark, quiet house seemed as unfriendly as the day did.

Dark Days

As Alicia passed the house, she peeked in the window. A pair of giant red eyes looked right back at her. "What!" Alicia gasped. She rubbed her eyes and tried to get another look at the window, but the wind pushed her hood over her face. Right then, Alicia thought school seemed a safer place to be.

All day long the image of those big red eyes followed Alicia around. She thought about checking it out on the way home, but a storm had started to brew. Dark skies, pounding rain, and scary red eyes just didn't seem a good mix. Alicia started to hurry past the Singh's house, too scared to even look at the window.

Festival Of Lights

But as she was passing the house, she noticed that it was now full of light. She heard laughter and music carried out by the wind. Pink, red, and gold paper lanterns danced joyfully on the front porch.

When Alicia heard her mother's voice coming from inside, she cautiously walked up the steps and pushed the front door open—to see a tall, grinning man wearing a suit, holding a plate of hot, yummy-smelling food. A woman, beautifully dressed in a turquoise sari, was speaking with Alicia's mother, laughing at a funny story her mother had just told. Neighbors from other houses on the street held plates heaped high with cheesecake, spicy Indian dumplings, saffron rice, and mashed potatoes. Everyone looked like they were having a good time.

Alicia's mother spied her at the door and said, "Hey honey! The Singhs are celebrating Diwali today—it's like the Indian New Year!"

New Beginnings

"Today is a day of new beginnings and learning," Mrs. Singh said with a smile, and handed a mug of steaming tea to Alicia. As Alicia took the mug, she noticed a statue of an Indian god whose head was that of an elephant with red lights for eyes.

"Oh!" she said aloud. "Were those the red eyes I saw in your window?"

A girl close to Alicia's age, dressed in a silver-sequined skirt, was passing out orange-colored sweets nearby. She turned towards Alicia with a giggle. "That's a statue of Ganesha. He helps people achieve success."

Mrs. Singh said, "Alicia, this is my daughter Rajni."

Rajni smiled at Alicia and said, "I hope we can be friends. I don't know anyone here yet." Then she held out her tray of swirly, sugary sweets. "Would you like a jalebi?"

"Thanks," smiled Alicia as she reached for one. The trees danced in the wind, scraping the cold glass. Alicia was suddenly grateful to be in a warm house with good food and good friends-to-be. "Thank you, Ganesha," Alicia whispered to the statue, "for helping me learn about a new holiday and bringing me a new friend."

	More about Indian Culture Who is Ganesha? Ganesha (pronounced gah-nay-shah) is one of the many gods in Hinduism. He's an elephant-headed god who represents luck, knowledge, wealth, and doorways. He rides on a mouse, has four hands and a potbelly, and he is said to remove obstacles. Ganesha is the only Hindu god with an animal head, which is why elephants are considered sacred and cannot be harmed in India. What is the "Festival of Lights?" The "Festival of Lights" is also called "Diwali" (pronounced dih-val-ee). It's one of the most popular and important festivals of India and of Hindus. For kids, it's a great time to have fun with all types of firecrackers. "Diwali" usually happens in October or November, depending on the moon. Usually, celebrations have lots of lights and lamps (but electric lights are common, too).