Festival Vocabulary — Hindi and Sanskrit Words Explained
Twenty words children hear at every festival, explained simply in English.
Words at the puja
- Puja — worship, a prayer ceremony
- Aarti — waving a lamp while singing a prayer
- Prasad — food offered to God, then shared as a blessing
- Diya — a small clay oil lamp
- Tilak — a mark on the forehead
- Mantra — a sacred sound or verse
- Bhajan — a devotional song
- Kalash — a pot of water with mango leaves and a coconut
- Akshat — unbroken rice used in puja
- Pandit / Purohit — a priest who leads the puja
Words at festivals
- Vrat — a fast, going without some food to pray
- Pandal — a big decorated tent for the festival
- Ghat — steps leading down to a river or lake
- Arghya — an offering of water to the Sun
- Rangoli / Kolam — patterns made with coloured powder at the door
- Murti — a sacred statue
- Visarjan — immersing an idol in water at the end of a festival
- Tithi — a day of the Hindu lunar calendar
- Purnima / Amavasya — full moon / new moon
- Shubh — auspicious, lucky
Words for family and respect
- Namaste / Pranam — a greeting with folded hands
- Ashirwad — a blessing from elders
- Charan sparsh — touching an elder's feet for blessings
- Dakshina — a gift given to a priest or teacher
- Seva — helping others without expecting anything back
Words for the calendar
- Panchang — the Hindu almanac that shows tithi, nakshatra and auspicious times
- Nakshatra — one of 27 star groups the moon passes through
- Shukla paksha / Krishna paksha — the waxing and waning halves of the lunar month
- Ekadashi — the 11th day of each half, a common fasting day
- Muhurat — an auspicious time chosen for an important event
Play with the words
Make flash cards with the word on one side and a drawing on the other; play “I spy” at the temple (“I spy a kalash!”); or ask grandparents to tell what each word meant when they were young. Children learn best when the words come with stories and smiles.