The answer library
Why do we…?
Every family has heard these questions. Each answer has a 60-second version you can read to your child, and a deeper explanation for you.
Why are there so many gods?
The question every Hindu child is asked at school. A clear, confident answer: “Truth is one; the wise call it by many names.”
Why do we break a coconut?
At temples, new beginnings and new cars: what breaking a coconut symbolises, and why it is called the “fruit of the divine”.
Why do we celebrate Diwali?
Diwali means “a row of lamps”. Why families light up their homes on the darkest night, and the many stories celebrated across India.
Why do we chant Om?
A-U-M: why Om begins prayers and mantras, what the Upanishads say it means, and how to share it with kids.
Why do we clean our homes before Diwali?
Why families scrub, sort and give things away before Diwali, and how the big clean is really about making room for light, inside and out.
Why do we do aarti?
Circling the lamp, then passing our hands over the flame: what ārati means and why it ends every puja.
Why do we draw rangoli?
Rangoli, kolam, muggu, alpana, mandana: why Hindu families draw patterns at the doorstep, especially at Diwali.
Why do we light a diya?
A small flame, an ancient prayer: why Hindu homes begin the day, a puja or a festival by lighting a lamp.
Why do we ring the temple bell?
Every child loves this part. Here's what the bell actually does: waking up our attention and welcoming the divine.
Why do we say Namaste?
Namaste literally means “I bow to you.” Here is what joined palms really say, and why it is more than a hello.
Why do we take our shoes off at home and in temples?
It's about more than clean floors: leaving the outside world at the door, and treating home and temple as sacred spaces.
Why do we touch elders' feet?
Pranām, charan sparsh, namaskāram: what touching an elder's feet means, what the blessing in return means, and how to explain it to kids.
Why do we wear a bindi or tilak?
That dot or mark between the eyebrows: what the bindi and tilak mean, why that spot, and why families wear them differently.
Why do we wear new clothes and share sweets on Diwali?
New clothes, boxes of mithai, visits to family and neighbours: why Diwali is a festival of fresh starts and sharing.
Why do we worship Goddess Lakshmi on Diwali?
Why families invite Goddess Lakshmi into the home on Diwali night, what she stands for, and why her blessings are about much more than money.