Bombay, India
Decorations
When decorating I suggest modern India decor with its bright and vibrant colors during celebrations. Include images of elephants, as well as hanging bright colorful silks, or other material, and flowers…lots of colorful flowers. Indian party
Music
Watch out for those snake charmers. Personally, I prefer today’s Bollywood music.
It would be fantastic if you could find an Indian dance troupe to perform at camp.
Language
Food
I’m a fan of Chicken Tikka Masala myself. Unfortunately, it isn’t even an Indian dish. It was conceived by chefs in the UK. If we were to look at food from Bombay (Mumbai), the street food is where it’s at. I’ll take 2 chicken tikka rolls, please, or maybe one of those kebabs.
Clothing
During the 1890s most of India was under British rule. The clothing, especially for men, was a hybrid of Western and Eastern wear. Suits and ties were not uncommon. Women wore saris as they do today. Click on the picture to get more accurate information.
Crafts
You’ll find a lot of neat Diwali crafts here.
Celebrations
Holi –Festival of Colors
In India, Holi is celebrated in spring and is known as the “Festival of Colors”. Celebrations start the night before Holi with a bonfire where people gather together to sing and dance. The next morning everyone sprays each other in color, using water guns, balloons, and dry paint. It’s a free-for-all and everyone is fair game, young and old, rich and poor. Groups also carry drums and musical instruments, traveling from place to place, singing and dancing.
Diwali –Festival of Lights
Diwali is the largest and most important holiday in India. Clay lamps are lit outside homes to protect families from spiritual darkness. It is celebrated for five days in a row. The festival of lights is held on the third day of Diwali.
PAGE 1 – Decorations
PAGE 2 – Opening Activities and London, England
PAGE 3 – Paris, France
PAGE 5 – Hong Kong, China
PAGE 6 – Yokohama, Japan
PAGE 7 – San Francisco and New York, USA
PAGE 8 – Cultural Mistakes
I love your ideas and creativity!
Thanks, Sandi. I really appreciate the kind words. This post took a long time to put together, but it was one that I had wanted to write for a while.
What a great post I really did enjoy! May I ask where you obtained the back drops from? Lovely and LOVE the book!
Thanks, Joanne. I like Shindigz.com for back drops. Occasionally, I can find something on OrientalTrading.com as well.
You ideas are creative and easy to use. For our summer camp in India, i have this theme for a week. Kids are given passports and campers are travelling to Africa in the theme. In craft we are creating tribal costumes using paper and beads. Wearing these costumes kids will have a tribal dance performance. So much of fun with this theme.
Thanks, Sangeeta. I am glad you are finding the ideas useful. Good luck with your camp.