Festivals at our hostel: Diwali, Lohri, Eid, Christmas, and every birthday
A girls hostel with residents from Himachal, Ladakh, J&K, and Punjab is also, by necessity, a place where multiple festival calendars overlap. Here is how we celebrate, and why it matters.
Why festival celebration matters in a girls hostel
For a daughter living away from her family during school, festivals can be the hardest days. Diwali at home means a particular ritual, particular food, particular people. The first Diwali at a hostel — without those — can be lonely. Over thirty-five years, we have learned that intentional festival celebration is not optional; it is one of the things that turns a hostel from a place to sleep into a place to live.
Our floors host girls from at least four religious traditions and a dozen regional cultures. Diwali matters to one set of families, Eid to another, Losar to a third, Christmas to a fourth. We celebrate all of them, on the floor, with the girls themselves leading the celebration.
Diwali
Diwali is the biggest celebration on our floor. The girls put up rangolis at the entrance and along the corridors. The mess serves a special menu — sweets are central. Diyas line the windows. Senior students often organise a small cultural programme in the evening — bhajan, dance, a Lakshmi puja, a moment for everyone to think of their families.
Families are welcome to visit during Diwali week, and many do. Some daughters travel home for Diwali; others stay on campus and find the celebration here meets them where they are.
Lohri
Lohri in mid-January is a particular favourite — it coincides with the Punjabi cultural moment that several of our girls and many of our staff share. We organise a small bonfire in a safe area, the girls bring out their colourful winter shawls, traditional Punjabi songs and the bhangra circle assemble naturally. The mess serves sarson da saag, makki di roti, gajar halwa.
Eid (al-Fitr and al-Adha)
For our Muslim residents, primarily from Ladakh's Kargil district and from Kashmir, Eid is observed seriously. During Ramadan, the mess adjusts meal timing — pre-dawn sehri is supported, and iftar is served at the right hour. On Eid day, the girls who observe wear new clothes; we organise a special breakfast and the floor warden ensures the daughters who want to call their families have priority on the hostel app and Wi-Fi.
Christmas
A small Christmas tree appears in the lounge in mid-December. The girls organise carols and a secret santa gift exchange. The mess prepares a special menu — cakes are central. Some of our Anglo-Indian and Kashmiri Christian families value this observance; the floor as a whole enjoys it.
Losar (Tibetan New Year)
For our Ladakhi Buddhist residents, Losar — typically in February — is observed. The girls dress in traditional Ladakhi attire, the floor organises a small gathering, the mess prepares Tibetan-style dishes (where possible — momos, thukpa). The senior wardens with experience in Ladakhi cultural observance lead the floor in marking the day. This is one of the differences a hostel with 30% Ladakhi representation looks like in practice.
Birthdays
Every girl's birthday is marked on the floor. The mess prepares a small cake; the floor warden ensures the daughter is wished by everyone; if the family sends a parcel, it arrives on the day; the room is decorated with balloons and a "Happy Birthday" banner. No girl has her birthday pass unnoticed on our floor. This is the smallest thing, and over 80 girls a year, it is also the most important.
Holi, Baisakhi, Maha Shivaratri, Krishna Janmashtami
Holi is celebrated in the school grounds with traditional gulaal. Baisakhi (April) coincides with the school's founder's day (April 14, 1966 — Mahatma Hansraj's anniversary) and is a meaningful day for the institution as a whole. Maha Shivaratri and Krishna Janmashtami are observed at the temple within the school campus. Each is marked with a special meal and a small floor gathering.
The principle behind it
A girls hostel is a microcosm of India. The cultural diversity on a single floor — Himachali, Ladakhi, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist — is a feature, not a complication. Festival observance, done seriously and inclusively, is how we honour each girl's identity while also helping her form friendships across difference. This is also, in our view, one of the most important things a residential education can do.