The NEW “Community Cultures” newsletter should be in your email inbox! It’s something fun to share with the whole family! Here is a teaser from the first issue:

Meet the Suryanarayanan-Joshi Family!

Tell us about your family’s cultural background.

Our family is originally from Mumbai, one of the biggest cities in India. India is the largest democracy in the world. People belonging to a variety of ethnicities and religions live in India. Did you know that India has 22 official languages? We speak English, Hindi and Marathi at home.

What does a typical dinner time look like in your family?

There are a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Indian cooking uses many types of spices. We eat a lot of vegetarian dishes in our family. Typically, our dinner consists of home-made roti, a type of flatbread, daal, which is made from lentils, and vegetables sautéed or cooked with Indian spices.

What are some of your family’s favorite traditions?

We celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali (Festival of Lights) every year. Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness. During Diwali, we make delicious Indian snacks and sweets and share with friends and family. We also draw colorful ‘rangoli’ designs on the floor and light bright lamps called ‘diyas’. We also celebrate Christmas and decorate our tree every year.

What is a traditional greeting in your family’s culture?

Namaskar or Namaste are traditional greetings in the Marathi/Hindi language and mean “hello.”