Kali Puja

High school (ages 12+)
Holidays & Celebrations

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/kali-puja

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the primary deity?Goddess Kali, representing Shakti, the primal cosmic energy
2. What is the festival timing?Dipannita Amavasya (new moon night) of Ashwayuja or Kartika (Hindu lunar calendar)
3. Why do people light bright lights during Kali Puja?People light bright lights to show Kali’s divine light that pierces darkness, symbolizing the overcoming of ignorance.
4. How is Goddess Kali shown in pictures?Goddess Kali is often shown with wild hair, a lolling tongue, a necklace of skulls, and smeared with blood, showing her power to destroy evil.

Shakti: The primordial cosmic energy and divine feminine power in Hinduism, often personified as a goddess.
Moksha: Liberation or release from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in Indian religions.
Tantric Traditions: A diverse set of esoteric practices within Hinduism and Buddhism aimed at spiritual transformation and harnessing energy.