New York City Will Have A Public Holiday To Celebrate 'Diwali' From 2023

Diwali is not just a festival but an emotion for Indians, irrespective of their culture. This festival symbolises the triumph of good over evil. Diwali, or Deepavali, is an official public holiday in many parts of India and is part of a five-day Hindu observance known as the 'Festival of Lights'.

Diwali is no longer limited to India, as it will be a public holiday in New York City, United States, beginning in 2023.

New York City Diwali Holiday | nycgo.com/Photo: Julienne Schaer

According to Mayor Eric Adams, this decision sends a statement about the importance of the city's inclusivity and will encourage kids to learn about the festival of lights.

Significance of Diwali

Diwali is the biggest festival for Hindus around the world. On this day, people light lamps, burst firecrackers, and exchange greetings and sweets with friends and family.

New York City Diwali Holiday | Unsplash

It is believed that on this day, Lord Ram and his wife, Sita, and his brother Lakshman, returned to their home in Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile. To celebrate their homecoming, all the residents of Ayodhya welcomed them by lighting a lamp in their homes.

Since then, Diwali has started to be celebrated with great pomp across the country. Diwali symbolises positivity and joy. Before the arrival of Diwali, people clean their homes, buy new clothes, jewellery, and make Rangolis and light lamps in different places. People worship Goddess Lakshmi, Maa Saraswati, and Lord Ganesha. People also meet each other and feed each other sweets.

Diwali will be observed as a public holiday in New York City

At a press conference with Adams, Rajkumar, the first South Asian American woman elected to state-level office in New York, said, "For over two decades, South Asians and Indo-Caribbeans in New York have been fighting for the Diwali school holiday."

In New York City, over 200,000 people from Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain communities celebrate Diwali. Citing this, Jenifer Rajkumar said, "The time has come to recognize over 200,000 New Yorkers of the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain faiths who celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights."

New York City Diwali Holiday | AP

Further, she said, Diwali is celebrated by a "growing number of New Yorkers" and it is time to acknowledge the day. Mayor Adams applauded the decision, calling it a "long overdue" recognition of the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist communities.

Adding Diwali to the school calendar replaces the little-known Brooklyn-Queens Day and fulfils a campaign pledge by Adams, who noted the action was "long overdue" for the city's Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist students and communities.

Fun facts about Diwali

New York City Diwali Holiday | AP

The celebrations span over five days in many regions. This year, Diwali celebrations will begin on October 21 and end on October 25, 2022. Here are some of the amazing and unknown fun facts about Diwali:

- Although Diwali is majorly celebrated by Hindus, people from other religions like Sikhism and Jainism also observe the festival with full enthusiasm.

- Festival of Light is celebrated in different forms by different names. Take a look at some of them: In Nepal, people celebrate the festival of Diwali as Tihar or Swanti. People of West Bengal observe the festival as Kali Puja. People in Malaysia celebrate Diwali as 'Hari Diwali' in Aswayuja month. People in Thailand observe the Diwali festival as 'Lam Kriyongh', they refrain from bursting fire crackers and instead light lamps made of banana leaves.

-The foundation of the Golden Temple was laid on Diwali day.

-The Diwali festival is celebrated by Sikhs because their teacher, Guru Hargobind Ji, was released from the captivity of Jahangir, the Mughal Emperor.

- In Sri Lanka, on Diwali, people make figures of deities from sugar crystals known as Misiri. They decorate their homes, light candles, and burst crackers.

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