Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, will now be observed as a public holiday in New York City, the mayor declared on Thursday (October 21).
The legislation to recognize “Diwali” in NYC schools was proposed by Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar and Mayor Eric Adams, according to CNN.
The lawmakers substituted the Hindu festival of Diwali for “Anniversary Day”
During a press conference, 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.”
The decision, according to the mayor, was a “long overdue” acknowledgment of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists.
This time, the lawmakers substituted the Hindu festival of Diwali for “Anniversary Day” or “Brooklyn-Queen Day.” In comparison to Diwali, Rajkumar further referred to “Anniversary Day” as “an obscure and antiquated day.”
The assembly member further said that people said that there was no space for the festival to be put on the school calendar and now the new legislation has made space for it.
The Anniversary dates back to 1829, and schools have been observing a day since the mid-1990s.
The legislation will help students learn more about Diwali and its celebrations, the New York mayor said at the conference.
He said, “We’re going to have them start talking about what it is to celebrate the Festival of Lights, and how do you turn a light on within yourself,”
