switch to caption Images by SANJAY KANOJIA/AFP via Getty On November 3, 2021, in Ayodhya, during Deepotsav celebrations on the eve of the Hindu festival of Diwali, people enjoy a laser show on the banks of the river Sarayu.
Images by SANJAY KANOJIA/AFP via Getty Diwali, often known as the “Festival of Lights,” is a festival that is largely observed in South Asia and the Caribbean. It will soon be a recognized holiday for schools in New York City, local leadership announced Thursday .
Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar of New York state, who put forth the proposal, said: “Today, South Asian and Indo-Caribbean families, like mine, all around this city have made amazing contributions, and today I am glad to say our time has come.” The time has come to acknowledge the more than 200,000 members of the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain faiths who celebrate Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights, in New York.
In an effort to avoid adding new holidays to the calendar and to satisfy the minimum 180 days of instruction mandated by New York state law, Rajkumar’s bill replaces the Anniversary Day holiday.
WORLD People have said that the New York City school calendar does not have enough space for a Diwali holiday, she added. I guess my law fills the space.
Diwali is an opportunity to educate students, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“We see you, we acknowledge you,” Adams stated to the communities and students of the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist faiths. This is our chance to say it loud and clear that this city is very important for inclusion.
WHO DIWALI IS? More than 1 billion Hindus worldwide celebrate Diwali, the most recognized holiday in India. Due to various sects’ adoption of the event, including Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, the origins of the celebration differ between religions and nations.
The event symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance, and this is its shared characteristic.
ASIA The festival this year kicks out on October 22.
Due to the lunar calendar, the precise dates vary every year, although it is normally observed over a 5-day period in October or November:
People clean their homes and go shopping for items that may bring them luck, like gold or new kitchen tools, on the first day. On day two, people decorate with clay lamps and rangoli, designs drawn in colored sand or powders on the floor. The most important day of the celebration is day three. Families gather to celebrate with meals, fireworks, and Lakshmi puja, or prayers to the goddess of riches Lakshmi. The new year officially begins on day four, and friends and families share gifts and best wishes. On the fifth day, brothers visit and eat with their wedded sisters.
