US: New York City Declares Diwali A Public School Holiday

New York City officially declared Diwali as a public school holiday. Mayor Eric Adams announced the same on Monday.

Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar joined the Mayor’s announcement at City Hall today. Jenifer is the first Hindu American and First South Asian American woman elected to state office.

The state lawmakers approved a bill first introduced in 2021 and reintroduced in 2022. The diwali annual date will be dictated by a lunar calendar and falls in October or November. In 2023, Diwali will be celebrated on Sunday, November 12.

‘Today we say to over 600,000 Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain Americans, we see you. Today we say to families from India, Guyana, Trinidad, Nepal, and Bangladesh, we recognize you, Rajkumar said.

The ‘Anniversary Day’ will be eliminated as a holiday, so that the school system can accommodate Diwali to the calendar meeting the required 180 days a year in school.