Mayor Eric Adams stated on Thursday that the public schools in New York City will observe the Diwali holiday beginning in 2023.
According to reports, Chancellor of the New York City Schools David Banks and New York Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, who had filed the legislation to honour Diwali, were present with Adams. In the public school calendar, lawmakers substituted Diwali for Anniversary Day, which is observed on the first Thursday in June and is better known to old-timers as “Brooklyn-Queens Day.”
According to the New York Post, the legal definition of Anniversary Day dates back to 1829, and schools have celebrated the day off since the mid-1900s.
Addressing a press conference, Rajkumar said, “The time has come to recognise over 200,000 New Yorkers of the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain faiths who celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights.”
She called Anniversary Day “an obscure and antiquated day,” as compared to Diwali, which is celebrated by a “growing number of New Yorkers,” reported CNN.
“People have said that there’s simply not enough room in the New York City school calendar to have a Diwali school holiday,” the assembly woman said. “Well, my legislation makes the room.”
Rajkumar noted that the 180 days specified by the state’s education rules would still be included in the new school year.
According to reports, Adams referred to the choice as a “far overdue” acknowledgement of the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist groups during the conference.
“We are going to encourage children to learn about Diwali,” Adams 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,” he added.
“When we take this period to acknowledge Diwali, we’re acknowledging the light that is within us, the light that clearly can push away darkness,” the mayor said.