Guwahati: Diwali vacations will be observed in schools in New York starting in 2023.
This was announced by Mayor Eric Adams.
Chancellor of the New York City Schools David Banks and New York Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar, who had filed the legislation to honour Diwali, was present with Adams, according to CNN.
Legislators swapped out Anniversary Day, better known to old-timers as “Brooklyn-Queens Day,” which is celebrated on the first Thursday in June, for Diwali in the public school calendar. Anniversary Day has reportedly been on the books since 1829, with schools observing the holiday since the mid-1900s, New York Post reported.
“The time has come to acknowledge almost 200,000 New Yorkers of the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain religions who celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights,” Rajkumar stated during a press conference. She referred to Diwali, which is observed by an “increasing number of New Yorkers,” as “an obscure and archaic day,” in contrast to Anniversary Day, which she dubbed “an obscure and antiquated day.”
People have said that the New York City school calendar does not have enough space for a Diwali vacation, the assemblywoman added. I guess my law fills the space.
Rajkumar noted that the 180 days specified by the state’s education rules would still be included in the new school year. Adams referred to the choice as a “far overdue” acknowledgement of the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist groups during the conference, according to CNN.
Adams stated, “We are going to urge kids to learn about what Diwali is.” The Festival of Lights and how to turn on a light within you will be two topics that they will begin discussing, he continued. The mayor stated, “When we take this time to recognise Diwali, we’re acknowledging the light that is inside us, the light that obviously has the power to drive away darkness.”