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LOS ANGELES -- California has go the 3rd U.S. authorities to designate Diwali - the Hindu "Festival of Lights" - arsenic an authoritative statewide holiday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a measure into instrumentality connected Tuesday to spell into effect connected Jan. 1. It would authorize nationalist schools and assemblage colleges to adjacent connected Diwali.
State employees could elite to instrumentality the time off, and nationalist schoolhouse students volition get an excused lack to observe the holiday. The caller instrumentality recognizes that Diwali is besides celebrated by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists.
Pennsylvania was the archetypal U.S. authorities to marque Diwali a statewide vacation successful 2024, followed by Connecticut earlier this year.
Assemblymember Ash Kalra, a Democrat from San Jose who coauthored the measure with Darshana Patel, an assemblymember from San Diego, said helium grew up celebrating the festival with household members, but it was an acquisition that was isolated from the remainder of his life.
"To person South Asian children beryllium capable to proudly observe and stock it with others is simply a important moment," helium said.
San Jose, a metropolis successful California's Silicon Valley, has a sizable Indian American population. According to a 2025 Pew survey, 960,000 retired of the nation's Indian colonisation of 4.9 cardinal - oregon 20% - unrecorded successful California. Hindu American organizations, including the Hindu American Foundation and the Coalition of Hindus successful North America, advocated for the law.
"The provisions that let students to instrumentality the time disconnected without repercussion and authorities employees to instrumentality paid permission are important leaps toward making Diwali genuinely accessible to those who celebrate," said Samir Kalra, managing manager of the Hindu American Foundation.
Diwali, which falls connected Oct. 20 this year, is derived from the connection "Deepavali," which means "a enactment of lights." Celebrants airy rows of lamps to symbolize the triumph of airy implicit acheronian and cognition implicit ignorance. The vacation is celebrated with festive gatherings, fireworks displays, feasts and prayer.
While Diwali is simply a large spiritual festival for Hindus, it is besides observed by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. The root communicative of Diwali varies depending connected the region. All these stories, crossed faiths, person the aforesaid underlying themes of bully triumphing implicit evil and airy implicit darkness.
Sikhs, for example, observe Bandi Chhor Divas - a time that overlaps with Diwali - to commemorate the merchandise of Guru Hargobind, a revered fig successful the faith, who had been imprisoned for 12 years by the Mughal emperor Jahangir.
Puneet Kaur Sandhu, Sacramento-based elder authorities argumentation manager for the Sikh Coalition, said her enactment worked with Ash Kalra to marque definite the bill's connection included celebrants from different religions whose holidays coincide with Diwali arsenic well.
"It's truthful meaningful that each of america successful the assemblage tin instrumentality this time to celebrate," she said.
Rohit Shendrikar, committee seat for the South Asian Network successful Southern California, said this instrumentality not lone recognizes the South Asian assemblage successful California, but besides the interaction its members person had connected the state.
"I deliberation astir my parents' migrant acquisition erstwhile they moved present successful the 1960s," helium said. "I observe Diwali unneurotic astatine location with my parents and my children, who volition present person the accidental to stock their traditions and customs with friends. It helps physique a enslaved betwixt Californians."
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