This year Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights, will take place in the U.S. on Thursday, October 31. (The full festival is five days long, and Diwali falls on the third day.) The Indian national holiday is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists.
Diwali, or Deepavali in Sanskrit, translates to “row of lighted lamps,” symbolizing the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. It is celebrated with food, prayers, and fireworks.
One of the festival’s most notable traditions is the exhibition of small oil lamps, referred to as “diyas.”
Diwali has started to gain more recognition in the U.S. as some states have moved to officially recognize the holiday in various ways.
In June 2023, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation that made Diwali a public school holiday in New York City. Last year, Diwali fell on a Sunday so it did not affect the academic calendar. That means this is the first year that New York City public school students will have Diwali off from school. Schools will be closed on Friday, November 1.
Pennsylvania is also recognizing Diwali. This month, it became the first state to declare Diwali an official public holiday. The bipartisan legislation was passed by the Pennsylvania Senate on October 9 and later signed into law by Governor Josh Shapiro declaring that Diwali will be observed every year on the 15th day of Kartik, the eighth month of the Hindu calendar. This statewide observation begins this year.
Texas approved Diwali as a fireworks-eligible holiday in a 2023 bill that allows individuals to sell or purchase fireworks starting five days before Diwali and ending on the last day of Diwali at midnight. Texas is hoping to promote hope and goodwill among its residents.
Finally, New Jersey has also embraced the holiday. Although the Garden State doesn’t recognize Diwali as a public holiday quite yet, it has been the site of some of the largest festivals in the country, as PIX11 reported last week. New Jersey is home to the largest Hindu temple outside of Asia. It opened last October in Robbinsville Township, near Trenton. The structure represents a major milestone for Hindu Americans and Indian Americans, explained Yogi Trivedi, a temple volunteer, to NBC News.
Although it’s just a few states for now, these recent moves mark the most that Diwali has been recognized in the United States to date.