Diwali to be public school holiday in New York City starting 2023

Highlights Diwali festival will going be a public school holiday in New York City from next year Mayor Eric Adams said this sends a message about significance of city’s inclusiveness Consul General of India in New York Randhir Jaiswal thanked Adams for this decision Diwali will soon going be a public school holiday in New York City starting from year 2023 with Mayor Eric Adams saying this sends a message about the significance of the city’s inclusiveness and the “long overdue” step will encourage children to learn about the festival of lights. Adams, joined by New York Assembly Member Jenifer Rajkumar and New York City Schools Chancellor David Banks, said on Thursday that in his conversations during the campaign trail, he “learned so much” about Diwali and what the festival of lights means. Rajkumar noted people have said that there is simply not enough room in the New York City School calendar to have a Diwali school holiday. She said her legislation removes Anniversary Day, an “obscure and antiquated” day created in the 1800s so that it can be replaced with Diwali, “celebrated by a growing number of New Yorkers.” "When this is done, the New York City Department of Education will be able to institute the Diwali holiday on the school calendar,” she said, adding that she has brought this bill to the table so that all South Asian and Indo-Caribbean New Yorkers will have a seat at the table.