Deepavali Day Act: Legislation Introduced to Make Diwali Nationally-recognised Holiday in United States

Congresswoman from New York Carolyn B Maloney said she was introducing a bill to make Diwali a nationally recognised federal holiday in the United States, on Wednesday. If the bill gets approval, Diwali will be observed as a holiday in federal institutions in the country.

The Indian diaspora, a significant population in the United States, observes the festival of lights to honour its cultural heritage, Maloney said. “I am very happy and excited to be introducing the Deepavali Day Act this week alongside members of the congressional Indian caucus, which will initiate Diwali into a law as a federal holiday,” she said while introducing the legislation.

She was joined by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Congressman Gregory Meeks, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Ahead of her announcement, she had tweeted, “I am so excited to introduce my Deepavali Day Act which would enshrine Diwali as a federal holiday. Let’s celebrate light over darkness, the triumph of good over evil, and the pursuit of knowledge over ignorance during this special time of year!”

She started by wishing a happy Diwali to all those celebrating the festival across the world. Maloney said she understood the importance of the festival in the Indian American community, and that the festival was important to not only the Indian diaspora but also to Americans.

“It is truly appropriate that Diwali this year symbolises our nation’s continuing journey out of the darkness of Covid-19 and the terrible effects of the pandemic on our people of our nation,” she said.

Maloney also said her colleagues, Indian American leaders in the country and she believed that there was no better time to enshrine Diwali into a national holiday than in the wake of this “terrible dark pandemic”.

Maloney said she has worked for many years to get Diwali “the respect that it deserves” in the United States government, starting in 2016 when she introduced a bill to create the Diwali stamp, and that after several years of efforts the United States postal service issued a commemorative Diwali stamp that has become one of the most successful in the country’s history in raising money for the US post office.

“Now I am ready to put the same hard work into advocating, as I did for the stamp, for enshrining Diwali next to Christmas, Memorial Day, Martin Luther King’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Juneteenth Day as a federal holiday,” she said, adding, “it’s very appropriate that the world’s largest democracy and the world’s oldest democracy are such good friends and allies.”

Meeks, who said he will be supporting the legislation and advocating for it, thanked Maloney for her hard work, diligence and vision in showcasing “who we are as America”.

“She’s doing this because it’s the right thing to do, so that we celebrate Diwali, celebrate light over darkness which is what we’re about. It’s about celebrating the history and culture of individuals who have come from India and are now residents and citizens of the United States. And what the United States is about is the collectiveness of all of us, the acknowledgement of all of us… the lighting of lights… that’s what this is all about,” he said.

During his turn on the podium, Krishnamoorthi said, “I am proud to join chairwoman Maloney and our colleagues in introducing this legislation to establish Diwali as a federal holiday in recognition of its importance to our nation’s more than three million Americans of Indian descent, including Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains.”

“The meaning of this legislation extends beyond honouring the significance of Diwali to the Indian-American community to acknowledging the contributions of Indian-Americans to our nation,” he added.

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