California makes Diwali an official statewide holiday

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California has turn out to be the third U.S. state to designate Diwali — the Hindu “Festival of Lights” — as an official statewide holiday.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a invoice into law Tuesday to go into impact on Jan. 1. It would authorize public faculties and neighborhood schools to close on Diwali. State workers may elect to take the break day and public faculty college students will get an excused absence to have fun the holiday. The new law acknowledges that Diwali is also celebrated by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists.

Pennsylvania was the first U.S. state to make Diwali a statewide holiday in 2024, adopted by Connecticut earlier this 12 months.

Assemblymember Ash Kalra, a Democrat from San Jose who coauthored the invoice with Darshana Patel, an assemblymember from San Diego, said he grew up celebrating the pageant with relations, but it was an expertise that was remoted from the remaining of his life.

“To have South Asian children be able to proudly celebrate and share it with others is a significant moment,” he said.

San Jose, a metropolis in California’s Silicon Valley, has a sizable Indian American population. According to a 2025 Pew survey, 960,000 out of the nation’s Indian population of 4.9 million — or 20% — live in California. Hindu American organizations, including the Hindu American Foundation and the Coalition of Hindus in North America, advocated for the law.

“The provisions that allow students to take the day off without repercussion and state employees to take paid leave are important leaps toward making Diwali truly accessible to those who celebrate,” said Samir Kalra, managing director of the Hindu American Foundation.

Diwali, which falls on Oct. 20 this 12 months, is derived from the phrase “Deepavali,” which suggests “a row of lights.” Celebrants gentle rows of lamps to symbolize the victory of gentle over darkness and data over ignorance. The holiday is well known with festive gatherings, fireworks shows, feasts and prayer.

While Diwali is a major non secular pageant for Hindus, it’s also noticed by Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists. The origin story of Diwali varies relying on the area. All these tales, across faiths, have the same underlying themes of good triumphing over evil and gentle over darkness.

Sikhs, for instance, have fun Bandi Chhor Divas — a day that overlaps with Diwali — to commemorate the release of Guru Hargobind, a revered determine in the religion, who had been imprisoned for 12 years by the Mughal emperor Jahangir.

Puneet Kaur Sandhu, Sacramento-based senior state coverage supervisor for the Sikh Coalition, said her group labored with Ash Kalra to make sure the invoice’s language included celebrants from other religions whose holidays coincide with Diwali as effectively.

“It’s so meaningful that all of us in the community can take this day to celebrate,” she said.

Rohit Shendrikar, board chair for the South Asian Network in Southern California, said this law not only acknowledges the South Asian neighborhood in California, but also the affect its members have had on the state.

“I think about my parents’ immigrant experience when they moved here in the 1960s,” he said. “I celebrate Diwali together at home with my parents and my children, who will now have the opportunity to share their traditions and customs with friends. It helps build a bond between Californians.”

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