Seeking recognition for the Indian holiday of Diwali

With the Syosset Board of Education’s recent addition of an Indian religious festival, Diwali, and two Muslim holy days to the list of school holidays beginning in the 2017-18 academic year, other Long Island school districts may follow suit.

“With our mission to serve as ‘the unifying force at the heart of a cultural mosaic,’ our school community shares a heightened sensitivity and respect for all religious observance,” Lawrence School District Superintendant Gary Schall said. 

“The district is very responsive to all requests made by our parents and school community,” he added and noted that there have not been any requests yet to modify the district’s holiday observance calendar. If and when a request surfaces, the district’s Calendar Committee will take it into consideration, Schall said. 

Diwali, or Deepawali, honors the victory of good over evil and the illumination of knowledge over the darkness of ignorance. It is celebrated over five days, and is referred to as the Festival of Lights because the word Deepawali roughly translates to “row of lights” in Sanskrit.

The festival is “a time to reflect,” according to Sheetal Shah, senior director of the Washington D.C.-based Hindu American Foundation. Shah explained that it can be celebrated in several different ways, but is primarily centered on prayer, food and getting together with friends and family. She added that for some Hindus it is considered the celebration of a new year.

“We are working to make [Diwali] a nationwide holiday,” said Satnam Singh Parhar, of Lawrence, immediate past president of the Hicksville-based India Association of Long Island Inc. One obstacle in that process, he added, is the fact that Diwali falls in a different five-day span each year in October or November, based on the cycle of the moon. Hindus, Sikhs and Jains celebrate the annual festival. 

The Hicksville-based India Association of Long Island is a nonprofit, secular organization seeking to represent people of all faiths and cultures from India. With approximately 2,000 members, it is the largest Indian organization on Long Island.

“I remember when my kids were in school,” Dr. Anila Midha, of Hewlett, and the president of the Five Towns Indian Association, said.  “It was so overwhelming in one evening to do so much compared to if we had the whole day to prepare and celebrate,” she added. The group began in 1980 with the mission of “showcasing Indian culture to the American mainstream,” Dr. Midha, who has overseen the association for 16 years, said. 

Midha said that Diwali is one of the most important holidays of the year for Hindus who may celebrate by going to the temple during the day. At home they light diyas, which are clay lamps, and sit with family members to pray together. 

Creating rangoli, an art form consisting of vibrant colors within various patterns and designs, drawn inside on the floor of a family’s home, or on the ground outside, and lighting firecrackers to celebrate light triumphing over darkness are part of the celebration.

Depending on how much time a family has, Midha said, they may go to their respective workplaces to pray there, as it is where they make a living. Those of the Hindu faith pray to the goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. “We pray to her to give us wealth during the year so we can have a happy, prosperous life,” Midha said.

This summer, the U.S. Postal Service, in association with the Consulate General of India, announced the commemoration of Diwali with a Forever stamp depicting a traditional diya oil lamp with a gold background, a symbol of the festival. A ceremony inaugurating the stamp took place on Oct. 5 at the Consulate General of India in Manhattan.