Meng Renews Push to Make Diwali a Federal Holiday
The proposal would establish Diwali as the 12th federally recognized holiday in the United States. The five-day Festival of Lights falls in October or November, with its date changing each year according to the Vedic lunar calendar. This year’s celebration runs from November 6 to 10.
Meng, a Democrat representing New York, said the holiday’s federal recognition would affirm the place of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists in American society. She has also linked the bill to rising anti-Hindu and anti-South Asian prejudice, and said Diwali should be celebrated safely and freely.
The measure has 19 lawmakers supporting it, among them Reps. Ro Khanna, Rashida Tlaib and Josh Gottheimer. If enacted, it would mean a day off for federal civil servants and teachers.
This is Meng’s second attempt to pass the bill. When first introduced in 2023, it was sent to the House panel overseeing accountability but did not advance. The bill has endorsements from the Asian American Federation, a group representing Indian communities abroad, and an organization that supports Southeast Asian communities.
Diwali Holiday Bill Offers Recognition Amid Anti-Asian Hate
A federal holiday for Diwali would make a clear statement that Hindu, Sikh, Jain and Buddhist communities belong in the national calendar, Rep. Grace Meng argues as she renews her push for the Diwali Day Act. The New York Democrat has connected the proposal to rising anti-Hindu and anti-South Asian prejudice and says people should be able to celebrate safely and freely.
The bill would establish Diwali as the 12th federally recognized holiday. The five-day Festival of Lights falls in October or November, with the date shifting each year under the Vedic lunar calendar. This year’s celebration runs from November 6 to 10.
Nineteen lawmakers have signed on in support, including Ro Khanna, Rashida Tlaib and Josh Gottheimer. The bill also has endorsements from the Asian American Federation, a group representing Indian communities abroad, and an organization that supports Southeast Asian communities.
Meng first introduced the measure in 2023, but it stalled after being sent to the House panel overseeing accountability. Renewing the bill puts the question of whether federal recognition should reflect these communities back before Congress. If passed, it would give federal civil servants and teachers a day off.
Meng’s Diwali Bill Would Add Another Federal Holiday
Rep. Grace Meng is again asking Congress to add Diwali to the federal holiday calendar. Her Diwali Day Act would create the 12th federally recognized holiday and give federal civil servants and teachers a day off, while making the case for a national observance of a festival celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists.
Diwali lasts five days and falls in October or November, with its date determined by the Vedic lunar calendar. This year it runs from November 6 to 10. The bill has 19 co-sponsors, including Ro Khanna, Rashida Tlaib and Josh Gottheimer.
Meng says recognition would honor these communities and has tied the measure to anti-Hindu and anti-South Asian prejudice. But making a holiday federal is more than a symbolic gesture: it changes the calendar for public workers and teachers. The bill’s supporters are asking Congress to make that choice in the name of inclusion.
This is the second time Meng has introduced the measure. Its first run, in 2023, ended after it was sent to the House panel overseeing accountability, where it did not advance. The current proposal also has backing from three advocacy groups: the Asian American Federation, a group representing Indian communities abroad, and an organization that supports Southeast Asian communities.
Reported by Newsweek, Breitbart.
