Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Deepãvali Day Act”.
Deepãvali Day Act
A BILL
To amend title 5, United States Code, to establish Deepãvali, also known as Diwali, as a Federal holiday, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Sense of Congress regarding Deepãvali day
Congress finds the following:
Deepãvali, also known as the “Festival of Lights”, is celebrated as a day of thanksgiving and the beginning of the New Year by more than six million Americans, including Hindu Americans, Buddhist Americans, Sikh Americans, Jain Americans, Indo-Caribbean Americans, and non-secular Asian Americans.
Deepãvali falls on the last day of the last month or the New Moon Day in the month of Kãrtika which occurs during October or November in the Vedic lunar calendar.
Deepãvali signifies the victory of light and knowledge over darkness and ignorance and is an annual time for celebration, reflection, prayer, and gatherings with family, friends, and community.
The Deepãvali holiday celebrates values that are aligned with the democratic principles of the United States, including the triumph of knowledge, light, justice, and freedom over darkness, injustice, tyranny, fear, and oppression.
Sec. 3 Deepãvali day
Section 6103(a) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to Columbus Day the following:
“Deepãvali Day.”