DIWALIBy: Paree Pasi

W H AT I S D I WA L I ?

• Biggest Hindu Holiday

• Hindu New Year

• 5-day celebration

• Good over Evil, Light over Darkness

• The name Diwali, is derived from the

Sanskrit term Dipavali, when means

“row of lights”

• Royal homecoming of Hindu god

Rama

• Diwali means the festival of lights

W H AT I S D I WA L I ?

M Y F A M I LY

W H E N I S D I WA L I ?• Due to the Hindu calendar which is

based on both lunar and solar cycles

that are combined into one system,

Diwali’s date changes every year

• Thursday, November 4th, 2021

• Monday, October 24th, 2022

• Sunday, November 12th, 2023

M Y S T O RY

• Racism

• Inequality

• Feeling of embarrassment

W H AT A R E W E

A S K I N G F O R ?

• Petition

• 1 day off, not the entire holiday

• Only Diwali

W H Y I S I T I M P O RTA N T ?

• Learning opportunity

• Start of fruitful conversations between teachers and their students to raise cultural awareness

• Increase CB’s inclusivity and diversity

• Central Bucks can become an example

• 4% of the United States population, however 8% of the CB population

• 1.2 billion Hindus in the world; 766,000 Hindus in the United States

• Fastest growing ethnic group in the USA and 2nd after Mexico

• Pennsylvania is one of the most heavily concentrated place for Indians

• Asians are the largest minority group in CB

• United States 10% of American Asians are Hindu, 14% are Buddhists, and 1% are Sikhs, and all these religions celebrate Diwali

New York–

Newark–

Jersey City,

NY–NJ–PA

526,133 18,897,109 2.8%

New York-

Newark,

NY-NJ-CT-

PA

O T H E R

A R G U M E N T S

• We switch the calendar every year due to weather anyway

• The calendar for the 2021-2022 school year can still be changed

• Council rock has recognized Diwali as a significant holiday on their calendar

• The rigorous courses high school has to offer can be overwhelming at times, and Hindus deserve one day to practice their faith

• Teachers, faculty, and students from all CB schools are in favor of this initiative

Me, the CBEA teacher union, and my 1,569 supporters

ask you to recognize Diwali on the Central Bucks’

academic calendar as a day when all Central Bucks’

schools are closed