California has become the third state in the United States to officially recognize Diwali, the Indian “Festival of Lights,” as a statewide holiday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Oct. 6 to go into effect on Jan. 1. It would authorize public schools and community colleges to close on Diwali.
Employees and students will also be allowed to take excused time off to celebrate the popular holiday, according to the bill text.
Diwali originated in India and is largely celebrated by South Asian cultures and religions. Hindus are the largest group to take part in the festivities, but the new law recognizes 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, followed by Connecticut earlier this year.
READ: California set to declare Diwali as a public holiday (
Assemblymember Ash Kalra, a Democrat from San Jose who coauthored the bill with Darshana Patel, an assemblymember from San Diego, said he grew up celebrating the festival with family members, but it was an experience that was isolated from the rest of his life.
“To have South Asian children be able to proudly celebrate and share it with others is a significant moment,” he said.
“Not only is it about celebrating our diversity and allowing the entire community to join the celebration, but it’s also about so many authors and children feeling seen,” Kalra told SFGate.
In California, there about 960,000 Indian Americans, which is about 20% of their nationwide population of 4.9 million.
San Francisco is also the third-largest metropolitan area for Indian Americans (260,000), according to the Pew Research Center, behind New York and Dallas. San Jose, a city in California’s Silicon Valley, also has a sizable Indian American population.
READ: Cultural shift meets economic power, as U.S. retailers begin to embrace Diwali (
This year, the largest Diwali celebration in North America is set to take place at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. The celebration is scheduled for Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. and is expected to have large art displays and “massive fireworks,” according to its webpage.
Ramesh Konda, an adviser for the Association of Indo Americans, the organization putting on the event, told SFGATE that his members “cherish” the festival. This year, he expects the festivities to be even grander because of the legislative milestone.
“[The] state of California declaring this as a holiday is a historic and proud moment for Indian diaspora, Indo Americans across the state, not only here but everywhere,” Konda said.
Saturday’s Bay Area event is expected to have many prominent elected officials in attendance, including California Attorney General Rob Bonta, several local mayors, and councilmembers and assemblymembers, Konda said. The event usually attracts between 25,000 and 30,000 attendees, he added.
Diwali, which falls on Oct. 20 this year, is celebrated by more than a billion people in the world, and typically occurs in late October or early November to symbolize “light over darkness.”