State Senate passes bill recognizing Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas

NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

The Washington State Senate today passed a bill recognizing Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas.

“Recognizing these important holidays is about belonging,” Sen. Manka Dhingra said of the bill. Dhingra, the nation’s first Sikh legislator elected to any state legislator, is the prime sponsor of the bill. “This bill is about acknowledging our state’s religious and cultural diversity and making sure our Indian American community feels seen, respected, and celebrated.”

Sen. Vandana Slatter, who served as Bellevue’s first Indian American city councilmember, co-sponsored the bill, saying that she is “proud to be from a state that is home to people from different cultures, communities, and faiths.”

“Growing up, I never saw Diwali recognized on school calendars—not because it wasn’t considered meaningful, but because our institutions hadn’t yet reflected the Indian Americans who call this state home,” Slatter said. “Today, we helped change that. This bill doesn’t just add a holiday to the calendar. It recognizes Indian Americans and their traditions as part of our shared civic life.” 

More than a billion people across the world, including Sikhs, Hindus, and Jains, celebrate Diwali, also known as the Festival of Lights. Sikhs observe Bandi Chhor Divas on the same day as Diwali. Both celebrations fall on the new moon of the Hindu lunisolar month of Kartik, which usually occurs between October and November every year on the Gregorian calendar.