Rep. Shawn Dooley Pushes for Diwali as State Holiday.

Above, an image from Diwali night, 2022, at University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Representative Shawn Dooley, a candidate for State Senate, has announced that he has filed legislation that would establish Diwali as an official State Holiday. If this legislation is successful, it will go into effect for 2023.

Dooley noted that Diwali is a major holiday for Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs.   “Massachusetts will send a strong message of welcoming and inclusion by making this an official holiday,” he said.

Diwali is celebrated by more than a billion people worldwide and is considered one of the biggest and most important holiday for many Indian Americans. The United States has the largest population of Deepãvali (or Diwali) observers outside of Asia and for many Americans, the holiday marks the beginning of the new year in which families, friends and communities come together to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and good over evil.

In Massachusetts, Andover, Framingham, Hopkinton, Sharon and Westborough have already made Diwali an observed holiday. Many other communities and schools throughout the commonwealth are considering taking this same step as well.

Representative Dooley said, “this is a day we should all be able to celebrate together as a community; it is about light overcoming darkness and good defeating evil.” He went on to add, “That is a powerful message everyone can get behind.”

In the midst of today's Diwali celebrations, two Franklin residents contacted by Observer indicated they were pleased with this forward step and more optimistic about the future.