Bills introduced in Michigan to recognise Diwali, Eid as official holidays
Darpan News Desk IANS, 28 Apr, 2023 11:06 AM
New York, April 28 (IANS) Three legislators, including an Indian-American, in the Michigan State House have introduced a set of bills to establish festivals like Diwali and Eid as official state-recognised holidays.
Led by Majority Floor Leader in the House, Abraham Aiyash, and state representatives Ranjeev Puri and Sharon MacDonell, introduced the legislation to make Diwali, Vaisakhi, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Lunar New Year as official holidays in Michigan.
House Bills 4446 and 4449, introduced by Puri, establish Diwali and Vaisakhi as state holidays.
"Celebrating our cultural diversity is a cornerstone of a vibrant and inclusive society. By recognising these holidays, we are not only showing our respect and appreciation for the traditions and beliefs of our fellow Michiganders, but we are also sending a powerful message of inclusion and unity," Puri said.
A Hindu religious festival, Diwali celebrates the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance, and Vaisakhi is a spring harvest festival celebrated by both Hindus and Sikhs, a statement released by Michigan House Democrats read.
"These bills embrace the diverse fabric of our state by recognising various religious and cultural holidays," Aiyash said, introducing Bill 4447, which calls for Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr as state holidays.
"Making these holidays official state holidays will let Michigan's many communities know that they have a place in our great state and deserve to celebrate their joyous occasions like everyone else."
At present, Michigan has 12 officially recognised holidays, including Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, Juneteenth, and Martin Luther King Jr Day among the notable ones.
Close to 900,000 Asian Americans live in Michigan, with Indian-Americans making up the largest subgroup, according to Indian American Impact.
Most South Asians reside in Detroit and the surrounding area, in places like Troy, Novi, and Farmington Hills.
Recently, Pennsylvania declared Diwali as a national holiday after senators, Greg Rothman and Nikil Saval introduced a legislation in February this year.
Ardern, who became the youngest female head of government in the world when she was elected Prime Minister in 2017 at the age of 37, said that the six "challenging" years in the job had taken a toll.
The victims have been identified as Rosa Parraz (72), Eladio Parraz Jr (52), Jennifer Analla (50), Marcos Parraz (19), Elyssa Parraz (16) and Nycholas Parraz (10 months), reports the BBC. The house is located in Goshen, Tulare County.
During a speech on Tuesday at a White House celebration for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, Biden said: "As 'CAM-a-la' said, we're all closely monitoring the storms, the floods, the landslides all across California." Biden -- the oldest-ever president at 80 -- is set to launch a 2024 re-election campaign, even as detractors question his 'mental acuity'.
Police found open cans of alcohol in Sukhpreet Singh's car after he was followed through a Derbyshire town swerving across lanes in November last year. The Southern Derbyshire Magistrates' Court heard that Singh, a Pizza Hut worker and a resident of Higher Albert Street, Chesterfield, was driving without a license.
The bullet discharged from a 9-mm handgun when Smith used it to strike the other man. It missed the man but went into the apartment and struck Mya in the head before grazing her mother, the Times reported. Mya was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she battled for three days before being declared dead on March 23.
Rapinder Kaur, 36, said she, her turban-wearing husband and their two-year-old child were subjected to racial taunts by guards during a visit to the castle last year, The Independent reported.
