Should Diwali be marked as a holiday in Calgary public schools?
Global News
Diwali is one of the most sacred holidays on many South Asians calendars - observed not only by those of Hindu faith, but by Sikh, Jains, and some Buddhists too.
The celebrations are big, bright and loud.
Diwali is one of the most sacred holidays on many South Asians’ calendars – observed not only by those of Hindu faith, but by Sikh, Jains and some Buddhists too.
“In India, people get a holiday of at least one week,” international student Damanbieet Sandhu said. She was among hundreds attending Diwali gatherings hosted at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Monday. It’s the first time the school has been able to host an in-person event since 2019.
Diwali, also called the Indian Festival of Lights, is a celebration of light over darkness and good over evil.
But for many young Calgarians, it is also a regular school day.
“It’s very disheartening to not be home with your friends and your loved ones to celebrate such a momentous occasion,” said grade 9 student Pujeet Garg.
He and a number of his friends took Monday off. The Calgary Board of Education marks such absences as “cultural-spiritual-ceremonial observances.”
“Today is a regular school day across the system. However, students who are absent for cultural-spiritual-ceremonial observance will not be subject to an academic penalty. This is an excused absence intended to support participation in cultural, spiritual or ceremonial events,” the CBE said in a statement.
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