West Hartford Schools To Recognize New Holiday In 2024

WEST HARTFORD, CT — West Hartford is a community known for its ethnic and cultural diversity and that was clear when the school board recently added another holiday to the school calendar.

The West Hartford Board of Education May 16 voted 6-0 with one abstention on the new school calendar for 2024-25 and, for the first time, it includes the holiday of Diwali to the calendar.

It will be celebrated by the West Hartford School System on Nov. 1, 2024.

As a result, there is no school on that day, which is a Friday, according to the approved calendar.

Diwali is a Hindu holiday frequently celebrated in India and southwest Asia and is considered the biggest and most important holiday in that community.

West Hartford has a large Nepalese population, which also celebrates this holiday, as well as many from India.

Acording to the Old Farmers Almanac, Diwali is the "festival of lights" that celebrates the triumph of good over evil and light over dark.

"On the night of Diwali, celebrants light dozens of candles and clay lamps (called diyas), placing them throughout their homes and in the streets to light up the dark night," wrote the Old Farmers Almanac in an online piece about the holiday.

"In most of India, Diwali consists of a five-day celebration that peaks on the third day with the main celebration of Diwali. In other places where Diwali occurs, usually, only the main day is celebrated."

Prior to the vote, the school board engaged in frank discussion not on whether Diwali was a valid holiday to approve, but whether the school board should have a set procedure in place regarding future holidays in a more diverse community.

"I'm totally respecful of Diwali and every holiday that people celebrate. But my concern is that by having no metric and having no way of making this decision ... that this potentially opens up the door for other people to request holidays off and that may create a situation where we're constantly closing school for holidays," said Republican school board member Gayle Harris, who was the lone abstention on the calendar motion. "We have to have some way to make a decision."

Her GOP colleague Ethan Goldman, who ultimately voted "yes" on the new calendar, agreed school officials should have a process to determine holiday recognition.

"I do think we should have guidelines," Goldman said. "We should have some kind of measurement, otherwise, I don't know what the rules are. I'm kind of struggling with this."

Democrats on the school board, who hold a majority, agreed having a process would be best, but also admitted to the difficulties in obtaining sufficient data to make such a call.

Democrat Clare Neseralla said it violates privacy for a public school district to ask what religious holidays are celebrated and looking at past attendance isn't valid, either, because many families send their kids to school regardless of whether a holiday is celebrated.

Democratic school board secretary Jason O. Chang said decisions regarding future school holidays are, likely, a case-by-case matter and requires an analysis of the town's population.

"I appreciate the conundrum, because this is an indication that we have to make ethical choices in a pluralist society," Chang said. "We have to learn about each other and this is the right approach to do that."

According to West Hartford Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus, the population of the town that celebrates Diwali is significant and the holiday is a major celebration.

"It carries dramatic significance within the Hindi religion," Vicinus said. "The equivelant of major holidays of other major religions. It is a time of great celebration with families."

For more information on Diwali, click on this link.