This school year, PDS officially recognized Diwali, Eid, and the Lunar New Year as school holidays, providing a day off for each. Diwali, the festival of lights, along with being a symbol of the victory of good over evil, is a Hindu celebration of the new year. Likewise, Lunar New Year commemorates the start of a new year in the Lunar Calendar and is widely celebrated across East Asian countries. Eid al-Fitr, commonly shortened to just Eid, is a Muslim holiday marking the end of the month-long fasting of Ramadan. Celebrating these holidays not only raises cultural awareness within the PDS community but also allows students to have the entire day to celebrate these holidays.

“I’m really happy that we have it off because it actually gives me time to celebrate without having to worry about the school work,” says sophomore Carol Zhang, who celebrates Lunar New Year. “Usually, we would spend a long time celebrating, which really bothers me when I have a lot of schoolwork to do. Although I can ask for extensions for my assignments, I still need to catch up later.”

In prior years, when PDS didn’t recognize these holidays, students who celebrated them had to adjust their celebrations to accommodate the next school day, eliminating much of the fun. By having these holidays off, these students have more time to celebrate and spend with their families. 

Along with that, having these holidays off also helps students raise their cultural awareness. Junior Satviki Vasireddy explained, “Usually my mom will prepare for the celebrations in the morning. But I was never able to see it all when I had school. Having the day off lets me see everything that will happen during the day.” Similarly, Junior Elizabeth Sun also commented, “Having that day off definitely provides me a chance to learn about my culture better. I got to spend some time with my family and to learn more about my culture that I didn’t know before from them.” 

By having Diwali, Eid, and Lunar New Year off, students who observe these holidays are given a full celebration without the need to worry about school, while students who do not celebrate these holidays are given more free time to relax with their families.