Diwali, the Hindu celebration known as the “Festival of Lights,” will be a public school holiday in New York City starting next year.Mayor Eric Adams announced plans to include the holiday in the public school schedule at a press conference on Thursday morning, alongside state assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar and Department of Education chancellor David Banks.“The time has come to recognize over 200,000 New Yorkers of the Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain faiths who celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights,” Rajkumar, who introduced legislation to recognize Diwali, said in the press conference.She called Anniversary Day “an obscure and antiquated day,” as compared to Diwali, which is celebrated by a “growing number of New Yorkers.”“People have said that there’s simply not enough room in the New York City school calendar to have a Diwali school holiday,” the assemblywoman said.“We’re going to have them start talking about what it is to celebrate the Festival of Lights, and how do you turn a light on within yourself.”“When we take this period to acknowledge Diwali, we’re acknowledging the light that is within us, the light that clearly can push away darkness,” the mayor said."