Recognizing the religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 1217 Recognizing the religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOVEMBER 12, 2020 Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI (for himself, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mrs. WATSON COLE- MAN, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. COX of California, Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsyl- vania, Mr. NADLER, Mr. YOHO, Mr. COSTA, Mr. BERA, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. SHERMAN, and Mr. COHEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Recognizing the religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali. Whereas for millions of Indian Americans, Diwali (or Deepavali) is a time for thanksgiving and prayer for health, knowledge, and peace; Whereas this year, 2020, many Members of Congress will cel- ebrate Diwali in the United States Capitol for the first time; Whereas Diwali, a festival of great significance to Indian Americans, is celebrated annually by Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, and others throughout the United States; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Nov 13, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1217.IH HR1217 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 1217 IH Whereas Diwali is a festival of lights, during which celebrants light small oil lamps, place them around the home, and pray for health, knowledge, and peace; Whereas celebrants of Diwali believe that the rows of lamps symbolize the light within the individual that rids the soul of the darkness of ignorance; Whereas Diwali falls on the last day of the last month in the lunar calendar and is celebrated as a day of thanksgiving and the beginning of the New Year for many Hindus; Whereas for Hindus, Diwali is a celebration of the belief that light triumphs over darkness, and good triumphs over evil; Whereas for Sikhs, Diwali is feted as the day on which the sixth founding Sikh guru, Guru Hargobind, was released from captivity by the Mughal Emperor Jehangir; Whereas for Jains, Diwali marks the anniversary of the at- tainment of Nirvana by Lord Mahavira, the last of the Tirthankaras (founders of the Jain philosophy); and Whereas Diwali is a celebration of great importance in In- dian-American communities throughout the United States: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) recognizes the historical and religious sig- 2 nificance of Diwali; 3 (2) in observance of Diwali, the festival of 4 lights, expresses its deepest respect for Indian Amer- 5 icans and the Indian Diaspora throughout the world 6 on this significant occasion; 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Nov 13, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR1217.IH HR1217 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 1217 IH (3) recognizes and appreciates the religious di- 1 versity in both India and the United States and 2 throughout the world; and 3 (4) acknowledges and supports the relationship 4 of collaboration and respect between the United 5 States and India. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:12 Nov 13, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR1217.IH HR1217 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS