First official Diwali celebrations at five US state capitols and 21 Washington city halls, says Indian consulate

Five US governors have held Diwali celebrations at their capitols and official homes for the first time, and 21 city mayors in Washington state have lit lamps in their council chambers, the Consulate General of India in Seattle said in a statement dated Thursday, 5 November. The consulate called the run of events among the largest Diwali gatherings the Pacific Northwest has seen.

The governors of Washington, Idaho, Nebraska, Montana and North Dakota hosted the state events. The series opened in mid-October and closes on 10 November, when Oregon’s governor is due to hold the closing event at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem. Lawmakers from both houses of the US Congress, local mayors and community leaders turned up, and the consulate said it organised the events with local groups in 22 cities spread over six states.

What the governors said

Idaho’s Brad Little spoke in Boise on 16 October, crediting Indian American families for their work in the state’s businesses, professions and public life. Nebraska’s Jim Pillen, hosting guests at his official residence in Lincoln on 20 October, asked families to hold on to their customs: “Never, ever, ever let the light go out!”

In Bismarck on 29 October, Kelly Armstrong, North Dakota’s governor, told guests, “Diversity is our strength,” and pointed to room for trade with India in the state’s pulses, peas and lentils. Washington’s Bob Ferguson, speaking at the Capitol in Olympia on 4 November, said no US state had seen its Indian American population grow faster over the previous decade.

Lamps in 21 city halls

Most of the city ceremonies were in Greater Seattle, where the consulate puts the Indian American population at close to 200,000. Bellevue, Kirkland, Tacoma, Everett, Kent and SeaTac were among the hosts, along with Spokane in the east of the state. Some states and cities also issued formal proclamations on the festival. Washington’s Senate voted in February for Senate Bill 6044, under which Diwali and Bandi Chhor Divas are listed as state observances; the bill does not make either a legal holiday.

Seattle, Snoqualmie and King County have ceremonies lined up for 10 November, two days after Diwali falls on Sunday, 8 November.