WASHINGTON (TIP):Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) this week cosponsored a HouseResolution calling for the U.S.Postal Service to establish a postagestamp to commemorate Diwali, the”festival of lights” marking theHindu New Year. Diwali is observedby Hindus, Christians, Jains, Sikhs,and Buddhists in the United States,India, and around the world.”The Diwali festival honors selfawareness,righteousness, andservice to others before ourselves,”said Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard,who is the first Hindu-American toserve in the U.S. Congress.

“Thisyearly festival is a time to celebratethe triumph of goodness and truth,and to reflect on the year. It is onlyappropriate that we commemoratethis widely observed holiday and itsplace in our nation’s rich tapestry ofreligious and cultural diversity.”Diwali, celebrated in October or November annually,originated as a celebration of the last harvest of the yearbefore winter. Indians around the world celebrate withfamily gatherings, glittering clay lamps, festive fireworks,strings of electric lights, bonfires, flowers, sharing ofsweets, and worship to the goddess Lakshmi.

The resolution (H.Res.47) calls on the Citizens’ StampAdvisory Committee, an entity of the U.S. Postal Service, toissue a Diwali stamp, as it has done for other popularreligious celebrations in the United States such asChristmas, Eid, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah.