A Postage Stamp For Diwali
Tulsi Gabbard was among those pushing for the official聽commemoration celebrating the Festival of Lights.
Come early October, the U.S. Postal Service聽will commemorate the Hindu festival of Diwali with a Forever stamp.
The聽dedication ceremony will take place at the Consulate General of India in New York City.
According to , the stamp design is a photograph featuring a traditional diya oil lamp “beautifully lit, sitting on a sparkling gold background. Diya lamps are usually made from clay with cotton wicks dipped in a clarified butter known as ‘ghee’ or in vegetable oils.”
Diwali celebrates the “triumph of good over evil. Spanning five days each autumn, it is considered by some to be the start of the new year.”
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii released a statement on聽the news of the stamp.
“Diwali honors self-awareness, righteousness, and service to others before self 鈥 values that transcend different religions, backgrounds, and differences,” she said in a press release. “This act by the U.S. Postal Service to recognize this special day is momentous and will further increase and enrich our nation’s tapestry of religious and cultural diversity.鈥
Gabbard, a Hindu,聽cosponsored a U.S. House Resolution calling for the聽Diwali stamp and worked to gather聽petition signatures in support.
Her office says聽Diwali “is observed by Hindus, Christians, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists in the United States, India, and around the world”聽between mid-October and mid-November.
