Bill Text: TX HR221 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Recognizing the festival of Diwali 2024.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-03-16 - Reported enrolled [HR221 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HR221-Enrolled.html
| H.R. No. 221 | ||
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| WHEREAS, The festival of Diwali, a holiday celebrated by | ||
| followers of Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, is taking place from | ||
| October 31 to November 4, 2024; and | ||
| WHEREAS, For people of these faiths, Diwali represents the | ||
| symbolic victory of light over darkness; while celebrants observe | ||
| different national, regional, and religious customs, the | ||
| five-day-long event is generally regarded as a time of happiness | ||
| and benevolence, when people come together and express gratitude | ||
| for their blessings; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Among Hindus, a common Diwali custom is to light | ||
| diyas, or small lamps filled with oils; the custom is performed to | ||
| invite Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, into one's home, and | ||
| throughout the festival, diyas are also lit and placed around | ||
| temples and floated down rivers and streams; in the Jain community, | ||
| Diwali represents the enlightenment and liberation of the spiritual | ||
| teacher Mahavira from the cycle of life and death, with the | ||
| illumination of lamps around homes symbolizing the light of | ||
| Mahavira's holy knowledge; for the Sikhs, Diwali commemorates an | ||
| important event in the Sikh tradition, the release of a prominent | ||
| holy figure, Guru Hargobind, from imprisonment; and | ||
| WHEREAS, Celebrated by more than a billion people across the | ||
| globe, Diwali is a holiday that is richly varied in its customs, | ||
| rituals, and significance, and it is fitting to acknowledge the | ||
| great importance that Diwali has to those of the Hindu, Jain, and | ||
| Sikh faiths who reside in the Lone Star State; now, therefore, be it | ||
| RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 88th Texas | ||
| Legislature hereby recognize the festival of Diwali 2024 and extend | ||
| to all those participating in the observance sincere best wishes | ||
| for a meaningful and memorable occasion. | ||
| Jetton | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Speaker of the House | ||
| I certify that H.R. No. 221 was adopted by the House on March | ||
| 8, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 140, Nays 0, 2 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
