Diwali, like Christmas, is a religious holiday

As I have come to expect anything from people, I was not surprised to see a Dec. 13 letter to the editor saying, “The Diwali programs in the Edison schools were not religious observances.” As Diwali is a Hindu festival, it is certainly a religious observance, just as Hanukkah and Christmas. We can only speculate on the reasons for why Diwali would be presented otherwise. There is an article on Diwali at www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali which, while not the definitive statement, offers the history of Diwali, which clearly shows it is to celebrate either Lord Rama killing the Demon Ravana or the killing of the Demon Narakasura by either Lord Krishna or his wife, Sathyabhama. There are other later interpretations but these are the root of the observance.

For those who don’t know, Santa Claus is derived from St. Nicholas and the birth of Jesus, Hanukkah is derived from the dedication of a Temple. All that is added later does not change what they are. By the way, on Thanksgiving it was God they were giving thanks to. I am concerned when these observances are presented as something they are not, as I want my son to learn what they are, not what someone wants them to be.

William Pagdon

Edison