Should the Hindu festival of Diwali to be recognised as a public holiday across every state and territory? Australia's Indian community wants this, in the spirit of multiculturalism. After all, Christmas is celebrated, it may be argued, and according to multicultural relativism, all cultures and religions are equal (except special ones, like indigenous culture), so why not? I think within the framework of such multicultural relativism, this would follow, as with public holidays for every ethno-cultural and religious group.
Thus, drawing out the logical consequences of this, Leftism, and Satanism may have their respective holidays; for Leftistsbeing perhaps Karl Marx's birthday, but I do not know the "birthday" of Satan, and do not want to know. Obviously, this is a reductio ad absurdum of such multicultural relativism. If Indian Australians want to celebrate Diwali in their own community, on their own time, I have no problem with this, but Australia is already is fully booked up with holidays. First come, first served.
"Australia's Indian community is renewing calls for the Hindu festival of Diwali to be recognised as a public holiday across every state and territory.
Diwali, also known as Deepavali, is the annual festival of lights and is one of India's largest holidays, akin to Christmas.
It involves cleaning the home, prayers and the lighting of candles and sparklers.
The date it falls on changes each year as it follows the lunisolar calendar, which is determined by the position of the moon and the sun.
This year, it falls on Thursday, October 31.
The Hindu Council of Australia president Sai Paravastu wants Diwali to be recognised as a holiday or long weekend due to the hundreds of thousands of people participating."