Diwali 2024: Tamil Nadu announces half-day holiday for schools on October 30

Diwali 2024: The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday declared a half-day holiday for educational institutions on October 30, ahead of the festival of lights Diwali, which will be celebrated on October 31 across India.
All schools, colleges and educational institutions across the state will observe a half-working day on October 30 on account of Diwali. Furthermore, the Diwali holiday originally scheduled for October 31 has been moved to November 1 to ensure that all institutions observe it on this specific date. According to an official notification, November 9 will be a working day to offset the November 1 holiday.
In North India, the festival of Diwali marks the arrival of Lord Rama to Ayodhya. However, in South India, the festival of lights is celebrated to mark the day when Goddess Satyabhama and Lord Krishna killed the demon Narakasura. Thus, Deepawali celebrations in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and southern states differ from northern states. Drik Panchang said, “In Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, Chaturdashi Tithi is the main day during Deepavali and unlike the rest of India, earthen lamps and crackers are lit during dawn and not after dusk.”
Let’s have a look at the list of holidays declared by states and union territories:
To celebrate Diwali, the capital city designated October 31 as a holiday for educational institutions. Meanwhile, Govardhan Puja will take place on November 2, while Bhai Duj will be observed on November 3, which have been declared restricted holidays.
In Uttarakhand, schools will remain shut from November 1 to 3. However, a change of dates is likely due to a new date for Diwali. Meanwhile, no specific holiday date has been set for Diwali in the state. Notably, some schools declared a holiday on Friday, November 1, while November 2 and 3 are clashing with the weekend.
The Directorate of School Education Jammu (DSEJ) has declared a five-day holiday in the Jammu division. Schools up to the higher secondary level will remain closed on the occasion of Diwali. Schools will reopen on November 4 after closing on October 29. The five-day Diwali break is notably from October 29 to November 2. For detailed information, refer to the official notice available on the DSEJ website.
Odisha will observe Diwali holidays on different days, depending on the institution. Some schools have announced holidays from October 31 to November 2, while others have declared only October 31 as a Diwali holiday.