Hindus want 'Siwaratri' a holiday

Hindus want 'Siwaratri' a holiday

JAKARTA: Following the success of Indonesia's Confucian
community in having the Lunar New Year declared a national
holiday, the Hindu community is asking the government to make its
Siwaratri, or Day of Atonement, a public holiday as well.

The director general of Hinduism and Buddhism at the Ministry
of Religious Affairs, Wayan Suarjaya, said here on Friday the
Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia association had proposed to the
ministry that Siwaratri be declared a national holiday.

According to Wayan, the ministry was still studying the
proposal and would later submit it to the office of President
Megawati Soekarnoputri, because the establishment of a national
holiday requires a presidential decree.

In Bali, where the majority of the country's Hindu population
lives, civil servants and students are currently given the day
off on Siwaratri if they wish to perform their religious duties.

Last month, President Megawati Soekarnoputri declared the
Lunar New Year, or Imlek, a national holiday beginning next year.
-- Antara