Which South Pacific island country lists Diwali as a public holiday? Fiji does. The main day of Diwali is an official public holiday in Fiji, reflecting the country’s large Indo-Fijian community and the festival’s importance in national life.
Fiji’s Indian population largely descends from indentured laborers brought from British India between 1879 and 1916. Their descendants helped establish Hindu traditions, including Diwali, throughout the islands. Today, celebrations commonly feature lamps, prayers, family gatherings, new clothes, sweets and fireworks.
A common mix-up is assuming that Diwali is a public holiday only in India. It is also officially observed in several countries with substantial South Asian communities, including Guyana, Mauritius, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. Fiji’s Diwali holiday is not the same as a uniquely Fijian festival; it is a religious and cultural observance shared across the global Hindu diaspora.