New York City public schools will soon honor Lunar New Year as a holiday.
Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted Monday night that the school system would begin to recognize the holiday next year.
The mayor is expected to hold an event to make the announcement official on Tuesday.
Pressure increased on de Blasio in recent months to honor the holiday, which is celebrated in several Asian communities. The state Legislature was moving toward mandating the holiday.
Advocates noted that a full sixth of the city's 1.1 million public school students are of Asian descent.
Earlier this year, de Blasio announced that the city would honor the Muslim holidays Eid al-Firt and Eid al-Adha.
The state mandates that schools meet for 180 days.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
