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Hari Raya‚ Deepavali‚ Chinese New Year: Why Singapore’s public holiday dates change
Hari Raya‚ Deepavali‚ Chinese New Year: Why Singapore's public holiday dates change
The public holidays Hari Raya‚ Deepavali‚ and Chinese New Year holiday changes as they depend on the lunar or customary calendar‚ rather than the Gregorian calendar which is mostly used․
Singaporeans would have noticed that several public holidays seem to fall on different dates every year․ Unlike the public holidays that fall on specific dates like New Year‚ Labour Day and National Day‚ religious and cultural public holidays are based on the lunar calendar․ Hence‚ they fall on different dates every year․
Understanding why and when such changes occur may enable individuals‚ families and businesses to adjust their schedules accordingly․
Why Some Public Holidays Stay the Same
Some of the Singapore public holidays are based on the Gregorian calendar‚ the internationally used civil calendar․
Other holidays are set on a fixed date such as New Year's Day on 1 January‚ Labour Day on 1 May‚ and National Day on 9 August․ These holidays are therefore celebrated on the same date each year․
Thus‚ they can be more easily predicted and planned․
Why Chinese New Year Changes
Chinese New Year‚ like other Chinese holidays‚ is celebrated according to the customary Chinese lunar calendar․
Since the lunar calendar is dependent upon the phases of the moon‚ which do not correspond with the solar year used by the Gregorian calendar‚ Chinese New Year may occur sometime between late January and mid February in the Gregorian calendar․
As the lunar calendar differs from the Gregorian calendar‚ the occurrence of the holiday varies slightly from year to year․
Why Hari Raya Dates Change
Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji are based on the Islamic lunar calendar․
Because the Islamic calendar is lunar-based‚ Islamic months are shorter than Gregorian calendar months‚ and the Islamic holidays advance 10 or 11 days earlier in the Gregorian calendar each year than in the prior year․
This is also the reason why Hari Raya is celebrated on different months of the lunar calendar and the date may be confirmed closer to the celebrations themselves․
Why Deepavali Changes
Deepavali is celebrated according to the Hindu lunar calendar․
Unlike Chinese New Year or Islamic festivals‚ the dates of Deepavali based on the customary Indian calendars do not directly correspond to one single date in the Gregorian calendar‚ accounting for the many different dates in October or November․
The exact date was determined using the religious-astronomical calculation method of the Hindu tradition․
Impact on Singapore of these date changes
As a multicultural society‚ Singapore has public holidays for the festivals of various communities․
As many of the public holidays are based on lunar calendars‚ the annual holidays may vary from year to year and consequently will affect travel plans‚ school calendars‚ annual leave‚ major events and celebrations․
The government announces the dates of official public holidays ahead of time‚ so that companies and individuals can prepare․
Final Thoughts
Moreover‚ festivals such as Hari Raya‚ Deepavali and Chinese New Year‚ which are based on lunar or customary religious calendars‚ are not fixed holidays‚ unlike National Day and Labour Day․ This is because the dates of such festivals are based on a calendar system that does not follow the Gregorian calendar system‚ which is used worldwide․ This is also why the public holiday calendar in Singapore changes from year to year․