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The schedule of 11 public holidays in Singapore which are gazetted and recognized since the establishment of Singapore's 1998 Holidays Act. [1] [2]
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The schedule of 11 public holidays in Singapore which are gazetted and recognized since the establishment of Singapore's 1998 Holidays Act. [1] [2]
There are generally 11 public holidays a year; however, since the gap between the Islamic calendar and the Gregorian calendar lasts around 11 days, Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and Hari Raya Aidil Adha are respectively celebrated twice in a Gregorian calendar year every 32 or 33 years. This occurred in 1968 and 2000 for Hari Raya Puasa as well as 1974 and 2006 for Hari Raya Haji, giving Singaporeans 12 public holidays in those years, not 13 since they are not close enough to be both celebrated twice in the same Gregorian year, only either one of the two. [3]
| Date | Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | New Year's Day | Celebrates the opening of the Gregorian New Year marked annual day to commemorate the first day of the Gregorian calendar. |
| January/February | Chinese New Year | A two-day holiday. Celebrates the opening of the Chinese holiday marked annual festival to commemorate the first and second days of the Chinese calendar. |
| March/April | Good Friday | This Christian holiday marks the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. |
| 1 May | Labour Day | Celebrates the economic and social achievements of workers. |
| May/June | Vesak Day | This Buddhist holiday celebrates the birth and enlightenment and Parinibbana of Gautama Buddha. |
| 9 August | National Day | Celebrates the commemorate the nationhood and independence of Singapore |
| October/November | Deepavali | The Hindu holiday celebrates the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after defeating the demon king Ravana and vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna |
| 25 December | Christmas Day | This Christian holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. |
| 1st Shawwal | Hari Raya Puasa | This Islamic holiday celebrates the close of the fasting month of Ramadhan. |
| 10th Dhu al-Hijjah | Hari Raya Haji | This Islamic holiday celebrates the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismael as an act of obedience to Allah. |
Under the Holiday's Act, should a Public Holiday fall on a Sunday, the following day on Monday would be gazetted as a public holiday (also called holiday-in-lieu). There are however, special occasions, that may be gazetted by the President of Singapore to declare any day to be observed as a public holiday by modifying any days specified in the schedule to the Holidays' Act and if any, another day to be observed as an additional public holiday when in that year two public holidays fall on the same day. [4] One such occasion occurred during the 2015's National Day, whereas an additional day of August 7 was gazetted as a public holiday in addition to August 10 being the holiday-in-lieu.
If any public holiday falls on a Saturday in Singapore, the following Monday is declared as a school holiday for students in primary & secondary schools, only if that Monday is not a public holiday itself.
Under Section 35 of the Parliamentary Elections Act and Section 17 of the Presidential Elections Act, Polling Day for a general election or a presidential election (but not By-elections) is a public holiday that is gazetted by the Returning Officer from the Elections Department Singapore. Under the Employment Act, employees not required to work on that day are entitled to one day off in lieu or be given one day's pay. [5]
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Up to and including 1968, these few were also gazetted as public holidays but were removed to improve business competitiveness.
It is legal for employers to agree to give their employees other holidays in substitution for one or more public holidays. [6] No act or thing relating to any government department or public authority, any judicial proceeding, any transaction, instrument or any other act or thing is rendered invalid where it is done or executed on a Sunday or public holiday. [7]
Under the Employment Act, [8] an employee who is required to work on a public holiday is entitled to an extra day's salary at the basic rate of pay, in addition to the gross rate of pay for that holiday.
The days observed as general public holidays in Singapore are declared in the schedule to the Holidays Act. [9] According to the Ministry of Manpower, which issues a yearly list of the dates on which public holidays fall, the holidays were "chosen and agreed upon after close consultation with different community and religious leaders in Singapore". [3] Other factors taken into account were the impact on business costs and statutory leave provided for under the Employment Act. [10] Thus, some religious holidays such as Easter Monday, Mawlid (the birthday of Muhammad), Boxing Day and Thaipusam were removed from the list of public holidays to improve business competitiveness. [3]
| Festival | Date | Status | Ethnic Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hari Raya Puasa | 1 Syawal | Domestic | Malay |
| Hari Raya Haji | 10 Zulhijjah | Domestic | Malay |
| Festival | Date | Status | Ethnic Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vesak | Full moon day of the month of Vaisakha | Domestic | Chinese, Indian |
| Festival | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | 1 January | Domestic |
| Good Friday | The Friday preceding Easter Sunday | Domestic |
| Easter | Domestic | |
| Christmas Eve | 24 December | Domestic |
| Christmas Day | 25 December | Domestic |
| New Year's Eve | 31 December | Domestic |
| Festival | Date | Status | Ethnic Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thaipusam | mid-January to mid-February | Domestic | Indian and Tamil |
| Deepavali | Domestic | Indian and Tamil |
| Festival | Date | Status | Ethnic Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinese New Year's Eve | January/February | Domestic | Chinese |
| Chinese New Year | January/February | Domestic | Chinese |
| Festival of the Heavenly God or Jade Emperor | January/February | Domestic | Chinese |
| Lantern Festival | January/February | Domestic | Chinese |
| Qing Ming Festival | April | Domestic | Chinese |
| Duanwu Festival / Dragon Boat Festival | June | Domestic | Chinese |
| Qixi Festival / Chinese Valentine's Day | August | Domestic | Chinese |
| Hungry Ghost Festival | August/September | Domestic | Chinese |
| Nine Emperor Gods Festival | September/October | Domestic | Chinese |
| Mid-Autumn Festival / Mooncake Festival | September/October | Domestic | Chinese |
| Double Ninth Festival | 9th day of the 9th lunar month | Domestic | Chinese |
| Dōngzhì Festival / Winter Solstice Festival | December | Domestic | Chinese |
Boxing Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide. Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part of Christmas festivities, with many people choosing to shop for deals on Boxing Day. It originated in the United Kingdom and is celebrated in several Commonwealth nations. The attached bank holiday or public holiday may take place on 28 December if necessary to ensure it falls on a weekday. Boxing Day is also concurrent with the Christian festival Saint Stephen's Day.
Easter, also called Pascha or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in the New Testament as having occurred on the third day of his burial following his crucifixion by the Romans at Calvary c. 30 AD. It is the culmination of the Passion of Jesus Christ, preceded by Lent, a 40-day period of fasting, prayer, and penance.
A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. Public holidays are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often also observed as public holidays in religious majority countries. Some religious holidays, such as Christmas, have become secularised by part or all of those who observe them. In addition to secularisation, many holidays have become commercialised due to the growth of industry.
Eid al-Fitr is the earlier of the two official holidays celebrated within Islam. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-dusk fasting of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr falls on the first day of Shawwal in the Islamic calendar; this does not always fall on the same Gregorian day, as the start of any lunar Hijri month varies based on when the new moon is sighted by local religious authorities. The holiday is known under various other names in different languages and countries around the world. The day is also called Eid I or "Lesser Eid", or simply Eid.
Public holidays in Australia refer to the holidays recognised in law in Australia. Although they are declared on a state and territory basis, they comprise a mixture of nationally celebrated days and holidays exclusive to the individual jurisdictions.
These are the public holidays observed in Ireland. Public holidays in Ireland may commemorate a special day or other event, such as Saint Patrick's Day or Christmas Day. On public holidays, most businesses and schools close. Other services, for example, public transport, still operate but often with reduced schedules.
Public holidays in New Zealand consist of a variety of cultural, national, and religious holidays that are legislated in New Zealand. Workers can get a maximum of 12 public holidays and a minimum of 20 annual leave days a year.
Bangladesh has numerous public holidays, including national memorial, religious and secular holidays of Bengali origin. The Bengali traditional calendar, known as Baṅgābda is the national and official calendar in Bangladesh. The holidays are celebrated according to Bengali, Islamic or Gregorian calendars for religious and civil purposes, respectively. Religious festivals like Eid are celebrated according to the Islamic calendar whereas other national holidays are celebrated according to the Bengali and Gregorian calendar. While the Islamic calendar is based on the movement of the moon, it loses synchronization with the seasons, through seasonal drift. Therefore, some public holidays are subject to change every year based on the lunar calendar.
Public holidays in Canada, known as statutory holidays, stat holidays, or simply stats, consist of a variety of cultural, nationalistic, and religious holidays that are legislated in Canada at the federal or provincial and territorial levels. While many of these holidays are honoured and acknowledged nationwide, provincial and territorial legislation varies in regard to which are officially recognized.
Public holidays in Malaysia are regulated at both federal and state levels, mainly based on a list of federal holidays observed nationwide plus a few additional holidays observed by each individual state and federal territory. The public holidays are a mix of secular holidays celebrating the nation and its history, and selected traditional holidays of the various ethnic and religious groups that make up the country.
In the United Kingdom, public holidays are days on which most businesses and non-essential services are closed. Many retail businesses do open on some of the public holidays. There are restrictions on trading on Sundays, Easter and Christmas Day in England and Wales and on New Year's Day and Christmas Day in Scotland. Public holidays defined by statute are called "bank holidays", but this term can also be used to include common law holidays, which are held by convention. The term "public holidays" can refer exclusively to common law holidays.
This is a list of the public holidays of the Malaysian state of Sabah and Sarawak. Dates given are those on which the holidays were celebrated in 2006. Some are Malaysian national holidays, while others are celebrated only in Sabah and Sarawak.
Public holidays in Botswana are largely controlled by government sector employers who are given paid time off. The government holiday schedule mainly benefits employees of government and government regulated businesses. At the discretion of the employer, other non-federal holidays such as Christmas Eve are common additions to the list of paid holidays.
Bank holidays in Scotland are determined under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 and the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007. Unlike the rest of the United Kingdom, most bank holidays are not recognised as statutory public holidays in Scotland, as most public holidays are determined by local authorities across Scotland. Some of these may be taken in lieu of statutory holidays, while others may be additional holidays, although many companies, including the Royal Mail, do not follow all the holidays listed below; and many swap between English and local holidays. Many large shops and supermarkets continue to operate normally during public holidays, especially since there are no restrictions such as Sunday trading rules in Scotland.
Holidays in the British Virgin Islands are predominantly religious holidays, with a number of additional national holidays. The most important holiday in the Territory is the August festival, which is celebrated on the three days from the first Monday in August to commemorate the abolition of slavery in the British Virgin Islands.
Lists of holidays by various categorizations.
The following are 11 public holidays in Ukraine.
This is a list of public holidays in Ivory Coast.
| National holidays (fixed) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| National holidays (moveable) | ||
| Removed holidays | ||
