Singapore Hari Raya Haji Holiday
Hari Raya Haji is celebrated by Muslims around the world to remember Ibrahim’s willingness to be obedient to Allah to sacrifice his own son Ishmael. Under the Singapore Employment Act, public holidays for the upcoming years from Hari Raya Haji 2020 are as follows:
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Aug 2019 | Sunday* | Hari Raya Haji 2019 |
| 12 Aug 2019 | Monday | Hari Raya Haji Holiday 2019 |
| 31 Jul 2020 | Friday | Hari Raya Haji 2020 |
| 20 Jul 2021 | Tuesday | Hari Raya Haji 2021 |
| 10 Jul 2022 | Saturday | Hari Raya Haji 2022 |
| 29 Jun 2023 | Thursday | Hari Raya Haji 2023 |
| 17 Jun 2024 | Monday | Hari Raya Haji 2024 |
Note: Any holidays that fall on a Sunday will be replaced the following Monday. The dates in the table above are an estimate and will be updated once official dates are announced.
Hari Raya Haji In Singapore – Celebrating Ibrahim’s Willingness to Sacrifice Son
Hari Raya Haji is a Muslims’ celebration to commemorate Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. It is also known as the Festival of Sacrifice. It comes 70 days after Ramadhan and on the 10th day of the month of Dhul Hijja. The celebration lasts for four days, and it signifies the end of the holy pilgrimage to Mecca. It is also a sign of Muslims’ submission to Allah.
About the Hari Raya Haji Celebrations in Singapore
During Hari Raya Haji, Muslims always put in much effort in dressing up for the gathering in mosques to listen to sermons and offer prayers. But the most important ritual of the day is the Korbari – The Sacrifice. For this ritual, the devotees contribute live cows, sheep, lambs, and goats, all of which are offered as sacrifices by killing them quickly while making prayers. This is also to commemorate how Ibrahim is willing to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God’s command.
After visiting the mosques, the faithful will continue to visit their parents and family members for further celebrations. In Singapore, this day will always be marked with bazaar and festivities at places with beautiful decorations. You can expect the celebratory atmosphere all around the city. The notorious spots for the festivities in the city are Geylang Serai and Kampong Glam.
What to do during Hari Raya Haji
Similar to the other public holiday, Hari Raya Haji comes with lots of exciting opportunities to spend the day out of work and business. So, what are some of the things you could do on this day when in Singapore?
Celebrate the Day with your Muslim friends
The generosity of Muslims during such celebrations is unquestionable. There is no doubting that they will be more than glad to have you join them for the celebrations once they are from the mosque. If you have friends or relatives that belong to the faith, be ready to accept invitations from them so that you can eat, drink and celebrate the day together.
Visit Kampong Glam
Kampong Glam will be one of the busy places where lots of activities will be taking place. You should visit this place on this day for two reasons. The first reason is so that you can learn more about the history of the Malay and secondly so that you can meet, interact and join Muslims in their celebrations. The best time to visit Kampong Glam on Hari Raya Haji, however, is during the afternoon and early evening. By this time, the rituals at the mosque are over and all the focus will be on the merrymaking.
Visit the Museums
A visit to the museums on this day will not just be fun, but also very educating. It is less tiring, and it will give you a chance to increase your knowledge about Singapore, discovering and learning things you may have not known about. Most museums will be working on this day, and it will be entirely up to you to choose the ones you would like to visit.