Holidays in Singapore, Singapore

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Thanks to its multicultural population, Singapore celebrates a Chinese, Muslim, Indian and Christian holidays.

The year kicks off with a bang on January 1st and New Year, celebrated in Singapore just as in the West with a fireworks show and parties at every nightspot in town. Particularly famous are the wet and wild foam parties on the beaches of resort island Sentosa — at least those years when the authorities deign to permit such debauchery.

Gong xi fa cai Singapore style There are a few twists to the Singapore way of celebrating Chinese New Year, particularly the food, which bears little resemblance to the steamy hotpots of frigid northern China. The top dish is bak kwa (肉干), sweet barbecued pork, followed closely by yu sheng (魚生), a salad of shredded vegetables and raw fish enthusiastically tossed into the air by all present. Favorite desserts are crumbly sweet pineapple tarts and gooey steamed nian gao (年糕) cakes. Red packets of money (hong bao) are still handed out generously, but in Singapore the unmarried are exempted.

Still, thanks to the influence of the Chinese majority, the largest event by far is Chinese New Year (or, more politically correctly, Lunar New Year), usually held in February. The whole festival stretches out for no less than 42 days, but the frenzied buildup to the peak occurs just before the night of the new moon, with exhortations of gong xi fa cai (恭喜发财 "congratulations and prosper"), red tinsel, mandarin oranges and the year's zodiac animal emblazoned everywhere and crowds of shoppers queuing in Chinatown. The two following days are spent with family and most of the island comes to a standstill, and then life returns to normal... except for the final burst of Chingay, a colorful parade down Orchard Road held ten days later.

While not a public holiday, the Mid-Autumn Festival on the night of a full moon in September is also a major event, with elaborate lantern decorations — particularly in Jurong's Chinese Garden — and moon cakes filled with red bean paste, nuts and more consumed merrily.

If this isn't enough, you can take your pick from three more New Years. The Hindu New Year, Deepavali, is celebrated around November and Little India is brightly decorated for the occasion. The Islamic month of Ramadan is known as Hari Raya here and its last day, Hari Raya Puasa is a major occasion in Malay parts of town (particularly Geylang Serai on the East Coast). The Buddhist Vesak Day, celebrating the birthday of the Buddha Sakyamuni, plus the Christian holidays of Christmas Day and Good Friday round out the list holidays.

A more secular manifestation of community spirit occurs on August 9th, National Day, when fluttering flags fill Singapore and an elaborate parade is held at the National Stadium.

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