Public Holidays in Singapore

Singapore observes eleven gazetted public holidays each year, and the list is a neat summary of the nation's diversity — encompassing Chinese, Malay/Muslim, Indian/Hindu and Christian occasions alongside secular national days.

The holidays

• New Year's Day (1 January)
• Chinese New Year (two days)
• Good Friday
• Hari Raya Puasa — marking the end of Ramadan
• Labour Day (1 May)
• Vesak Day — commemorating the Buddha's birth, enlightenment and passing
• Hari Raya Haji — the festival of sacrifice
• National Day (9 August)
• Deepavali — the Hindu festival of lights
• Christmas Day (25 December)

Several of these — the Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and Chinese festivals — follow lunar or other calendars, so their Gregorian dates move each year. The government publishes the confirmed dates annually.

How they are observed

When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is typically observed as a holiday in its place. National Day is the biggest civic occasion, marked by the National Day Parade, a national address and evening fireworks. The cultural and religious holidays bring their own festivities — from Chinatown's lantern-lit Chinese New Year to the lights of Deepavali in Little India.

A shared calendar

One of the quiet strengths of the Singapore model is that residents of all backgrounds share in one another's celebrations — an approach embodied in the very design of the public-holiday calendar.