Working in Singapore

Friday, 10 September 2010 is a Ministry of Manpower (MoM) public holiday in Singapore Calendar. The holiday is to celebrate the Muslim and Malay Hari Raya Aidilfitri Holiday. In Hijriah (Islamic Date) calendar, it falls on 1 Syawal 1431.

Hari Raya Aidilfitri (also known as Hari Raya Lebaran, Hari Raya Idul Fitri, and Hari Raya Puasa, literally “Celebration Day of Fasting”) is the Malay term for the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr or Id-ul-Fitr.

It is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan / Ramadhan, the Islamic holy month of “Puasa” (fasting). The holiday symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. It is celebrated starting on the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal / Syawal.

Muslims in Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia celebrate Eid like other Muslims throughout the world. The term “Hari Raya” literally means “Day of Celebration” — it is also occasionally used to refer to Eid ul-Adha in the form of “Hari Raya Aidiladha” or “Hari Raya Idul Adha”.

On this day, Muslims all over the world offer a special prayer in the morning and later visit their relatives and friends. The young will seek forgiveness from elders for their past misconduct.

In Singapore, the first day of the Hari Raya is celebrated as a public holiday, where civil servants and private sector workers alike are mostly not required to work.

In Indonesia and Malaysia, it is a long holiday period, with some companies are not working for as long as 2 weeks.

The main greeting used by Muslims in Singapore and Malaysia is “Selamat Hari Raya” which means “Happy Eid” in Malay. Another greeting is “Maaf Zahir dan Batin” which translates loosely to “I seek forgiveness (from you) physically and spiritually”, for Hari Raya is a time to reconcile and renew relationships with others.

In Indonesia, the more commonly used greetings are “selamat Hari Raya Idul Fitri”, “Selamat Lebaran”, and “Maaf Lahir dan Batin”.

During the Muslim month of Ramadan leading up to Hari Raya, it is mandatory for Muslims to fast from dawn to dusk. All Muslims except the young, old or infirm must fast. Many Muslims also abstain from pleasures such as smoking cigarettes and sexual activities during the daylight of the fasting month.

Widely, markets, or ‘Ramadan bazaars’ are held in many areas around the country, where all sorts of food and kuih — traditional Malay delicacies — are sold for breaking fast or buka puasa. Hotels and restaurants have also exploited this situation to offer exorbitant Ramadan buffets.

The main attraction place to observe the Hari Raya and the preparations prior to festival is best observed at Kampong Glam and Geylang Serai, a bustling outdoor market and the Hari Raya Light-Up, as well as various Mosque around Singapore.

For more information on Singapore mosque, check with Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore.