Singapore Public Holidays - Year 2013

Singapore will have a total of eleven(11) national public holidays in 2013. Some additional non-holidays may be celebrated according to the traditional customs of various ethnic and religious groups but are not officially gazetted as public holidays.

This year, one(1) public holiday falls on a Sunday. There is one(1) long weekend(Good Friday) and two 'super' long weekends(Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Puasa + National Day)

The offical rest day of the week is Sunday[1]. Many companies and organizations also do not work on Saturdays[2], or work only 1/2 days with some on an alternating-Saturday schedule.

The official public holidays (bank holidays) in Singapore for year 2013 are listed below.

New Year's Day

This is the first day of the year, and as with most other countries in the world which have adopted the Gregorian calendar, Singapore welcomes this day with a public rest day.

Chinese New Year / Lunar New Year

For year 2013, the first day of the Chinese Lunar New Year falls on a Sunday. The second day of the new year is also a public holiday. By convention, the next day, Tuesday, would also be a holiday in lieu. This results in a 'super' long weekend of four continuous days of holidays. Gregorian year 2013 coincides mainly with the year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac. The year before would be a Dragon year, and the following year(2014) will be the year of the Horse. The associated heavenly element (one of five) for the Chinese year coinciding mainly with Gregorian year 2013 is the Water element in the Yin form.

Good Friday

Good Friday is the day Christians commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is the Friday before Easter Day (Sunday) which is itself not gazetted as a holiday in Singapore.

Labour Day

This is a holiday, celebrated worldwide, in recognition of workers' contribution. In Singapore, as with many countries, it is designated to be the first day of May. Labour Day is also commonly known as May Day in such countries.

Vesak Day

Vesak Day is observed by Buddhists in Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and many other southeast Asian countries in memory of Gautama Buddha's birth, attainment of Nirvana and passing. This is a gazetted public holiday in multi-religious Singapore. The equivalent day in some other countries (notably Malaysia) is also known as Wesak Day.

Hari Raya Puasa

Hari Raya Puasa is the local Malay name for the Muslim religious holiday/celebration of Eid ul-Fitr (Aidilfitri), which marks the end of the Islamic holy month of fasting, Ramadan.

National Day

9 August 2013 will mark the 48th year of independence for the Republic of Singapore.

Hari Raya Haji

Hari Raya Haji is the local Malay name for the Muslim religious holiday/celebration of Eid ul-Adha.

Deepavali

Deepavali, also known as Diwali, is an Indian holiday/festival celebrated by Indians, especially by followers of the religions of Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. It is also commonly called the Festival of Lights.

* The Singapore Ministry of Manpower has updated that Deepavali is finalised as 2 November (vice 3 November earlier) on advice from the Hindu Endowments Board based on the updated Indian almanac.

Christmas Day

Christmas is an important season for Christians and Catholics. And Singapore, with a substantial percentage of the population belonging to the faiths, celebrates this day as a national holiday. With an increasing trend of commercialization of this festival, many Singaporeans(known for their love of shopping), Christians and non-Christians alike, look forward to the season for its retail sales bonanza as well. In the run-up to the day, the Singapore tourism promotion board and retail stakeholders spare no effort to decorate and light up the well-known thoroughfare of Orchard Road, where many of the nation's biggest malls are located.