Destinations, Travel tips, Festivals and Public Holidays
Working in Singapore
10 August Singapore Holiday
Aug 7th
We got some questions from our readers: What Singapore holiday is 10 August 2009?
It is actually the 44th Singapore National Day, which falls on 9 August every year. However, since 9 August 2009 is a Sunday, official public holidays and school holidays for the National Day 2009 is substituted to Monday, 10 August 2009.
Check out also other Singapore Holidays 2009
Singapore National Day 9 August 2009
Jul 22nd
Singapore National Day is observed yearly to celebrate Singapore’s Independence on 9 August 1965.
Singapore celebrated its first National Day in 1966, one year after Singapore’s independence from Malaysia.
This year, the 44th birthday of Singapore falls on Sunday, 9 August 2009, with this year theme is ?Come Together ? Reaching Out, Reaching Up?
As the National Day (Independence Day) holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday, 10 August 2009 will be a public holiday.
One of the most important aspect of this holiday is the National Day Parade.
The National Day Parade is a national ceremony in Singapore that, as its name implies, includes a parade on Singapore’s national day on August 9, in commemoration of Singapore’s independence.
The first National Day Parade started in the morning at 0900. People came as early as 0700 in order to get good vantage points. Singapore’s first President, Mr Yusof bin Ishak and Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, were seated with members of the government at the grandstand on the steps of City Hall.
Over the years, the Parade has become the biggest national event in Singapore. What is perhaps most memorable at each celebration is the fireworks display marking the climax of the parade; the sky would be bursting with the wonderful colors of the visual vista, dazzling it as well as the hearts of fellow Singaporeans. On this very special occasion, most Singaporeans would be decked out in patriotic colours – namely, red and white.
The Singapore National Day Parade is usually held in the Singapore National Stadium or the Padang. For the first time in 2007, it was held in Marina Bay and future parades, including this year’s 9 August 2009 National Day Parade will be held there until the new sports hub is completed in around 2011.
Due to the enormous popularity and support from the people, in 2003 Singapore government set up the e-balloting ticketing system. Such ticketing system enables citizens to stand a chance at winning the tickets(free of charge) by registering their e-mail addresses or mobile numbers at the NDP website or phonelines.
While it is very unlikely for visitors to ever get hold of the Parade ticket, you can always join the local and tourist crowds at the Waterfront (near Esplanade) to enjoy the beautiful fireworks.
Some hotels (e.g. One Fullerton) also have rooms well positioned to view the fireworks display.
Airlines Departing from And Arriving at Changi Airport Budget Terminal
Jun 30th
Here is list of airlines with Departures and Arrivals at Singapore Changi Airport Budget Terminal, their IATA code (flight code), ICAO code(airline code), as well as their their base country and destination cities.
Airlines and destinations out of the Budget Terminal
Cebu Pacific (5J/CEB)
Base country: Philippines
Destination Cities: Cebu, Clark, Davao [seasonal], Manila
Firefly (FY/FFM)
Base country: Malaysia
Destination Cities: Alor Setar [begins 27 October][74], Ipoh [begins 12 July], Kota Bharu [begins 25 October], Kuala Lumpur-Subang [begins 1 July], Kuala Terengganu [begins 14 July], Kuantan [begins 22 July], Malacca [begins 1 September]
Tiger Airways (TR/TGW)
Base country: Singapore
Destination Cities: Bangalore, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Chennai, Clark, Guangzhou, Hanoi, Haikou, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi [begins 1 August], Macau, Padang, Penang [begins 18 July], Perth, Phuket, Shenzhen
Airlines Departing from And Arriving at Changi Airport Terminal Three (T3)
Jun 30th
Here is list of airlines with Departures and Arrivals at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal Three (T3), their IATA code (flight code), ICAO code(airline code), as well as their their base country and destination cities.
China Eastern Airlines MU / CES
Base country: China
Destination Cities: Kunming, Shanghai-Pudong
Jet Airways 9W / JAI
Base country: India
Destination Cities: Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai
Qatar Airways QR / QTR
Base country: Qatar
Destination Cities: Doha, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta
Singapore Airlines SQ/SIA
Base country: Singapore
Destination Cities: Adelaide, Amsterdam, Athens, Auckland, Barcelona, Beijing-Capital, Brisbane, Christchurch, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Fukuoka, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Manchester, Melbourne, Milan-Malpensa, Nagoya-Centrair, Nanjing, New York-JFK, Newark, Osaka-Kansai, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Rome-Fiumicino, San Francisco, Seoul-Incheon, Shanghai-Pudong, Sydney, Taipei-Taoyuan, Tokyo-Narita, Z?rich
United Airlines UA / UAL
Base country: USA – United States of America
Destination Cities: Chicago-O’Hare, Hong Kong, Tokyo-Narita, Washington-Dulles
Airlines Departing from And Arriving at Changi Airport Terminal Two (T2)
Jun 28th
Here is list of airlines with Departures and Arrivals at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal Two (T2), their IATA code (flight code), ICAO code(airline code), as well as their base country and destination cities.
Air India operated by Indian Airlines (AI/AIC)
Home Country: India
Destination Cities: Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai
Air India Express (IX/AXB)
Home Country: India
Destination Cities: Chennai, Kolkata, Tiruchirapalli
All Nippon Airways (NH/ANA)
Home Country: Japan
Destination Cities: Tokyo-Narita
Asiana Airlines (OZ/AAR)
Home Country: South Korea
Destination Cities: Seoul-Incheon
Etihad Airways (EY/ETD)
Home Country: UAE – United Arab Emirates
Destination Cities: Abu Dhabi, Brisbane
Indian Airlines (IC/IAC)
Home Country: India
Destination Cities: Chennai
Korean Air (KE/KAL)
Home Country: South Korea
Destination Cities: Seoul-Incheon
Lufthansa (LH/DLH)
Home Country: Germany
Destination Cities: Frankfurt, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Munich
Malaysia Airlines (MH/MAS)
Home Country: Malaysia
Destination Cities: Christmas Island [operated for Australian Indian Ocean Territories Airlines], Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Langkawi, Penang
Philippine Airlines (PR/PAL)
Home Country: Philippine
Destination Cities: Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Manila
Royal Brunei Airlines (BI/RBA)
Home Country: Brunei Darussalam
Destination Cities: Bandar Seri Begawan
Shenzhen Airlines (ZH/CSZ)
Home Country: China
Destination Cities: Nanning
SilkAir (MI/SLK)
Home Country: Singapore
Destination Cities: Balikpapan, Cebu, Chengdu, Chiang Mai, Chongqing, Coimbatore, Da Nang, Davao, Dili [operated for AustAsia Airlines], Hyderabad, Kaohsiung, Kathmandu, Kochi, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Kunming, Langkawi, Manado, Mataram, Medan, Palembang, Penang, Phnom Penh, Phuket, Shenzhen, Siem Reap, Solo, Surabaya, Thiruvananthapuram, Xiamen, Yangon
Singapore Airlines (SQ/SIA)
Home Country: Singapore
Destination Cities: Abu Dhabi, Ahmedabad, Bandar Seri Begawan, Bangalore, Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Cairo, Cape Town, Chennai, Colombo, Denpasar/Bali, Delhi, Dhaka, Dubai, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Houston-Intercontinental, Istanbul-Atat?rk, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Karachi, Kolkata, Kuala Lumpur, Kuwait, Lahore, Mal?, Manila, Moscow-Domodedovo, Mumbai, Penang, Riyadh, Tokyo-Narita
Sriwijaya Air (SJ/SJY)
Home Country: Indonesia
Destination Cities: Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta
Airlines Departing from And Arriving at Changi Airport Terminal 1
Jun 28th
Here is list of airlines with Departures and Arrivals at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal One, their IATA code (flight code), ICAO code(airline code), as well as their their base country and destination cities.
Air China (China) CA/CCA – Beijing-Capital, Chengdu, Xiamen
Air France (France) AF/AFR – Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Air Mauritius (Mauritius) MK/MAU – Kuala Lumpur, Mauritius
Air Niugini (Papua New Guinea) PX/ANG – Port Moresby
Air Seychelles (Seychelles) HM/SEY – Mahe
Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe) UM/AZW – Beijing-Capital, Harare
AirAsia (Malaysia) AK/AXM – Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Langkawi, Penang
Bangkok Airways (Thailand) PG/BKP – Koh Samui
Biman Bangladesh Airlines (Bangladesh) BG/BBC – Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Dhaka
British Airways (UK – United Kingdom) BA/BAW – London-Heathrow, Sydney
Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong) CX/CPA – Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Colombo, Hong Kong
China Airlines (Taiwan) CI/CAL – Kaohsiung, Surabaya, Taipei-Taoyuan
China Southern Airlines (China) CZ/CSN – Guangzhou, Shenyang
Emirates Airline (UAE – United Arab Emirates) EK/UAE – Brisbane, Colombo, Dubai, Melbourne
EVA Air (Taiwan) BR/EVA – Taipei-Taoyuan
Garuda Indonesia (Indonesia) GA/GIA – Beijing-Capital, Denpasar/Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Medan, Pekanbaru, Semarang, Shanghai-Pudong, Surabaya, Yogyakarta
Indonesia AirAsia (Indonesia) QZ/AWQ – Bandung, Denpasar/Bali, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Pekanbaru, Surabaya [begins August 16], Yogyakarta
Japan Airlines (Japan) JL/JAL – Kuala Lumpur, Osaka-Kansai, Tokyo-Narita
Jetstar Airways (Australia) JQ/JST – Cairns, Darwin, Perth, Melbourne
Jetstar Asia Airways (Singapore) 3K/JSA – Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Macau, Manila, Phnom Penh, Penang [begins 1 July], Siem Reap, Taipei-Taoyuan, Yangon
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Netherland / Holland) KL/KLM – Amsterdam
Lion Air (Indonesia) JT/LNI – Denpasar/Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta
Northwest Airlines (USA – United States of America) NW/NWA – Tokyo-Narita
Qantas Airways (Australia) QF/QFA – Adelaide, Brisbane, Frankfurt, London-Heathrow, Melbourne, Mumbai, Perth, Sydney
Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudi Arabia) SV/SVA – Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Jeddah, Riyadh
SriLankan Airlines (Sri Lanka) UL/ALK – Colombo, Kuala Lumpur
Thai AirAsia (Thailand) FD/AIQ – Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi, Phuket
Thai Airways International (Thailand) TG/THA – Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi
Turkish Airlines (Turkey) TK/THY – Istanbul-Atat?rk
Valuair (Singapore) VF/VLU – Denpasar/Bali, Jakarta-Soekarno-Hatta, Medan, Surabaya
Vietnam Airlines (Vietnam) VN/HVN – Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City
Xiamen Airlines (China) MF/CXA – Fuzhou, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Xiamen
Hari Raya Puasa Holiday 2011
Jun 18th
Tuesday, 30 August 2011 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 2011 / Ramadhan 2011, 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.
Happy Hari Raya Puasa 2011
See also:
Hari Raya Puasa 2011
Hari Raya Puasa 2012
Buddhist Vesak Day
Jun 17th
Vesak day is celebrated by Buddhist around the world, and in different manners all over the world. Though some countries occasionally use different date for this festival, most would fall on this same day.
Vesak is an annual public holiday observed traditionally by practicing Buddhists in South Asian and South East Asian countries like Nepal, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, Pakistan and India. Sometimes informally called “Buddha’s birthday,” it actually encompasses the birth, enlightenment Nirvana, and passing (Parinirvana) of Gautama Buddha.
The Vesak Day is an extremely important occasion observed in Buddhism. Huge crowds will usually assemble at various Buddhist temples around the city. Inside the Buddha temples the monks chant sacred hymns and a large number of devotees set caged-birds free. Setting the imprisoned birds free is considered as a graceful gesture which serves as a mark of respect to all living creatures in the world. On this day, the Buddhist youths organize blood donation camps and distribute gifts to the poor people. During the evenings, candlelit processions are found walking across the streets of the city and this is how the festival is ended.
Date Of Vesak Day
Vesak Day Year 2010 falls on Friday, 28 May 2010.
Vesak Day 2012 falls on Saturday, 5 May 2012
Vesak Day in Singapore
The entry to observe the Vesak Day festival is free of cost as people can enter the temples free of cost. Some of the best points in the city for observing the festivities of Vesak Day in Singapore are the Buddhist Lodge at River Valley Road, The Thai Buddhist Temple at Jalan Bukit Merah and Lian Shan Shuang Lin Temple at Jalan Toa Payoh.
The Singapore Vesak Day is always celebrated in the month of May and is a yearly event.
Happy Vesak Day !
Chinese Lunar New Year 2010 = Valentine 2010
Jun 17th
See also: Chinese New Year 2012
The first day of Chinese/Lunar New Year 2010 falls on Sunday, 14 February 2010, which means it falls on same days as St. Valentine’s Day.
Depending on how you look at it, this may be a blessing or trouble.
Days prior to and during Chinese New Year are traditionally busiest period for restaurants as well as travel agencies.
Many Chinese families will have reunion dinners together at the restaurants, ordering relatively expensive dinner package.
Some others will take a holiday trip, since Chinese New Year is also the longest public holiday in Singapore (2 days, plus another one day if it happens to be on Sunday like on year 2010).
St. Valentine’s Day is when couples, young and old will relive romance in their relationship, with many preferring romantic dinners at the favourite restaurants.
With the two festival comes together, restaurants will have to choose one to focus on, and that means they have to lose one of the best business day for the year 2010.
List of Singapore Public Holidays Dates In Calendar Year 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
Jun 11th
Here is the list of recent public holidays calendar
MoM (Ministry of Manpower) Calendar of Singapore Public Holidays for The Year 2011
MoM (Ministry of Manpower) Calendar of Singapore Public Holidays for The Year 2010
Singapore School Holiday 2010 Calendar (not confirmed by MoE – Ministry of Manpower – yet)
MoM (Ministry of Manpower) Calendar of Singapore Public Holidays for The Year 2009
MoE (Ministry of Education) Calendar of Singapore School Terms and Holidays for year 2009
MoM (Ministry of Manpower) Calendar of Singapore Public Holidays for The Year 2008
