Hari Raya Haji Festival

About Hari Raya Haji Festival
Hari Raya Haji is also known as the "pilgrimage festival" or the Festival of Sacrifice. It is a festival that is celebrated by the Muslims on the tenth day of the 12th month in the Muslim calendar. The Muslim calendar consists of months with alternating 29 and 30 days. It is 11 days shorter compared to the 365-day Gregorian calendar, the calendar that we are currently using.


History of Hari Raya Haji
Hari Raya Haji is a festival that marks the conclusion of the annual Hajj - the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, when the pilgrims are given the title of Haji for men and Hajjah for women. The Hajj refers to the time when Muslims display solidarity and submit themselves to God. The Hari Raya Haji also commemorates Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail in an act of obedience to God. In Singapore, Hari Raya Haji is a public holiday as there is a great number of Muslims in Singapore who celebrates this important festival. The Hari Raya Haji Festival is celebrated from the 27th November to the 30th November in 2009. In 2010 it will be from 16th November to 19th November.


How do people celebrate Hari Raya Haji’s day?
The Muslims celebrate Hari Raya Haji by going to the mosque and offer thanksgiving prayers. A common practice seen during the Hari Raya Haji is the sacrifice of an animal be it the sheep or cow, which is known as the korban. The meat will then be distributed among the relatives and also the poor. The reason why they sacrificed sheep or cows is because when Prophet Ibrahim is about to sacrifice his son Ismail in an act of obedience to God, a ram appeared in his place at the last moment. On the day of Hari Raya Haji, Muslims also pay visit to their friends and relatives.


During the sacrifice, prayers are uttered and the sheep's throat is slit. This action must be done with confidence and quickly so as to minimise the animal's suffering. The way of slaughtering the animal must be in accordance to the Islamic law. In this way, the meat can then be considered as halal. Halal does not only mean that the food contains neither pork nor lard, but it refers more to the method of slaughter where the animal is being slaughtered according to the Islamic requirements.

Formula 1 event in Singapore

The 2009 Singapore Grand Prix is also known as the 2009 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. It is the 14th race of the 2009 Formula One season. In 2009, it was the second Formula One race to be held at night in Singapore. The race took place on 27 September 2009 and was contested over 61 laps at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. McLaren-Mercedes driver and reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton won the race. Toyota's Timo Glock finished second and the winner of the 2008 F1 race, Fernando Alonso came in third. In 2009, championship leader Jenson Button extended his lead by one point finishing in fifth, one position ahead of Brawn team-mate and Championship rival Rubens Barrichello. Fellow rival Sebastian Vettel had been challenging Hamilton for the lead before a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pitlane scuppered his strategy.

The inaugural F1 Rocks concert was also held in conjunction to the Formula One race in Singapore. Superstars involved in this concert include Beyonce, the Black Eyed Peas, ZZ Top, Simple Minds, N*E*R*D, No Doubt, Jacky Cheung and A*Mei which took place on the September 24 through 26th nightly at Fort Canning Park. Other Singapore Grand Pix (GP) events include the Fuel Festival which features the Underworld Live, Will.i.am, New Order, Bloc Party, Guru Josh, and Johnny Vicious that takes place on September 24 2009 at Suntec Convention Centre as well as September 25 through 27th at the National Museum of Singapore. Singapore GP also features the Backstreet Boys, Travis, Carl Cox, and John Digweed on the 25th through 27th at night throughout the track side areas.

Formula One season in Singapore



The World Champion, Lewis Hamilton from McLaren



Three Winners



F1 Rock Concert in Singapore



F1 Rock Concert, Blackeye peas



F1 Rock Concert, Blackstreet boys



FORMULA 1 Round 14 - SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 2009 (Singapore), "Nico Rosberg"

Christmas in Singapore!!!

The most anticipated festival in Singapore and world wide during December will be Christmas. Traditionally, we used to think that Christmas days are always spent during the winter when the night becomes longer and the day becomes shorter and the entire area is covered in thick white snow. This traditional scene becomes totally different in Singapore as it experiences summer all year long. Can you imagine that people celebrate Christmas by wearing Bikini on the beach and have a party till late in the night? Do come to Singapore to experience a unique way of celebrating Christmas in a tropical country where there is no winter.



Christmas is considered as one of the significant events in Singapore. Every year, there will be Christmas light ups along the streets of Orchard Road and the neighbourhood malls will be decorated with Christmas ornaments and sometimes you can find a huge Christmas tree in one of the huge shopping malls such as Ngee Ann City. It is considered as one of the important festival celebration in Singapore. How long will it last? The answer is nearly two months. Isn’t it amazing? One can never feel bored in Singapore during the Christmas festive season. They will definitely be able to find something enjoyable during the Christmas festive season where there are many great sales and discounts offered by most of the retail outlets in Singapore. It is a time when most people will definitely not skip shopping. The shopping experience one can get during the festive season is similar to another of the event in Singapore which is the Great Singapore Sale (GSS). During the month of November to December, there will be so many activities being lined up and there are some you should never miss. Do you feel excited and cannot wait for next Christmas to come? Now, let me give you a brief introduction of what kind of activities to expect during this festive season.


Christmas light up

The Christmas light up is the one of the main things that people look forward to. From the stretch of Orchard Road till the streets of Marina Bay, you can see the Christmas light ups and decorations. These streets are lighted up and beautifully decorated that hold on to the festive spirit of Christmas. Every year there is a theme for the Christmas light up and all the celebration are will have some relation to the theme set for that particular year. For instance, this year the theme is “One Christmas, One Hope” which represent peace and harmony. It conveys the message of communal unity and hope creating a positive Christmas experience in Singapore and the world.





Christmas concert and float parade

The concert and float parade is a must watch program at Orchard Road during Christmas. Both are supposed to happen in the evening. At that time all the streets are crowned with people, cheering and screaming to welcome the float parade which is a very colourful event. After that you can go for a grand and well prepared concert with you friend.








Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Deepavali

Deepavali, also known as the "festival of light ", is regarded as a celebration of the victory of good over evil, the uplifting of spiritual darkness. Deepavali to Indians is similar to the Spring festival or the Chinese New Year to the Chinese. It is an official public holiday in India, Malaysia, Guyana, and Singapore, and this festival is mainly celebrated by the Indians. Therefore in Singapore, Little India is the best place to experience the atmosphere of this festival. During the Deepavali, Little India will be filled with colourful and glittery decorations and its lively atmosphere will certainly surprise you and give you a totally different feeling compared to the other days in Little India.




The story of the Deepavali

It was said that in an ancient times, there was a prince of devil named Nakarasura. People suffered a lot under his ruthless control. However, when the deity Lord Krishna killed Nakarasura, the people were protected from evil. People were so glad that they lit up the lamp to have a big celebration. This was the origin of Deepavali and from then on, people celebrate it annually to praise the victory of good over evil.



There are three most important activities during Deepavali, they are Light-up opening ceremony , Navarathiri festival, and Thimidhi festival.



1. Light-up opening ceremony is a symbol of beginning of the festival. Once the lights have been lit up, it will last nearly a month until the end of the Deepavali.






2. Navarathiri festival is to show respect and honour towards three Hindu Goddess, they are the Dhurga, Lakshmi and Saraswathi. The celebration will last nine days and on the tenth night, it will have a grand march that will symbolise a successful ending.



3. Thimithi festival is for the Hindu believers to show their atonement and repentance by walking through the burning fire, as well as in memory of their goddess Draupadi. It also a chance for them to express and show their strong faith.





After having a general realization about Deepavali, let's just have a glimpse at what people usually do or what is the custom for people to spend their festival.
Cleaning and decorating the house

In order to meet the coming festival, most Indian families will clean up their house, and also buy some unique lighting or lighting-design based decorations to decorate their house. People also send Deepavali cards to each other to convey their best wishes to their friends and relatives.


Preparation of delicious traditional Indian food

For every ceremony, delicious food is indispensable. It plays an important role when praying. The food that is made of flour or rice flour always has different colours, and mostly tastes sweet.


Beautiful clothes

During Deepavali, the Indians who celebrate this festival will also wear new clothes, a similar practice as the Chinese celebrating the Chinese New Year. One is to avoid wearing black coloured clothes as it is believed that it will bring bad luck. The traditional Indian clothes for man is called Jippa, and woman, Sari or Pungabi.





Visiting friends and relatives

On the day of Deepavali, the Indians always get up before dawn, and use some special materials to wash their body to make themselves have a pure soul. After that they will light an oil lamp to pray, put some food and flowers in front of it which is believed that it can bring good luck for the family. According to the custom, some turmeric powder will be put on the new clothes and then after the family will go for visiting.

The Great Singapore Sale (GSS)

The Great Singapore Sale (GSS) is one of the major events in Singapore that is held annually from the end of May to early July. It is a way to attract more visitors to come to Singapore due to the sale with discounts of up to 70% off the usual price. It also helps spur the Singapore economy by boosting the consumption of goods and services. From the shopping belt of Orchard Road to Marina Bay and to the neighborhood shopping malls, shoppers can enjoy great savings and great value on just about almost everything, like watches, jewelry, clothes, accessories, small gifts and many more. In addition, shopping with the MasterCard, one can enjoy more discounts and privileges sometimes with the GST absorbed.



During the Great Singapore Sale, both the locals and the tourists look forward to the best discount prices. It is a time when almost all of the shopping malls in Singapore will extend its opening hours, and at times, they will be opened until midnight. Examples of such shopping malls that will extend its opening hours and has great discounted prices would be the Robinsons, Tangs Orchard, Takashimaya, OG and Isetan. Most of which, these shopping malls can be found at Orchard Road, Singapore’s largest shopping district.


http://www.greatsingaporesale.com.sg/2009/images/promo/getsg-hero.jpg


Hotels are also offering promotions on their room rates in conjunction with the GSS. Room rates are as low as about S$110 per night. Food and Beverage outlets are also offering promotions and discounts in order to attract more crowds during the GSS.


http://blog.asiahotels.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/gss-latenightshopping.jpg


Here are some useful tips when doing shopping during the GSS:

- Dress in comfortable attire and shoes.

- Scan the newspaper or the magazines to find out which places offer great discounts or the best deals and plan the shopping route.

- Start your shopping early in order to beat the crowd.

- Avoid lunch hours as there will be more people.

- Certain special deals and discounts are only valid during late in the night, hence take your time to choose and try to take advantage of the special promotion period.

- Remember to bring along your credit cards especially the Master Card, if have to enjoy further discounts or other privileges as they are the official card of the GSS.

- Lastly check your items before purchase as the items are mostly not refundable.

Do look forward to next year's GSS!!! :)

Chinese New Year

The Chinese New Year is also known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival which is held between January to February every year. It is one of the most celebrated festivals for the Chinese in Singapore. Everyone in the Chinese family welcome the coming of spring with colourful festival steeped in centuries-old tradition. Below are some of the ways that Singaporeans celebrate the Lunar New Year.


http://www.everydaysingapore.com/images/chinese-new-year-chinatown.jpg

Walking around Chinatown

One of the main activities that Singaporeans will do when nearing or during the Lunar New Year is to visit and have a walk in Chinatown. Nearing the Lunar New Year, Chinatown is filled with the festive mood and excitement surrounds the air about a few weeks or even a month before the first day of the Lunar New Year. Chinatown will be decorated with the Year's Chinese Zodiac Sign. There, one is able to find traditional Chinese New Year cookies like the love letters, pineapple tarts, meat jerkies, red-paper or colourful Chinese New Year decorations, and baskets of mandarins for good luck. If one is married, it is an age-old tradition to prepare hong bao also known as the red packets which contain money and are usually given to those who are young and single. During the Chinese New Year, the Chinese will visit their friends and relatives and would offer them mandrin oranges and wish them "Gong Xi Fa Cai" in Chinese, which means wishing one good fortune.


Chinatown





Meat Jerkies (Barbecued Meat)



Hong Bao (Red Packets)



Chinese New Year Decorations



Pineapple Tarts

http://www.mymym.com/en/article/613.html



Singapore River Hong Bao Carnival
Chinatown is not the only place to celebrate the Chinese New Year. The Singapore River Hong Bao carnival, which is held at Marina Promenade, is also worth a visit.
The River Hong Bao is a huge and lively place for visitors to enjoy themselves. One is able to find floats decorated as mythical creatures, legendary heroes, Chinese gods, pagodas and cherry blossoms. One can even get a special Chinese zodiac reading of your birth sign. For example, if you were born in the Year of the Snake, you may be told that you have much wisdom and is a determined person. You can have a look below to see which Chinese Zodiac Sign you belong to.


Chinese Animal Zodiac Signs with respect to the year when one is born

Rat

1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996

Ox

1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997

Tiger

1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998

Rabbit

1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999

Dragon

1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000

Snake

1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001

Horse

1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002

Sheep

1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003

Monkey

1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004

Rooster

1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005

Dog

1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006

Boar(Pig)

1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007

The Chingay Parade
The Chingay Parade is the biggest parade in Singapore, which is also another program that is held during the Chinese New Year festival. The parade is usually held in the heart of the city center. A performance of the traditional Chinese dragon and lion dances during the Chingay is one of the highlights of the Parade. Don't miss it! You can experience this Chingay Parade which offers a different ambience from that of the Christmas festival in the Western country.

Here is a picture that shows the route of the Chingay parade:


http://www.chingay.org.sg/2008/parade/highlights_preview.asp

Hari Raya Puasa

Hari Raya Puasa is a very important festival that is celebrated by Muslims all over the world. It is often mistaken for the Muslim New Year, but it is not. It is a festival that marks the end of one month of fasting, which is known as the Ramadan. The Ramadan is a period where Muslims fast for a month from dawn til sunset. During the Ramadan, Muslims are forbidden to eat, drink and smoke from dawn til sunset. They also should avoid lying, breaking promises and cheating. They are supposed to stay good and avoid all evil deeds during this period. The words ‘Hari Raya’ means 'day of celebration.' The primary purpose of fasting during the Ramadan is to remind all Muslims of self-control and submitting to Allah, the holy one.

In Singapore, Hari Raya preparations can be seen at least one month before the Hari Raya Puasa festival. Geylang Serai, the place that is where the Muslims will gather, and it is always filled with large crowds during the Ramadan. There will be many bazaars selling many festive items and the place will be lit up with glittering ans sparking lights. During the period, we can see many decorations in green, the most dominant colour, which is often combined with yellow or gold.




It is after the Ramadan when the Muslims would celebrate Hari Raya Puasa. On the morning of the festival, the Muslims would wear their new clothes and go to the mosque to pray. The men are usually dressed in Baju Melayu, while the females in Baju Kurung. They will offer their thanks to God and also ask for forgiveness from their elders. It is an important custom that is followed by the Muslims. After which, they will visit their friends and relatives to celebrate Hari Raya Puasa. The Muslims' homes will be filled with a wide variety of delicious spicy dishes. Some of the popular dishes are ketupat, lontong, nasi padang and beef rendang. The Muslims will also give “green packets” with money inside to the children. The packets are usually green in colour and children often look forward to getting these “green packets”.


In conclusion, Hari Raya Puasa is a delightful festival for the Muslims. It is a festival of renewal and purification, and self control by abstaining themselves from the basic needs from dawn til sunset.