Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
34
HOLIDAYS
There are 11 official public holidays (
Note:
The following dates, with regar d to reli-
gious holidays, ar e estimates, as each date
is subject to a differ ent religious calendar.
Dates pr ovided her e ar e for r ough plan-
ning only. Please check with the STB prior
to your trip to verify holidays that fall dur-
ing y our stay.): N ew Year's D ay ( Jan 1),
Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year (Feb
14-15, 2010), Good Friday (Apr 2, 2010),
Labour Day (May 1), Vesak Day (May 9,
2009; May 21, 2010), National Day (Aug
9), Hari Raya Puasa (Eid al-Fitr; Sept 20,
2009; Sept 8, 2010), D eepavali (Nov 15,
2009; Nov 5, 2010), H ari Raya Haji (Eid
al-Adha; N ov 27, 2009; N ov 14, 2010),
and Christmas D ay (D ec 25). O n these
days, expect go vernment offices, banks,
and some shops to be closed.
comes down in short, heavy gusts and goes
quickly away. Wind speeds are rarely any-
thing mor e than light. The S outhwest
Monsoon falls between June and Septem-
ber. Temperatures ar e much higher and,
interestingly, it 's during this time of y ear
that Singapore gets the
least
rain (with the
very least reported in July).
By and large, y ear-round temperatur es
remain uniform, with a daily av erage of
81°F (27°C), afternoon temperatur
es
reaching as high as 87°F (31°C), and an
average sunrise temperature as low as 75°F
(24°C). R elative humidity often ex ceeds
90% at night and in the early morning.
Even on a “dry” afternoon, don't expect it
to dr op much belo w 60%. ( The daily
average is 84% relative humidity.)
CALENDAR OF PUBLIC HOLIDAYS & EVENTS
For an exhaustive list of events beyond those listed here, check http://events.frommers.
com, where you'll find a sear chable, up-to-the-minute r oster of what 's happening in
cities all over the world.
3
J
ANUARY
/F
EBRUARY
New Year's Day.
The first day of the
calendar year is celebrated in S ingapore
by all races and r eligions. N ew Year's
Eve in Singapore is always cause for par-
ties similar to those in the West. Look
for special ev ents at r estaurants and
nightclubs, but don 't expect to find a
taxi when you need one. January 1.
Lunar New Year or Chinese New Year.
If you want to catch the biggest event in
the Chinese calendar and in S ingapore,
come during Chinese N ew Year for
parades and festiv als. In 2010 it begins
on February 14, Valentine's Day.
Thaipusam F estival.
If y ou're lucky
enough to be in S ingapore during this
event, y ou're in for a bizarr e cultural
treat. This annual festiv al is celebrated
by Hindus to give thanks to Lor d Sub-
ramaniam, the child god who represents
virtue, youth, beauty, and valor. During
Thaipusam, male H indus who hav e
made prayers to S ubramaniam for spe-
cial wishes must carr y
kavadis
in grati-
tude. These huge steel racks ar e
decorated with flo wers and fr uits and
are held onto the men's bodies by skew-
ers and hooks that pierce the skin. Car-
rying the
kavadis,
the dev otees parade
from Sri Perumal Temple in Little India
to the S ri Thandayuthapani Temple,
where family members r emove the
heavy str uctures. F or an additional
spectacle, they will pier ce their tongues
and cheeks with skewers and hang fruits
from hooks in their flesh. The devotees
have all undergone strict diet and prayer
before the festiv al, and it is r eported
that, after ward, no scars r emain. Late
January/early February.
