Yesterday, after consultation with the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) and another look at astronomic calculations, The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) decided to revise the dates for Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji in 2022. Here's what you need to know and how it may possibly affect you.
New Dates for Hari Raya Puasa & Hari Raya Haji
1. Changes In Dates
Initially, Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Haji fell on Mondays, on 2 May and 9 July respectively. While this also came with a second day's worth of public holiday for Hari Raya Puasa on May 3rd, it meant that we did not have long weekends available to celebrate to the fullest extent!
However with the change, Hari Raya Puasa now falls on May 3 2022, and Hari Raya Haji will fall on 10 July 2022!
2. Why the change?
The decision was made amongst countries in the region: Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. According to MUIS, ''"The agreement was reached among member countries after new findings emerged over years of research."
They also mentioned that these calculations were based on astronomical calculations to decide the dates for the upcoming Islamic calendar. "The highest Islamic authorities of Brunei Darussalam, Republic of Indonesia, Malaysia and Republic of Singapore have agreed to adopt revised criteria of the astronomical calculation for the determination of the Islamic calendar from year 2022 onwards.''
This decision came in order to ensure that the ''important dates in the Islamic calendar, such as the start of the Muslim new year, the fasting month and the Haj may be aligned in the region,'' perhaps a more accurate way for us to observe the Islamic calendar.
3. How Will This Affect You?
The shift a day forward now means that Hari Raya Haji will be a long holiday and last over the weekend ? If all goes well with Covid-19 and there aren't any strict measures in place at the time, we'll be able to see more celebrations (with more visiting, hopefully) and more prayers taking place!
It seems that change doesn't always have to be a bad thing - share this with your fellow Muslims and celebrate another long weekend for the year to come!