Whilst our friends in the USA are celebrating Thanksgiving, tonight our Singapore office is preparing to close for a completely different reason.    They are closed on 27th November for Hari Raya Hajiand will resume work on Monday, 30th Nov. Hong Kong office and Shanghai office are still in operations as per normal.

This is widely celebrated in Singapore and neighbouring Malaysia.  It is known as the Iduladha or Qurban in Singapore, and this festival is a Pilgrimage Day of Celebration. Celebrated to herald a conclusion to the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca, pilgrims who cover their distance to Mecca are given the title of Haji (for men) or Hajjah (for women) respectively.

On this auspicious day of Hari Raya Haji Festival, goats or buffaloes are sacrificed and the meat is given to the destitute and the poor.    Hari Raya Haji Festival does not follow on any particular day of the month, but its movable date generally falls on the twelfth and last month of the Islamic calendar.

This day of celebration is marked by offering prayers in mosques, cemeteries and visiting friends and relatives.