Singapore Public Holidays 2014

2014 is a month away and it is time to slowly plan for the Singapore public holidays 2014ç In 2014, there are plenty of long weekends to plan a nice getaway holiday from Singapore. It is important to book for them early though because many people plan to take advantage of long holidays and travel out to somewhere.

There are four 4-days-long weekend holiday opportunities which can be created with only 4 days of leave. There are also some 3 days long weekends. You can see them in the calendar below.

Below are the 2014 Singapore Public Holidays:
- New Years Day - 1 January 2014 Wednesday

- Chinese New Year 2014 - 31 January - 1 February 2014 - Friday and Saturday: This will be the first long weekend of 2014 with 3 days of official holiday.

- Good Friday - 18 April 2014 - Friday - Second long weekend will be in April thanks to Good Friday
public holiday.

- Labour Day - 1 May 2014 Thursday : Labour Day 2014 holiday can be turned into a 4 days long weekend with 1 day leave on 2 May 2014 Friday.

- Vesak Day - 13 May 2014 Tuesday : Another 4 day long weekend holiday opportunity is Vesak Day 2014 if you take a leave on 12 May 2014 Monday.

Singapore Public Holidays 2014 - Source : Straits Times

- Hari Raya Puasa - 28 July 2014 Monday - In July 2014, Hari Raya Puasa will create a 3 days long weekend holiday.

- Hari Raya Haji - 5 October 2014 Sunday - In October Hari Raya Haji will create another 3 days long weekend holiday (following Monday will be a public holiday).

Deepavali - 23 October 2014 Thursday -  3rd 4 days long weekend opportunity is with Deepavali 2014 if you take a leave on 24 October 2014.

Christmas Day - 25 December 2014 Thursday - Last 4 day weekend opportunity is with Christmas Day 2014 if you can take a leave on Friday.

Chinese New Year 2013

Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year or  Spring Festival in China, is the most important holiday for Chinese in and out of China. The festival, which marks the end of the winter season, is, at 15 days, the longest holiday in China. It is almost compulsory for Chinese families to gather on Chinese New Year's Eve for a reunion dinner, so the period before Chinese New Year sees one of the largest annual human migration on the planet since many migrant Chinese travels back to their home towns to meet with their families.

When is the Chinese New Year 2013?

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. Since the traditional Chinese calendar is lunisolar (the Chinese New Year is often referred to as the "Lunar New Year"), whose date indicates both the moon phase and the time of the solar year, its date falls on different dates each year in the modern Gregorian calendar.

Chinese New Year 2013 (Chūnjié / 春節 2013)  will be start on Sunday 10 February 2013, and the festival will last until the Sunday, 24 February 2013.

What is The Chinese New Year about?

Chinese New Year marks the beginning of a new lunar year in Chinese Calendar so it is actually a new year for Chinese. It is derived from end-of-harvest celebrations of the distant pass and institutionalized by Han Dynasty of China.

Which Chinese Zodiac animal will Chinese New Year 2013?

In traditional Chinese culture, each year has its own corresponding animal from the Chinese Zodiac, a cycle of 12 animals. By Chinese New Year 2013, we will leave The Year of Dragon  (Lóng / 龍) and enter The Year of Snake (蛇 Shé). Snake Years are sixth in the cycle, following the Dragon Years, and recur every twelfth year (the previous snake year started back in January 24th 2001).

In traditional Chinese belief, people born in a specific zodiac share some common characters and fortune. Some zodiac animals are favored some are not. This is the reason in Chinese dominated countries, you see a lot of pregnant woman around in the year of the dragon while the number significantly falls in the year of the tiger.

Southeast Asia's largest temple Kek Lok Si in Penang, Malaysia during Lunar New Year 

The Origins of Chinese New Year
End-of-harvest celebrations when people would offer thanks to gods for good harvests and entreaty for a good crop in the following year are believed to be the origins of The Chinese New Year. These customs were formalized under Han Dynasty (206BC-AD 25) rule and become The Lunar New Year celebrations as we know them now.

Chinese New Year Public Holidays around the world

In countries with sizable Chinese population, Chinese New Year is a public holiday. Here are the countries where Lunar New Year is a holiday with holiday dates:

People's Republic of China - Feb 9 - 11 2013 are public holidays. Feb 12 - Feb 15 common local holidays.
Hong Kong and Macau - Feb 9 - 12 2013 public holiday.
Republic of China (Taiwan), Thailand and Vietnam - Feb 9 - 12 2013 public holiday.
Singapore and Malaysia - 10-11 February 2013 public holiday. New Year's Eve is unofficially half day.

Best Hotel Spas in Asia 2012

Agoda.com, an internet company which provides online hotel reservations services for properties focused primarily in the Asia Pacific Region, lists ten of the best hotel spas in Asia each year. 2012 top 10 is recently announced and here we list these luxury hotels providing combined eastern and western therapies to promote both physical and spiritual wellness and best relaxing all-round hotel stay.

1. Six Senses Yao Noi, Thailand

SPA of  5-star eco-friendly Six Senses Resort on the picturesque island of Koh Yao Noi-between Phuket and Krabi is number 1 in the top hotel SPAs in Asia 2012 list of agoda.com.

Six Senses Resort

2. Fusion Maia, Danang, Vietnam

Fusion Maia Da Nang is the first Asia’s resorts with all-inclusive spa and the only resort in the area highlighting with Private pool in All villa. The property is located 15 minutes from the airport and just 10 minutes from Da Nang town center, a short scenic ride from the luxurious accommodation, you will be able to explore the World Heritage town of Hoi An.

SPA at Fusion Maia Da Nang

3. Four Seasons Spa, Singapore

Standing on tree-lined Orchard Boulevard, the five-star Four Seasons Hotel Singapore provides 254 spacious and inviting rooms in Singapore’s main shopping district. This award winning SPA offers Asian-influenced treatments, massages, reflexology, and beauty treatments. The hotel provides Massage Therapy,
Body Therapy, Facial Therapy, Spa Rituals, Treatments for Teens and Salon Services.

Four Seasons Spa, Singapore

4. Conrad Spa Rangali Island Resort, Maldives

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Resort has been voted the best hotel of the world, twice. This provides a tremendous stay which guarantee by twice voted Best Hotel in the World. This hotel provides a unique and cozy atmosphere of the island.

5. Hotel Spa and Esthetique Suichokan, Sapporo, Japan

Hotel Spa and Esthetique Suichokan does not only offer a range of salon and spa facilities to ensure guests' complete relaxation, it also provides delicious cuisine and comfortable accommodations.

Hot spring at Hotel Spa and Esthetique Suichokan

6. Banyan Tree Spa Ungasan, Bali

Sitting on the cliffs at the doorstep of Uluwatu Temple, luxurious Banyan Tree Ungasan Hotel offers panoramic views of the Indian Ocean. Banyan Tree Spa therapists receive formal training at Banyan Tree Spa Academies in Phuket in Thailand or Lijiang in China.

7. Volando Urai Spring Spa & Resort, Taiwan

Volando Urai Spring Spa & Resort in in the heart of Wulai offers a "Zen Experience". The hotel is famous for its hot springs and excellent service.

8. The Siam, Bangkok, Thailand

Design guru Bill Bensley's marvel The Siam Hotel in the capital of land of smiles offers a 5 star stay in Bangkok and a massive Moroccan-style sunken courtyard surrounded by a spa and treatment rooms. Opium SPA in this urban luxury resort offers  facial, body and massage therapies and tailored multi-day spa package.

9. Song Saa Private Island Resort, Cambodia

5-Star Song Saa Private Island Resort spans the Gulf of Thailand islands of Koh Ouen and Koh Bong, with tropical reefs, azure waters, white sandy beaches, and stunning sunset and offers villas with private pools, sun-decks and ocean views whilst the rest of the resort offers spa, yoga, and sea sports.

Song Saa Private Island Resort, Cambodia

10. Shinta Mani, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Shinta Mani Hotel with its 39 Khmer-inspired designs rooms is close to the magnificent Angkor Temples just a 15-minute tuktuk ride. Shinta Mani Spa here is based on traditional Khmer healing rituals and proven modern therapies to reduce stress and reset inner balance. An instant favorite is the Khmer Coffee Scrub that combines white clay and organic Cambodian coffee beans from the hill tribes of Rattanakiri Province to create an aromatic rejuvenation.

Shinta Mani, Siem Reap, Cambodia

NATAS Fair August 2012

NATAS Travel Fair August 2012 will be held in Singapore Expo, Halls 3B, 4 & 5 between 24 - 26 August 2012 (Friday to Sunday this week). NATAS (The National Association of Travel Agents Singapore) Travel Fair is held twice in a year – one in February/March and the other in August/September. Ticket price for adults will be $4.00 (valid for one day) and admission is free for children below 12. The fair will be open to public between 10:00 AM and 09:30 PM.

Being a small city state in one of the best tourist destination region, every holiday travel in Singapore is an international holiday travel (except the popular staycation holidays) and Singaporeans like to travel whenever they have time and budget for it. One of the best way to extend the travel budget is to visit these 2 annual fairs by NATAS. NATAS travel fairs are very popular in Singapore since it is one of the best place to buy great travel promotions and packages. Last February, 62,871 visitors came to NATAS Travel Fair and spent around $100 million Singapore Dollars for many destinations offered. People usually rush to the fair early to grab the freebies and the best travel deals and form super long queues. Europe, China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea were top 5 sought after destinations in the last fair so expect that the best travel deals for these destinations will be quickly sold out.

The fair does not only offer travel deals; you can also find best deals for airfare, travel insurance, car rental for your travel destination. A quick and useful tip: Since there are credit card specific promotions, bring all the credit cards you have from different banks to  benefit from a promotion for specific bank's credit card. You can then take a chance to win in many lucky draws for freebies such as suitcases and grab a very good deal specific to your credit card.

For those who have not been to the location of NATAS Fair, Singapore Expo yet, you can get there by taking the East-West MRT Line (Green Line) and alight at Expo MRT Station. But you need to change train in Tanah Merah MRT Station and get to the one which works between Singapore Changi Airport - Singapore Expo and Tanah Merah MRT Stations. Expo MRT station is behind Hall 6 so you will need a short walk to Hall 3,4 and 5.

Singapore Public Holidays 2013 Calendar

There are 11 major public holidays in Singapore every year and with a holiday for the important religious festival of each religion here, they reflect the cultural diversity of the population in Singapore.Some of these holidays, like Chinese New Year and Muslim festivals like Hari Raya Haji do not have fixed dates in modern calendar since they follow lunar calendars.

In 2013, there will be five long weekends to look forward when public holidays fall on either a Friday or Monday.

Singapore 2013 Holidays
Here is the list of public holidays in Singapore in 2013:

New Year's Day
1 January 2013
The first day of the modern Gregorian calendar is celebrated as a holiday in Singapore as it is celebrated in many countries.

New Year's Day of 2013 will be on Tuesday and with a day of on December 31st 2012, it can be converted to a 4 days weekend.

Chinese New Year
10-11 February 2013
Chinese New Year is the most important traditional Chinese holiday in Chinese culture. The festival begins on the first day of the first month so its day vary year to year, going approximately a week+ earlier every year compared to the previous year.

Chinese New Year in 2013 falls to Sunday and Monday, forming another long weekend holiday option.

Good Friday
29 March 2013
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorates the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The date varies since this is the Friday before Easter Sunday; which is the first Sunday after the first Paschal Full Moon following the official vernal equinox.

Good Friday in 2013 will fall to Friday and form yet another long weekend.

Labour Day
1 May 2013
This is the globally celebrated Labor Day.

Vesak Day
24 May 2013
Vesak is a holy day is informally called "Buddha's Birthday" but it encompasses the birth, enlightenment (nirvāna), and passing away (Parinirvāna) of Gautama Buddha. It is a religious holiday by Buddhists in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and the South East Asian countries. Date of this holiday varies every year because it is celebrated according to the Chinese calendar.


Vesak Day in 2013 will fall to Friday and form yet another long weekend.


Hari Raya Puasa
8 August 2013
Eid ul-Fitr is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. The date of this holiday varies according to the Islamic calendar.

National Day
9 August 2013
National Day celebrates the independence of Singapore and is commemoration of Singapore's independence from Malaysia in 1965.

Hari Raya Haji
15 October 2013
Eid al-Adha, "Festival of Sacrifice" or "Greater Eid" is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son Ishmael (Isma'il) as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a sheep to sacrifice instead. The date of this holiday varies according to the Islamic calendar.

Deepavali
3 November 2013
Deepavali is a Hindu holiday and celebrates the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after defeating the demon king Ravana and vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna. The date varies according to Hindu Calendar.

Christmas Day
25 December 2013
Christmas Day is a Christian holiday celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ.