“Oh it’s a long, long while,
From May to December,
But the days grow short,
When you reach September…”
And here we are, December.
Advertisement
I’m a calendar girl. Not Neil Sedaka’s Calendar Girl, but the racing horse one, the 12-months-sheet one, with horsey picture for the turf club race days (goodbye Kranji) and the Chinese animal zodiac years at the bottom of the page.
In recent years, school holiday weeks are tinted so you can spot at a glance the days you’ll be fraught with how to occupy children’s curious minds (as if).
SilverStreakers must remember how our holidays of yore were marked.
(But first, Julian and Gregory are sun brothers…just messin’ with you.
The Julian and Gregorian calendars are solar ones and near identical except for some 26 seconds between them.
We use the Gregorian, and no more of that later.)
Public holidays to look forward to (and forget about)
There was the English New Year on January 1.
All the ships in the harbour sounded their sirens you could just about hear across the land.
In Victoria Hall (pre-theatre days) there would be a New Year’s Eve ball (colonial days) and at the stroke of midnight folk would wish each other with a handshake, hug, kiss.
It was for us young non-Caucasians our first sight of people kissing – wahh, ewww!
It would be the start of the academic year, with nothing to look forward to but public holidays (personal experience). And the long school breaks in June and December.
First up Chinese New Year, two days off, as everything must be in pairs (oranges, angpow money, firecrackers, pears).
April was a bonus. Good Friday, followed by the weekend, and Easter Monday. Four days of nothing to do, what a treat.
So of course the new admin had to re-draw that with a spanner in the works. And Easter egg day got cracked.
Hari Raya too was celebrated two days, but has since been re-observed as Hari Raya Puasa, one day off, and Hari Raya Haji, one day off (could be a month apart).
Deepavali was a single-day affair.
Thaipusam was a PH (public holiday) back then but no longer, and Vesak Day remains a PH.
May 1 Labour Day is a global day off from work.
Come Christmas December 25 and 26 were PHs, then.
Not anymore for the 26th. It’s been binned, as Boxing Day is so so unrelatable (to us) for it is the day when the servants (Downton Abbey, Buckingham Palace) unwrap their Xmas gifts from their guv’nors.
Ours, or US?
Thanks to Hallmark cards I learned about Thanksgiving (third Thursday in November), Halloween (31 October), Valentine’s Day (14 February) courtesy of the United States of America.
Or so I thought. Until I made the invite list to Thanksgiving dinners and Halloween parties. (Hello Daiso!)
I can categorically state the worst eats of the year is the Halloween bites. Every edible is bloodied and cobwebbed and vomit-hued.
Now, since when? Since when did Thanksgiving and Halloween and Valentine become a thing here? Brainchild of hotels’ F&B I expect.
Friends who work in the US embassy enjoy more PHs, from the Fourth of July (a country’s national Day anyway) to George Washington’s birthday, and Columbus Day, and Groundhog Day – in Singapore, think Otters’ Day. Yucks.
Celebrate like Singapore
I do find our calendar the more festive.
With dates greeting cards have yet to recognise.
The biggie is our National Day.
And then Teachers’ Day, Children’s Day, Secretaries Day, Nurses’ Day or is it Week? Calefare (extras) Day anyone?
Plus Kite Season and Durian Season, way back when, and Dumpling Day and Mooncake Day.
We are only missing Kiasu Day (islandwide competition)
and Pung Chance Day (day of “give chance,” in other words, forgiveness day).
And here we are, December.
When it comes to giving, some people will stop at nothing.
For a switch, why not give time this season?
Take time out to spend with others who could use some cheer.
Happy Holidays!
