Hari Raya celebrations have returned to grace us with its festive presence. However, you may have realised by now that Hari Raya occurs earlier as the years go by. This is due to the Islamic calendar being a purely lunar calendar based on the monthly cycles of the Moon phases.
Lunar calendars typically only have 354 days, 11 to 12 days shorter than your average 365-day Gregorian calendar. This explains the fluctuations in Muslim occasions like Aidilfitri, Ramadan and Aidiladha. However, these irregular dates do pose opportunities for rare occurrences like Gongxi Raya – the “phenomenon” where Hari Raya and Chinese New Year are celebrated at the same time!
The phenomenon is also aptly nicknamed Kongsi Raya, Malay for “sharing festivities or celebrations”. Gongxi Raya occurs every 33 years and the last time it happened was in 1996, 1997 and 1997 – meaning the next time the phenomenon will happen will be in 2029, 2030 and 2031. Here are the estimated dates and dates for Hari Raya and Chinese New Year celebrations in those three years:
2029
- Chinese New Year Day 1 – 13th February (Tuesday)
- Chinese New Year Day 2 – 14th February (Wednesday)
- Hari Raya Aidilfitri Day 1 – 15th February (Thursday)
- Hari Raya Aidilfitri Day 2 – 16th February (Friday)
2030
- Chinese New Year Day 1 – 3rd February (Sunday)
- Chinese New Year Day 2 – 4th February (Monday)
- Hari Raya Aidilfitri Day 1 – 5th February (Tuesday)
- Hari Raya Aidilfitri Day 2 – 6th February (Wednesday)
2031
- Chinese New Year Day 1 – 23rd January (Thursday)
- Chinese New Year Day 2 – 24th February (Friday)
- Hari Raya Aidilfitri Day 1 – 25th February (Saturday)
- Hari Raya Aidilfitri Day 2 – 26th February (Sunday)
If you’re wondering why CNY doesn’t change dates like Hari Raya despite also following a lunar calendar, it’s because of the extra 13th month added once every three years. This extra month makes up for the difference in days, ensuring that the season occurs roughly at the same period every year. This is also why Chinese New Year is celebrated consistently either in late January or during February.
Are you excited to spend Gongxi Raya in 2029, 2030 and 2031?
Source: Wikipedia (1)(2)(3), Time&Date.com (1)(2)(3)
