Public Holidays in Brunei 2023
1 January (Sunday) - New Year’s Day
2 January (Monday) - New Year’s Day (in lieu)
22 January (Sunday) - Lunar New Year
23 January (Monday) - Lunar New Year Holiday
18 February (Saturday) - Israk Mikraj
23 February (Thursday) - National Day
23 March (Thursday) - First Day of Ramadhan
8 April (Saturday) - Nurul Al-Quran
22 April (Saturday) - 25 April (Tuesday) - Hari Raya Aidil Fitri Holiday
31 May (Wednesday) - Royal Brunei Armed Forces Day
29 June (Thursday) - Hari Raya Aidil Adha
15 July (Saturday) - H.M. The Sultan's Birthday
19 July (Wednesday) - Al-Hijra
28 September (Thursday) - Prophet Muhammad's Birthday
25 December (Monday) - Christmas Day
Meaning of each holiday
22 January - Lunar New Year
Lunar New Year is a public holiday in many countries across East Asia. Chinese Lunar Year usually takes place at sunset on the day of the second New Moon following the winter solstice, which takes place on the 21 December. The Lunar New Year can fall on any day between 21 January until 21 February.
23 February - National Day
The National Day of Brunei takes place on this day. This holiday is significant as Brunei gained full independence from the United Kingdom in 1984 on 23 February.
23 March - First day of Ramadan
Muslims fast for a whole month from the first day of Ramadhan. The date of the first day of Ramadan differs each year as the Islamic and Gregorian calendar moves differently. Muslim fasts as an act of worship and to develop compassion for people in need. Fasting also teaches individuals to learn to be patient and to also break their bad habits.
8 April - Nuzul Al-Quran
It is also known as the Qur'an Revelation Day, where it celebrates the day when the holy words of the Qur'an, which is seen as a revelation from God, were revealed to the Prophet Muhammad for the first time. This holiday takes place on the 17th day of the month of Ramadan.
22-25 April - Hari Raya Aidilfitri
It is known as the Festival of Fast-breaking where Muslims across the globe celebrate the end of Ramadan, which lasted up to 30 days each year. The date of this festival is determined by the sighting of the moon and Muslims will stop fasting from that day onwards.
31 May - Royal Brunei Armed Forces Day
Royal Brunei Armed Forces Day is to celebrate the establishment of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces which took place on 31 May 1961. If 31 May happens to fall on a Friday or Sunday, the public holiday may take place on a working day instead.
15 July - H.M. The Sultan’s Birthday
His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's birthday falls on 15 July every year. This holiday celebrates the birthday of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who was born on this day in the year 1946.
29 July - Hari Raya Aidil Adha
Hari Raya Aidil Adha is known as the Feast of Sacrifice and it is the most important feast in the Muslim calendar. This one-day festival is celebrated by Muslims across the world to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice everything for God.
19 July - Al-Hijra
This holiday is known as Awal Muharram or Hijri New Year. Muslims commemorate two events on this day; the first event is the mark of a new year in the Muslim calendar while the other is to recall the first time the historic travel from Mecca to Medina took place.
28 September - Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) Birthday
Prophet Muhammad’s (SAW) Birthday is also known as 'Milad un Nabi'. Muslims across the world celebrate the birthday of the last Muslim prophet who was the proclaimer of the Qurʾan, a central religious text of Islam.
Brunei School Year Calendar and term dates
Generally, the Brunei school year begins in January and ends in December, with a month of school holidays at the end of the year. There are four school terms in Brunei. The first term is during early January and ends mid March. The second term starts late March up until mid June. The third term falls on late June and is completed by the end of August. The final term starts in mid September and is completed by the end of November. As for private and international schools, the term dates might vary depending on the school and their respective schedules. For more information, you can check the academic calendar on the school websites.
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