Kongsi Raya


Kongsi Raya, also known as Gongxi Raya, is a Malaysian portmanteau, denoting the Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivals. As the timing of these festivals fluctuate due to their reliance on lunar calendars, they occasionally occur close to one another – every 33 years to be exact.

Occurrence

The phenomenon is observed to take place every 33 years. The last occurrence was between 1996 and 1998; the next will be between 2029 and 2031.

Dates of Kongsi Raya

YearChinese New YearHari Raya Aidilfitri
1996February 19February 20
1997February 7February 8
1998January 28January 29
2029February 13February 15
2030February 3February 4
2031January 23January 25

Etymology

For the sake of convenience, Malaysian media took to combining "kongsi" and "raya", the Malay word for "celebration", which is often used to denote the Muslim Eid ul-Fitr festival. Kongsi was also the Malay word for sharing - symbolizing a shared celebration. As the Hindu festival of Deepavali also occasionally occurs around Eid ul-Fitr, the portmanteau of DeepaRaya has also come into common usage.
Malaysia's national-level Kongsi Raya celebrations are now held in Johor's Danga Bay where they draw up to 300,000 people. A related portmanteau to Kongsi Raya is kongsi puasa, referring to some non-Muslims who also observe the traditional Muslim fast during Ramadhan.

Controversy

Like DeepaRaya, Kongsi Raya has been criticised by some conservative Muslims for allegedly placing a Muslim festival on par with a non-Muslim one. This includes PAS, a major opposition political party, which has expressed concern that the practice of celebrating Kongsi Raya might negatively affect Muslims' aqidah. Islam is the official religion of Malaysia.

Other references