Let’s announce public holidays a year in advance
Observatories on Mount Teide on Tenerife, in Spain. Contrary to popular belief, the cycles of the moon are probably the most well-known astronomical phenomenon. With that information, astronomers are able to predict the phases of the moon many centuries into the future. I have also seen an online calendar published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia showing the dates of Idd-Ul-Fitr for the entire 21st century! PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- Yes, the religious festivities do rely on actual physical sighting of the moon, but the date of public holiday does not. It is always announced a few days in advance – long before the crescent moon appears.
- For example, this year’s date was published in the Kenya Gazette on Tuesday June 20 – six days ahead.
- It might appear trivial but public holidays are serious because implication is closure of government offices. Imagine if you had a case in court schedule for hearing on Monday 26th June; you now have to take new dates which can easily be six months into the future!
THIS ONE QUESTION has troubled me for long: why does the government wait until the last few days before announcing the public holiday date of Idd-Ul-Fitr? Many citizens assume that it is because this festival is marked by the sighting of the crescent moon. This is not exactly true!
Yes, the religious festivities do rely on actual physical sighting of the moon, but the date of public holiday does not. It is always announced a few days in advance – long before the crescent moon appears. For example, this year’s date was published in the Kenya Gazette on Tuesday June 20 – six days ahead.
The unfortunate part is that on June 5, the Chief Kadhi wrote to the government advising that Idd-Ul-Fitr this year should be on June 26. I have seen a copy of the letter received by the Head of the Public Service on June 7.
With that advise, why did the government have to wait another 15 days before publishing the date?
It might appear trivial but public holidays are serious because implication is closure of government offices. Imagine if you had a case in court schedule for hearing on Monday 26th June; you now have to take new dates which can easily be six months into the future!
Contrary to popular belief, the cycles of the moon are probably the most well-known astronomical phenomenon. Its distance from Earth has been measured to the nearest centimetre and its period of revolution to within a thousandth of a second (29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes and 2.877 seconds). This is more accurate than the measurement of an Olympic race!
With that information, astronomers are able to predict the phases of the moon many centuries into the future. Indeed, there are many calendars and diaries that indicate these phases for the entire year. I have also seen an online calendar published by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia showing the dates of Idd-Ul-Fitr for the entire 21st century!
Now I first wrote on this topic in July 2013 and correctly predicted the date of Idd-Ul-Fitr 2014 (Idd was on 28 July 2014). I revisited the subject in September last year and again foretold the date of Idd this year (26th June). So, today I can confidently state that next year’s Idd will be on 15th June – you can take that to the bank!
Public Holidays Act should be amended to state that the date of any public holiday be announced at least a year in advance. As it is now, the government of the day plays politics with holidays in the same manner that ancient Roman Emperors used to do over 2,000 years ago!
