Today is a public holiday in Malaysia because it is Awal Muharram (a.k.a. Maal Hijrah), the first day of the Muslim calendar and is the New Year for all Muslims.
As I may have previously mentioned in one of my posts, Muslims follow a lunar calendar, known as the Hijrah calendar. It is called Hijrah, as it commences from the Hijrah or the migration of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in approximately July 622 AD.
The months of the Hijrah calendar are also twelve — Muharram, Safar, Rabiul Awal, Rabiuthnani, Jumadil Ula, Jumadil Ukhra, Rajab, Sya’ban, Ramadhan, Syawwal, Dzulka’dah, and Dzulhijjah — and Islamic events are determined by specific dates or months in the Hijrah calendar, such as the fasting month which always falls in the month of Ramadhan.
The Gregorian calendar may be more widely used in Malaysia but the Hijrah calendar is always mentioned, say, in wedding invitations or Muslim marriage certificates. For instance, if a Malay couple gets married today, their wedding invitation would mention ‘29hb Disember 2008 bersamaan dengan 1 Muharram 1430H‘.
For more info about this holiday, please click here.
