Daily Life :: Festivals & Celebrations

Hari Raya is three days of celebration after the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Prayers are held at mosques; families gather to seek forgiveness from elders and loved ones; and festive dishes are prepared.
Istana Nurul Iman, the official residence of the Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah is open to the public providing visitors with a buffet meal and the opportunity to see the world’s largest residential palace and meet the royal family members. The palace has 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, 5 swimming pools, and an air-conditioned stable for the Sultan's 200 polo ponies, a 110-car garage, a banquet hall for up to 4,000 guests, and a mosque for 1,500 people.

Chinese New Year is celebrated by Brunei’s Chinese community. It begins with a family reunion dinner on the eve of the Lunar New Year. For the next two weeks, families visit one another bringing with them oranges to symbolize good fortune. Unmarried young people and children will receive "angpow" (red packets with money inside), symbolic of good luck, wealth and health.