SHARING on X, data freak Thevesh (@Thevesh) has highlighted that there will be three instances of kongsi raya between 2029 and 2031. This is when both Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and Chinese New Year (CNY) will fall on same dates.
But instead of it being a joyous double celebration, the poster predicts a “messy” period where there will be tonnes of arguments over which celebration should take precedence with decorations in shopping malls.
This may seem almost a frivolous observation but given the amount of traction the subject of mall decorations gets these days, it would be no surprise that this becomes a hugely debated topic in those kongsi raya years.
Raya moves earlier by 10-11 days every year.
2029-31 will be Kongsi Raya.
Prediction: Those 3 years will be extremely messy, with tons of arguments over what decorations malls are prioritising. pic.twitter.com/czr0wkLu5b
— Thevesh (@Thevesh) January 19, 2025
However, there was a little error in his table which the poster duly corrected.
But concerns over the difficulties these double celebrations cause remain a valid point. One commenter even pointed out that 2031 would be the Year of the Pig in the Chinese zodiac. Imagine the awkwardness of juggling decorations featuring pigs alongside those for Eid.
While another reckoned that it would be very interesting to see how mall managements would handle this given the amount attention it gets online.
Some highlighted other expected headaches ranging from gridlocked traffic to ultra-expensive air/train/bus fares.
Though the issue of closed sundry and grocery shops seem to weigh heavily on the mind of others.
Some predicted major human resource headaches as to who would be entitled to take festive leave.
Interestingly, a few netizens contended that everything would turn out fine as they had already gone through these double celebrations before in 1996 and 1998.
One netizen suggested emulating the East Malaysian counterparts whereby space in malls would be divided equally.
One commenter made a hilarious three-way prediction of his own.
This very post highlights a few pertinent issues. Firstly, what is supposed to be a joyous occasion can become a headache over who trumps in mall deco. It speaks volumes about the state of race relation in the country right now.
Though one countered that this problem only existed on social media. Common Malaysians would be just fine.
Secondly, given that many already know about this well in advance, it provides organisations ample time to plan.
Be it leave entitlement to festive decorations, there should be enough time for everyone to come up with creative solutions. This also includes the authorities with regards to travel logistics.
All said and done, one netizen opined that hopefully by then Malaysians would have learnt to focus on things that can actually help the country move forward. – Jan 28, 2025
Main image credit: Kongsi Raya/Netflix
