Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna Day (commonly known as Ratu Sukuna Day) was a national public holiday in Fiji until the year 2010, when the Prime Minister, Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama, declared both Ratu Sir Lala Sakuna Day and National Youth Day to no longer be public holidays. It was originally celebrated annually on the last Monday of May, in honour of Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna (1888-1958), the national father of modern Fiji, whose death anniversary falls on 30 May. The week leading up to Ratu Sukuna Day is marked by public celebrations with speeches and events, with an address from the President of Fiji on the closing day. Members of the public enter Parliament grounds to polish Sukuna's statue.

Ratu Sukuna Day in 2000 was marred by the insurrection instigated by George Speight on 19 May 2000, which led to the dismissal of the elected government on 27 May. On Ratu Sukuna Day, Fijian citizens woke up to hear of the military takeover the night before, in the wake of the resignation, possibly forced, of the President, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.

Duanwu Festival, also known as Dragon Boat Festival and the Double Fifth, is a traditional and statutory holiday originating in China and associated with a number of East Asian and Southeast Asian societies. In Mandarin, it is known by the name Duānwǔ Jié; in Hong Kong and Macau, by the Cantonese name Tuen Ng Festival; in Hokkien-speaking areas, by the names Gō͘-go̍eh-cheh/Gō͘-ge̍h-choeh (五月節) and Gō͘-ji̍t-cheh/Gō͘-ji̍t-choeh (五日節). In 2008, it was recognised as a public holiday in mainland China for the first time since the 1940s.^[1][2] The festival has also long been celebrated in Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia. Equivalent and related festivals in Asia include the Kodomo no hi in Japan, Dano in Korea, and Tết Đoan Ngọ in Vietnam.

The festival occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar on which the Chinese calendar is based. This is the source of the alternative name of Double Fifth.^[3] In 2011, this fell on June 6. The focus of the celebrations includes eating the rice dumpling zongzi (Chinese: 粽子; pinyin: zòngzi)^[4], drinking realgar wine xionghuangjiu (Chinese: 雄黃酒; pinyin: Xiónghuángjiǔ), and racing dragon boats.