worklenz/worklenz-backend/src/docs/sri-lankan-holiday-update-process.md

Sri Lankan Holiday Annual Update Process

Overview

This document outlines the process for annually updating Sri Lankan holiday data to ensure accurate utilization calculations.

Data Sources & Verification

Official Government Sources

1. Central Bank of Sri Lanka

   • Holiday circulars (usually published in December for the next year)
   • Website: cbsl.gov.lk

2. Department of Meteorology

   • Astrological calculations for Sinhala & Tamil New Year
   • Website: meteo.gov.lk

3. Ministry of Public Administration

   • Official gazette notifications
   • Public holiday declarations

Religious Authorities

1. Buddhist Calendar

   • Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka
   • Major temples (Malwatte, Asgiriya)

2. Islamic Calendar

   • All Ceylon Jamiyyatul Ulama (ACJU)
   • Colombo Grand Mosque

3. Hindu Calendar

   • Hindu Cultural Centre
   • Tamil cultural organizations

Annual Update Workflow

1. Preparation (October - November)

# Check current data status
node update-sri-lankan-holidays.js --list
node update-sri-lankan-holidays.js --validate

2. Research Phase (November - December)

For the upcoming year (e.g., 2026):

1. Fixed Holidays ✅ Already handled

   • Independence Day (Feb 4)
   • May Day (May 1)
   • Christmas Day (Dec 25)

2. Variable Holidays ⚠️ Require verification

   • Sinhala & Tamil New Year: Check Department of Meteorology
   • Poya Days: Check Buddhist calendar/temples
   • Good Friday: Calculate from Easter
   • Eid al-Fitr & Eid al-Adha: Check Islamic calendar
   • Deepavali: Check Hindu calendar

3. Data Collection Template

# Generate template for the new year
node update-sri-lankan-holidays.js --poya-template 2026

This will output a template like:

{
  "name": "Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day",
  "date": "2026-??-??",
  "type": "Poya",
  "description": "Commemorates the first visit of Buddha to Sri Lanka",
  "is_recurring": false
}

4. Research Checklist

Sinhala & Tamil New Year

• Check Department of Meteorology announcements
• Verify with astrological authorities
• Confirm if dates are April 12-13, 13-14, or 14-15

Poya Days (12 per year)

• Get Buddhist calendar for the year
• Verify with temples or Buddhist authorities
• Double-check lunar calendar calculations

Religious Holidays

• Good Friday: Calculate based on Easter
• Eid al-Fitr: Check Islamic calendar/ACJU
• Eid al-Adha: Check Islamic calendar/ACJU
• Deepavali: Check Hindu calendar/cultural centers

5. Data Entry

1. Edit src/data/sri-lankan-holidays.json
2. Add new year section with verified dates
3. Update metadata with sources used

6. Validation & Testing

# Validate the new data
node update-sri-lankan-holidays.js --validate

# Generate SQL for database
node update-sri-lankan-holidays.js --generate-sql 2026

7. Database Update

1. Create new migration file with the generated SQL
2. Test in development environment
3. Deploy to production

8. Documentation

• Update metadata in JSON file
• Document sources used
• Note any special circumstances or date changes

Emergency Updates

If holidays are announced late or changed:

1. Quick JSON Update:

   # Edit the JSON file directly
   # Add the new/changed holiday
   

2. Database Hotfix:

   INSERT INTO country_holidays (country_code, name, description, date, is_recurring)
   VALUES ('LK', 'Emergency Holiday', 'Description', 'YYYY-MM-DD', false)
   ON CONFLICT (country_code, name, date) DO NOTHING;
   

3. Notify Users: Consider adding a notification system for holiday changes

Quality Assurance

Pre-Release Checklist

• All 12 Poya days included for the year
• Sinhala & Tamil New Year dates verified
• Religious holidays cross-checked with multiple sources
• No duplicate dates
• JSON format validation passes
• Database migration tested

Post-Release Monitoring

• Monitor utilization calculations for anomalies
• Check user feedback for missed holidays
• Verify against actual government announcements

Automation Opportunities

Future improvements could include:

1. API Integration: Connect to reliable holiday APIs
2. Web Scraping: Automated monitoring of official websites
3. Notification System: Alert when new holidays are announced
4. Validation Service: Cross-check against multiple sources

Contact Information

For questions about the holiday update process:

• Technical issues: Development team
• Holiday verification: Sri Lankan team members
• Religious holidays: Local community contacts

Version History

• v1.0 (2025-01-31): Initial process documentation
• 2025 Data: Verified and included
• 2026+ Data: Pending official source verification