Chingay Reflection- Xin Yi

That was a bright and colourful night. Based on what I saw, I think Chingay is a parade exhibits the little bits that make up Singapore. There was a multi-racial theme which I thought had been presented very well. It is something that Singapore did better than other countries, living together in peace, accepting the difference in one another. This year's theme is "Lights of legacy, brighter Singapore". We all know that SG50 had just passed. So we want to work towards SG100 next and thus this theme, celebrating the legacy and wisdom of our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and other founding fathers based on the core values advocated by them to create a better future for Singapore.

Chingay was introduced a few years after Singapore's independence because firecracker was being banned then. In order to not lose the Chinese New Year spirit and have something to replace the noise created by the firecracker to drive away the evil, Singapore brought in Chingay. It initially started out to celebrate Chinese New Year, but as the years passed, more ethnic groups started to participate and international flavours were also brought into the parade. Today, Chingay is not just for Singaporeans to see. Many other countries also started showing the Chingay parade on their television channels. The belief that language and races are not a barrier to participating Chingay made it possible to turn Chingay from a Chinese celebration to a multi-racial effort. I think they had successfully turned this from a Chinese celebration to a multi-racial one.

To be honest, it is my first time going to a Chingay parade in real life. The floats were beyond beautiful. There were people who wore suits and there were lights on it which made it look really special. I didn't knew of Chingay until I saw it on the television when I was 11 years old. My first impression was that the place is surely very beautiful and I would want to attend a Chingay parade if there was a chance. Sure it did not disappoint me! I was amazed at how many people actually participated in this parade. They did everything to enable that the parade went well. The performances went on consequetively for more than an hour and it seemed endless! I would definitely go to the Chingay parade another time!