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ARTS&LEISURE
164
January15
Pongal
When: 15 January
This traditional Tamil harvest festival honours the
Sun God Surya. Over four days, Little India comes
alive with ethnic
d a n c e s a n d
performances,
a s t ree t - s i de
m i n i - v i l l a g e
w i t h cu l t u r a l
s o u v e n i r s , a
mass-cooking
competition and
a mesmerising
festive light-up.
Thaipusam
When: 3
February
S q u e a m i s h
f o l k s m i g h t
shy away from
t h i s H i n d u
festival. In Little
I nd i a , a l ong
S e r a n g o o n
Road and Tank
Road, the large
procession sees
brave devotees
carrying highly
emb e l l i s h e d
k a v a d i s
(portable altars)
attached to hooks pierced through their torsos as
a tribute to Lord Subramaniam, the protector. To
prepare for such a gruelling feat, they pray and fast
for up to 48 days beforehand. On the less extreme
end, devotees can also be seen carrying simple
wooden kavadis or pots of milk.
First seen on
expatliving.sg
By Gabriela Yasmeen Kelly
Yearning for a deeper look into Singapore’s vibrant ethnic cultures and
traditions? Here’s a guide to the biggest cultural festivals in the first quarter
of 2015.
Chinese New Year
When: 19 February to 5 March
The Lunar New Year is the most important period on the Chinese
calendar. To welcome the New Year, Chinese families banish bad
luck by spring-cleaning, and welcome good fortune with red and
gold decorations and brand new clothes. Throughout the 14 days of
festivities, families visit friends and relatives, exchange oranges for
prosperity and give kids red packets (
hong bao
). On Chinese New
Year’s Eve, they get together for reunion dinners: Chinese seafood
and steamboat restaurants are popular choices.
From 30 January to 19 March, Chinatown will be bustling with folks
buying traditional snacks, decorations and more. Celebrations not to
be missed included the
Chingay Parade
and the
8th International
Lion Dance Competition
.
Featuring over 11,000 performers, this year’s
Chingay
Parade
is set to be the grandest parade yet, celebrating
Singapore’s 50th birthday with the themes, “We Love
Singapore” and “Dreams and Hope Singapore”. The parade
will also feature thousands of flowers made from recycled
plastic bags, as part of the “We Love SG Flowers” community
initiative; this gigantic flowerbed will also be on display at
the
Chingay 2015 Night Fiesta
on 1 March, and at the
PAssionArts Festival 2015 in April. See the Chingay Parade on
27 and 28 February at F1 Pit Building, 1 Republic Boulevard.
Tickets from Sistic.
chingay.org.sg
For a complete list of 2015’s cultural festivals, visit
expatliving.sg/living_in_sg.
Cultural Festivals