Singapore: Chingay cheer!
Truth be told, I have always thought Chingay was boring. Yes, even though I have not attended a single one.
Meaning “the art of costume and masquerade”, it is an annual street parade and festival in Singapore. It originated in Penang, Malaysia, apparently – you can read more about its fascinating history at the Chingay 2010 site.
Last month, J and I received two prime tickets to watch the parade, courtesy of the Singapore Tourism Board. We thought it would be a good opportunity to see what Chingay was all about.
And boy, we were very pleasantly surprised!
The lights! The dancing! The firecrackers (and requisite fireworks)! The showmanship!
A malay dancer
This Indian dancer moved with such joy
Every single one of the performers bowled us over. It was obvious to everyone that they had practised really hard for the parade; they were happy to be a part of it; they were putting on the performance of their lives.
We saw fire-eaters, Samba dancers, super-creative floats (hey, there was even one of the Pinnacle@Duxton, with Mah Bow Tan (local Minister and Member of Parliament) waving to the crowd, lion dancers, samba dancers, percussionists, stilt-walkers, the 501st Singapore Legion (Star Wars in real life!) and many, many more acts.
Star Wars!
I was very impressed with these fire-eaters! Or were they fire-breathers?
Stilt-walkers and their dramatic entrance
Dragon dance with firecrackers galore!
It was this infectious joy – from the emcee who got the crowd going and the cheerleaders who waved their poms-poms madly to the dancers giving their best in their art and the extras smiling like they’re the superstars of the show – that sealed the event as a WIN for us.
We felt so happy because others were immersed in what they were most happy doing – this is what life should be.
An uncle in the audience enjoying himself tremendously
The audience partying amidst golden confetti and fireworks
Chingay 2010, billed as Asia’s grandest street and floats parade, didn’t disappoint. J and I will be back for more next year!
[Many thanks to the Singapore Tourism Board for this great experience!]
Jeff & Esther
