This is a blog about Singapore Festivals and Events.
Hope readers will get to know more about this island city and be interested to come to Singapore.
This blog is for a school project and the information provided is correct at the time of blogging.
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Introduction (1) January (2) February (4) March (0) April (0) May (3) June (3) July (3) August (3) September (2) October (0)
November (1) December (1)
Merry Christmas everyone!
We are here to tell you more about Christmas. It is both a religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon.
Christians celebrate Christmas Day as the anniversary of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, a spiritual leader whose teachings form the basis of their religion.
In Singapore, Christians celebrate the festival by attending church services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Homes are decorated with Christmas trees and presents are exchanged between friends and relatives.
Non-Christians such as some of us, also celebrate this festive
season.
Decorations at ION Orchard.
Date: 25 December 2010
As you can see from our photos, we visited Orchard Road, it is beautifully decorated with merry twinkling lights and other colourful decorations. Don’t you think its a magical place for photo-taking? Just a few hours along Orchard Road, we already an unforgettable Christmas experience.
We suggest that you go on a weekday evening as Orchard Road will be packed with people on a Friday or Saturday night. It was very crowded when we went there.
On Christmas day itself, there is a partial road closure from 12PM to 1AM, for a Christmas party.
Due to time constraint, its a waste that we didn’t manage to go to Tanglin mall. It is famous for its snow display, typically featuring a large blow-up Christmas display and a machine spouting “snow”.
You can alight at anyone of these stops to go to Orchard Road. Dhoby Ghaut (NS25), Somerset (NS26), Orchard (NS27) on the North South Line (NSL)
For more information, click here
Labels: December
Date: 5 November 2010
Deepavali is a very important Hindu holiday held in the Hindu month of Aipasi, which is between the solar months of October and November. It is the Festival of Lights and practically lasts for an entire month. All round the world, Hindus celebrate this day as the triumph of light over darkness and of good over evil. It marks the new beginning for Hindu devotees, and is a great time of rejoicing and renewal.
History
Legend has it that Narakasura, the king of demons, had tortured the common folk. After many years of hardship, the people, unable to bear the suffering, appealed to Lord Krishna who then declared war against the demon king. As he lay dying, the demon king begged for mercy from Lord Krishna and he asked that the people rejoice and be merry at the anniversary of his death as a reminder that ultimately evil will never triumph. Little clay lamps were then lighted as a sign of gratitude to Lord Krishna. Deepavali is then originated to mark the defeat of the evil King Narakasura by the Lord Krishna.
How Singaporeans celebrate Deepavali
During Deepavali, Little India is beautifully decorated with colourful decorations, garlands and numerous lights. People get up at early dawn to offer their Pujas and also visit the temples to worship and offer their prayers on this auspicious day. In the evening they get dressed up in beautiful new dresses and jewelleries.
Sri Mariamman Temple will also be packed with crowds to watch the barefoot Hindu devotees walk across a pit of red hot embers without showing any signs of pain. It is advised to get to the temple early to obtain a good vantage point. Temple etiquette requires visitors to be dressed appropriately, and shoes must be removed at the door.
Hindu homes will be lighted with oil lamps, and offerings of sweetmeats and garlands of jasmine are placed at the family altar.
Getting There
Little India station (NE7) on the Northeast Line (NEL)
Exit E and head towards Serangoon Road
For more information, click here
Labels: November
Our theme comprises of festivals and events in Singapore.
Singapore is a country with diverse ethnic religions thus we have many types of festivals and events. These festivals and events are held all year round and it provides a perfect opportunity for our people to bond with each other. Some of the most important and popular festivals and events in Singapore are Chinese New Year, Chingay Parade, Mid Autumn Festival and Singapore Fashion Festival.
TARGET READERS
* Experiential travelers
They search for meaning within other cultures and also experimental travellers, who are not only willing to try new things, but also actively seeking for them.
They are inquisitive and inquiring; they get beneath the exterior of strange new worlds and seek to get the most experience out of a destination.
Singapore is a multi-ethnic country with different cultures. These characteristics will get the attention of experiential travellers, as they are able to experience the customs and traditions of different races.
* Experimental travellers
They seek meaning outside their present existence, and prefer to travel to new destinations.
As Singapore has its very own unique festivals and events, it can fully attract the experimental travellers, to experience these events in their own countries.
UNIQUELY SINGAPORE
Singapore is known to others as 'Uniquely Singapore' because of the following characteristics:
- One of the safest country in Asia due to low crime rate. Thus it is an ideal location where global events/festivals can be held.
- Known for being a ‘Green City’ and high hygiene standards.
- Multi-ethnicity country, comprising of Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian and Others. The atmosphere surrounding Singapore is filled with joy and excitement as festivals/events occur one after another where everyone celebrate them together in a very much appreciated manner.
- Renowned medical hub and an ideal meeting place for medical professionals to have conferences and training.
In general, Singapore is equipped with adequate facilities and infrastructures to support the festivals and events held. Our advanced transportation makes travelling for tourists very convenient.
However, Singapore lacks physical land and most people living in Singapore have a hectic lifestyle, as a result, making the festivals/events less desirable to people and also a lack of interaction among them. This can threaten our country’s harmony as some of them may still have the tendency to be biased towards other races.
Given the limited amount of land available in Singapore, problems tend to arise when there are few venues to hold the festivals and events.
ABOUT OUR BLOG
Our blog has included the history and photos of the different festivals/events, and the transportation that can be taken to reach the destinations. This enables visitors to better understand the different festivals and events in Singapore.
We have also provided a language translator to translate the content of our blog to other languages, so as to make reading easier for tourists who do not understand English.
External links to other blogs are also given, where visitors can find more information related to Singapore.
Thailand is also strong in this theme as they have many activities on festivals and events. In addition, they have celebrations almost all the time.
Even though Singapore has fewer festivals and events compared to Thailand, it is a multi ethnicity country comprising of different races. Thus it enhances the different cultures and allows Singaporean to gain mutual understanding among one and another. Moreover, Singapore is small so its people are more united and familiar with our own festivals and events. This is an advantage to Singapore and enables it to establish the same standards as Thailand.
First Itinerary
For the month of January, it is preferable for tourists to come to Singapore during 24th January to 1st February as there will be both the Singapore Flower Festival and River Hong Bao going on. Tourists can actually visit these 2 places in a day. They can go and admire the flesh blooms in the late morning till afternoon and when the weather is cooler at night, they can then proceed on to River Hong Bao.
Second Itinerary
For the month of February, it is advisable for tourists to visit and stay in Singapore from 13th-20th so they can experience our Chinese New Year as well as our Chingay Parade.
Third Itinerary
The best time to come to Singapore during June would be mid-June to end-June. The first thing that they can go would be the Singapore Arts Festival as it will end on the 13th. It will be good if they continue to stay in Singapore as there will be a Dumpling Festival at the end of the month. In between this period, they can go on a shopping spree as the Great Singapore Sales is going on.
Fourth Itinerary
During the month of July and August, the golden period to come to Singapore will be between 26th July till 10th August because there will be numerous festivals and events lining up for the tourists. Firstly, they can get to try out our Singapore very own delicacies at the Singapore Food Festival. Just a few days away will be the Festival of Praise. The highlight for this month is our country’s National Day which falls on the 9th of August. Following on will be the Fireworks Festival.
Fifth Itinerary
One of the important festivals we have in Singapore falls on the 10th of September. It is a festival of rejoicing and thanksgiving for the Muslims in Singapore.
Sixth Itinerary
For Formula One lovers, be sure to stay in Singapore from 25th September to early October. Other than the Formula One race on 25th to 27th September, there will be a Mid-Autumn Festival around this period. You can watch the night race as well as try out the mooncakes which are specially made for mid-Autumn Festival.
Seventh Itinerary
On the first of the month of November, there is a very important Hindu celebration which is Deepavali. It is celebrated as the triumph of light over darkness and of good over evil.
Eighth Itinerary
Come on down to Singapore and join us in this Festival of Giving along the street of Orchard! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!