When I moved to Singapore, I took every opportunity to learn about everything Singaporean and I frequently stumbled upon some interesting and thought provoking knowledge. In class, I learned about the CMIO categorization and how that plays into establishing public holidays. Essentially, because Singapore is a multi-ethnic, multi-racial nation, it had to implement a way to categorize races. The CMIO model allows Singaporeans to identify themselves as Chinese, Malay, Indian or Other. And thus, races and religions are equally represented in terms of public holidays.
Singapore has 10-11 public holidays annually and I got to witness one while I was here. I am no stranger to Chinese New Year as I am Chinese myself but observing CNY in Singapore was an interesting experience for sure. In China, Chinese New Year is a 23 day celebration, however, Singapore only had two days off for this public holiday. The time right before CNY is always festive period since every main-street and shopping malls are lined with CNY decor. I think the most interesting thing I observed and I learned from my Singaporean friends would be the insane queues for bak kwa a day or two before CNY. Bak kwa, a traditional Singaporean CNY food, is a savory dried meat grilled to harness the inherent sweetness. According to many, Singaporeans want the bak kwa as fresh as it can be so they stand in long queues the days proceeding CNY. I saw the queues myself and people were standing for 1 to 1.5 hours just to buy fresh bak kwa!
On the note of CNY, the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew established the Chingay Parade to compensate for the ban on firecrackers (set off during CNY to ward off bad spirits and to welcome in the new year). The parade is the largest performance and float parade in Asia and it has a truly multicultural flair, representative of the Singapore spirit. I had the opportunity to go and my favorite part would most definitely be the cool acrobatics in the sky and the giant dragon floating over the crowd.
I also had the chance to witness Thaipusam, a Hindu festival celebrated by Indians from the Tamil Nadu state in India. Upon doing some research, I learned that the Tamil community celebrates this tradition primarily in the USA, Mauritius, Malaysia and Singapore. In Singapore, I witnessed Hindus marching from one temple to another and it is said to be a day where devotees celebrate the fulfillment of their vows. Interestingly, as part of the celebration, there are men who are walking around with elaborate garb and metal pieces pierced through their skin for the festival.
