CHINGAY Reflection

Chingay reflection

That day was the first time I had ever saw a full Chingay parade. It was just amazing and an eye opener to me. I saw different types of performances and different people working together to bring to us a spectacular performance that we will never forget. I saw determination and passion in the performers. That day, it was pouring. All of us had to wear ponchos. At first we were all complaining how unlucky we were and how stupid this trip was. However I changed my mindset when the performance started. The children who were performing were just primary school kids and they still did their best in performing despite the heavy rain. It made me think why was I so rigid with my thinking and why was I complaining when I could sit and enjoy a performance while kids younger than me had to perform in such bad conditions. It had made me look at a different side of thinking and made me feel more grateful to what I have.

Taken from Facebook page of Chingay 2017

The purpose of Chingay

Chingay's purpose is to compensate the ban of firecrackers. And I feel that it did better than compensating for it. To me, it also showed Singapore's multiracial society.

 I could see the multiracial country I know of in the performance "friends around the world". I could see many different people from different races performing and putting on a spectacular performance. The performance showed me the different cultures of the different countries such as Japan, South  Korea and Indonesia .

Taken from chingay.org 3rd segment event highlights

Apart from the spectacular performances, there were floats showing cultures of different countries such as the Japanese drum float and the PA water venture float. They were bright and vibrant in colour.

PA water venture float

Japanese drum float

I found that chingay has fulfilled it's purpose as I saw the multiracial nation that we are known for and it definitely brought smiles to our faces as much as playing with firecrackers. In fact it did not only enriched me with new knowledge of the culture of different nations, it also made me have a fun time with my fellow friends and classmates, eating and watching the parade under the rain. The fireworks at the end  

was probably one of my favourite and it made me feel as much fun as I would have playing with firecrackers.