Assessment 1: Reflection On Chingay Parade

Not too long ago, the whole cohort of Year 2s went to watch the Chingay parade, and I was one of them. Thus, I would like to take this time to reflect on my personal experience at Chingay. 

Firstly, I think that the purpose of Chingay 2016 is that it is held as part of the Lunar New Year celebrations, and that because Singapore bans firecrackers, the loud atmosphere of Chingay will hopefully make people feel like the sprit of celebrating Chinese New Year, with its lights and loud noises. However, besides this, the more important purpose is that many people of all walks of life, regardless of race, language or religion, will come together to perform, which is why I feel is the most crucial part of Chingay to me.

Over the years, Chingay underwent many transformations. In the very first Chingay, it is mostly described as a Hokkien Chinese tradition, held in conjunction with religious festivals. Most, if not all of the performers were Chinese then, but today, Chingay is multi cultural and people from other races are welcomed to perform as well. In my opinion, personally, I feel that this changed as Singapore wanted to promote racial harmony, and that many other Singaporeans could learn about other races and their culture. 

I feel that the organizers have definitely fulfilled the purpose of Chingay. Every year, when I watch the Chingay parade, I will see many different Singaporeans from different races coming together to perform, and it is no longer the only-Chinese Chingay parade in the earlier years. The Chingay we see today is very colorful, with bright lights, especially the costumes that performers wear, it is just a spectacular sight to see! As compared to the earlier Chingay, the costumes today are much more vibrant and colorful, not forgetting bright LED lights going along with it.

Costumes from the 1980s:

(Source: https://thelongnwindingroad.wordpress.com/tag/history-of-chingay-in-singapore/)

Costumes today:

As you can see, even the design of the costumes emphasizes on the importance of racial harmony in Singapore.

This was a fruitful learning trip, as I got to learn and compare the different Chingay parades over the years and how it had changed and improved with each passing year. I also felt the enthusiasm of each and every participant volunteer, waving and greeting us as we walked by the stadium. Therefore, it was with everyone's hard work, that this Chingay parade was a success!