CHINGAY 2014One Fabric, One People 布海同心

Bei Xuan, Charmaine, Gee Hun, Jordan, Yi Da

WHAT IS CHINGAY

-Chingay is an annual street parade held in Singapore as part of the lunar new year celebrations-The term "Chingay" is derived from the Chinese term "zhuangyi", meaning "the art of masquerading"-it became famous for its lavish processions featuring elaborate floats and huge flags-different theme every year, this year "colour of fabrics, one people,布海同心”

HISTORY

-The first Chingay parade was held in 1973- the parade became an evening-to-night event in 1990s-the festival has evolved with Asian and global influences in the recent years.- 2 persons died from faulty firecracker explosions in Singapore during Chinese New Year thus it was banned and Chingay singapore was born to keep up the festive atmosphere up.

WHAT DOES THE THEME MEAN TO ME?

-Refering to the last part of the parade in particular -patchwork made from the pieces of recycled materials. -Made by student volunteers who collected old clothes of various colors and patched together during the holidays. 

-Also reflects how Singaporeans overcome their differences coming together to celebrate and commemorate chingay

-Reminds us that in times of difficulties, we are not alone-We are united-We are all working hard to achieve happiness and prosperity

PARADE

-amcees sang folk songs to welcome us

-In the second segment the theme was the multi-racial background of our nation and we saw the iconic items of different cultures 

- the third segment showcased our country's landmarks

-In the fourth segment,we saw traditional dances of each culture and some modern dances like ballet and jazz

LEARNING POINTS

What have i learnt When everyone comes together to put

up a performance, it will turn out extremely successful.

UNITY IS POWER Singapore spirit. Iconic sights in Singapore

WHAT HAVE I ENJOYED & AFI

enjoyment: free goodie bag.

reminds us of our roots.times of difficulty come together do amazing things. (eg pieces of arts)their songs(holds deep meaning)(peng you)indian danceballet YOUNG KIDS PERFORMING😍😍accompany of friendsturning sparkles?

AFI:dont put fireworks above our heads.commentator to be louder/ infos on the 'script'better quality chairsss .-.cny related performance masquerade

PERSONAL REFLECTION

charmaine:I really enjoyed the chingay performance. i also learnt alot through that experience.I enjoyed the ballet performance most. One of the performers is my friend! The performers are mostly young children. They are just too adorable. Another performance that i really enjoyed was the line dance. My aunt was one of the performers. Most of the performers were of a older generation. I learnt that regardless of what age we are of, as long as we are willing to fork out our precious time to perform for everyone, we can do it. I also realised that the performers that performed were of different races. The chingay really brought out racial harmony as Singaporean  of all races come together to bring up a performance. I really learnt alot from the chingay performance. I am going to volunteer as a volunteer for the chingay next year,

bei xuan: I enjoyed the performance a lot. The

performance depicted how Singapore is like now, for example the ballet performance, showing that community clubs in singapore are cultivating the young to appreciate arts. pAlso, this has given young children to have the chance to perform in public which is a very good thing. However, I think that since Chingay is a form of celebration for the chinese new year, there should be more performance that relates to the new year.

gee hun: The chingay parade 2014 was extremely meaningful. Seeing the elaborate floats and the huge flags, the parade won't be forgotten for a long long time. Especially how they are the hard work of hundreds and thousands of my follow Singaporeans. I am again amazed by the cultural richness and racial integration seen from the wide variety of ethic performances. Which are only possible with Singapore's cultural diversity. This being the first time i have watch the Chingay performance live, despite it being an annual event, I am sincerely glad that the chingay parade NE show is part of our NE curriculum. The aim of letting us watch it is for us to immerse in the cultural performances put up. In my opinion, this year's parade has definitely achieved its aim. The efforts of the various communities and school based groups have not been wasted but put to good use. I look forward to similar opportunities and the other events included in the NE curriculum. 

jordan: This trip made me memories.This was my first time going to chingay and it was a really fun and exciting experience.Initially,I thought chingay was an extremely traditional performance but it turned out to be a juxtaposition of old and new.Chingay really helped me to appreciate our diversity and harmony as it showcased the cultures of different races in our homeland.The idea that we could live in harmony today despite our huge culture clash really struck me.It really is a privilege now that I think about it to be exposed to so many different cultures and live alongside them while in perfect harmony.

Yida: it's the first time I've watch the Chingay parade and I felt that Chingay is a very meaningful event and had taught me a lot about racial harmony. I find the traditional performance very interesting, and at the same time, I learnt to appreciate the harmony of different races in singapore. It has left me a lot of memories and I wish to have the chance to go to the Chingay parade again.