Chingay Reflection
~On the 21st of January, Saturday, I went to the F1 Pit Building to watch the Chingay NE Show together with my batchmates, teachers and some seniors. Before going for the Chingay NE Show, most of my friends and I were very excited about it as it was the first time we were watching a Chingay NE Show for the most of us, including myself. While we were waiting at the school foyer for the bus to pick us up t the F1 Pit Building, it started raining suddenly. It was bad news for us as we had to watch the performance in the rain. Not long after, the bus came and we set off for the F1 Pit Building. On the bus, my friends and I prayed hard for the rain to stop before the Chingay NE Show.
~To our disappointment, it was still raining when we reached our destination. The helpers at the Chingay NE Show led us to our seats and gave us ponchos to wear. Before the show started, some people were very upset about the fact that we had to watch the show under the rain, however, my batch was very united, despite being from a different class, they cheer them up and managed to chill them down. I was happy to see that happening and I really wish them my batch will continue to be like this for the next 4 years of school.
~After some time, the Chingay NE Show started off with firing firecrackers and we clapped enthusiastically and cheered at the top of our voices. The atmosphere was amazing and the parade was soon filled with coloured lightnings which made the parade very beautiful. The first item that came out was a huge tiger sculpture, after listening to the emcees of the show, I finally understood why the tiger sculpture was there, the reason is because the first Chingay Show started in the zodiac year of tiger, 1973. Afterwards, there were many items being put up by the performers. All of the performances were amazing, there were performers from other countries such as South Korea and Japan, which made the show to have a very cultural atmosphere.
~One thing that gave me a deep impression is the performers walking on stilts. They were walking in the waterway. Some of the performers fell down and were having a hard time to stand up on their feet, that causes the other performers to have a hard time to walk as the walkway was partially blocked. Some of the other performers started to fall down because of that. The helpers standing at the side saw the situation and carried them out of the waterway.They also made sure whether the performers were not hurt after carrying them out of the waterway. The performers that fell down went back into the waterway after they regained their balance and continued their performance. In this performance, I see teamwork and perseverance. The helpers helped the performers who fell down to get up on their feet again and the performers did not give up easily after failing once, they persevered and continued performing.
~After watching the Chingay NE Show, I learnt that Chingay epitomises the dynamism of Singapore's vibrant and multicultural society. The word Chingay is equivalent to the Mandarin zhuang yi (妆艺), which means "the art of costumes and masquerade" in the Hokkien dialect. Chingay is a street parade is now a national festival, celebrated by Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians alike. In Chingay, we can see the different cultures of Singapore and the world. Here age, race, language and creed are no barriers. Here, we celebrate together as one. I hope that Singapore will be more united and maintain the harmonious relationship among the different races.
