FEATURE CHINGAY 2017 ||Written Mel Ferdinands |Photography CPL Wong Jin Cheng hingay is a National event commemorating the Lunar New Year that first started in 1973 with a formal street parade. Originally C a Chinese centric event, Chingay took on a multi-cultural flavour in 1976. Since then it has grown from strength to strength. In 1987 the first foreign performers appeared in the and since then we have seen more performers from other countries join in the celebrations The word Chingay is equivalent to the Mandarin “zhuang yi”, which means "the art of costume and masquerade" in the Hokkien dialect. Thus it is only natural that the Chingay Parade sees its performers in bright vibrant costumes as well as using elaborate stage props. Floats are decorated stylishly and flamboyantly and are usually the highlights of the parade itself. Chingay Parade 2017 was held on Friday, 10 February and Saturday, 11 February , followed by a Chinatown Chap- Ngoh Mei & Chingay 2017 Night Fiesta on Sunday, 12 February. The three-hour fiesta, that took place at the F1 Pit Building near the Flyer, featured performing groups from Cambodia, , Indonesia, Japan, , South Korea, Thailand, and Taiwan.

This year, as we celebrate 50 years of National Service, we were proud to see the SAF making its debut in the Chingay Parade, represented by the SAF Music and Drama Company, and the SAF Precision Drill Unit. It is indeed testament to a strong SAF that we have enjoyed peace and stability in Singapore, and are able to celebrate festivals such as Chingay. It is also a testament to Singapore that a festival that was originally initiated for the Lunar New Year, and meant for the Chinese community has been embraced by all the races, and celebrated with the same enthusiasm. n

||Design CPL Andrew Teo 12 | ARMY NEWS