Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
M
ARCH
/A
PRIL
Good Friday.
Churches and cathedrals
hold special ser vices on this Christian
holiday to remember the cr ucifixion of
Christ. S t. J oseph's on Victoria S treet
holds an annual candlelight procession.
Late March/early April.
Qing M ing (All S ouls' D ay).
Qing
Ming, or All S ouls' Day, was originally
a celebration of spring. O n this day ,
Chinese families hav e picnics at ances-
tral graves, cleaning the graves and pull-
ing weeds, lighting red candles, burning
joss sticks and “hell money ” (paper
money that, when burned, ascends to
the afterworld to be used by ancestors),
and bringing rice, wine, and flowers for
the deceased in a sho
35
lunar calendar—which means some-
where around mid-May.
Singapore Ar ts F estival.
During this
month-long festiv al, pr emier local,
regional, and international music and
dance per formances ar e staged in a
number of venues. The cultural perfor-
mances, some modern and some tradi-
tional, ar e always ex cellent and ar e
highly recommended. Check out www.
singaporeartsfest.com. Late M
ay to
mid-June.
J
UNE
Singapore World Invitational Dragon
Boat R aces.
The annual dragon boat
races are held to r emember the fate of
Qu Yuan, a patriot and poet during the
Warring S tates period in Chinese his-
tory (475-221 b.c.) who thr ew himself
into a riv er to end his suffering at
watching his state fall into r uin under
the hands of corr upt leadership . The
people searched for him in boats shaped
like dragons, beating gongs and thr ow-
ing rice dumplings into the water to
distract the Riv er D ragon. Today the
dragon boat races ar e an international
event, with rowing teams from up to 20
countries coming together to compete.
Drums are still beaten, and rice dump-
lings ar e still a traditional fav orite.
Contact the STB for information. Late
June/early July.
The G reat S ingapore S ale.
This is a
month-long pr omotion to incr ease
retail sales, and most shops will adv er-
tise huge savings for the entir e month.
It's well publicized with red banners all
over Orchard Road. June into July.
J
ULY
The S ingapore F ood F estival.
Local
chefs compete for honors in this month-
long exhibition of international culi-
nary delights. I t's a good time to be
eating in S ingapore, as r estaurants fea-
ture the brand-new creations they have
w of ancestral
piety. Early April.
The S ingapore I nternational F ilm
Festival.
This event showcases critically
acclaimed wor ks, including interna-
tional films and Singaporean short pro-
ductions. I t's become a r enowned
showcase for Asian films, which consti-
tute 40% of those featured. The festival
includes competitions, wor kshops, and
tributes to filmmakers. Schedule and
ticketing information can be obtained
from its website at www.filmfest.org.sg.
April.
M
AY
Vesak Day.
Buddhist shrines and tem-
ples ar e adorned with banners, lights,
and flo wers; and worshipers gather to
observe the bir th, enlightenment, and
death of the Buddha, which all occurred
on this day . Good places to watch the
festivities are the Temple of a Thousand
Lights in Little I ndia or Thian H ock
Keng Temple in Chinato wn. O n this
day, Buddhists will r efrain from eating
meat, donate food to the poor , and set
animals (especially bir ds) fr ee to sho w
kindness and gener osity. It falls on the
full moon of the fifth month of the
3
