Season's greetings

'Season's greetings!' in Singapore does not only apply to the Christmas and New Year, but also to Thaipusam and Chinese New Year, thus spreading accross a period of two months. The festive season is a very colorful one. Red and golden Chinese New Year (CNY) decorations came out as soon as Christmas was done and they are everywhere, just like Christmas decorations were. People are wishing each other Happy New Year again and businesses are coming up with their own ways to celebrate CNY - how about a prosperity burger or a prosperity hair clip?


I visited Chinatown's night market, which is open these few weeks up to the actual CNY on Feb 14th from 6pm onwards every night. CNY is like Christmas in the sense that it is a family holiday, spent visiting relatives and relaxing, eating. Visiting the market, it felt that CNY has more meaning than Christmas - despite of the wildest commercial attempts, I mean who really needs a plastic aid for folding T-shirts?!? - because there were so many traditions related to it, but then again CNY here is like Christmas at home, celebrated by a majority.. (I might be wrong about it, but at least the goverment gives everyone two days of work (15th & 16th) and I hear Singapore really is closed during those days..).


As I wrote in Finnish in my last post, I'm slowly becoming a 'foodie'. It's a very Singaporean thing, and you kinda can't help it.. So I think the best part of the night market was tasting different CNY specialities! The cakes, cookies, snacks.. Yummy and NOT yummy - and somewhere in between :D! The small cakes, which I btw bought and sent to Finland to relatives (and they liked them!), were very chewing-gum-like in their texture, and came in flavours such as sweet potato, red bean and pomelo. Hmm..


Watching the Thaipusam parade and preparations on the 30th was very interesting. There was a warm and sharing festive feeling in Little India. While sitting down at an eatery, the family next to us offered tastings of their food, and in the temple on Serangoon Road everyone seemed ok with us foreigners taking photos and observing the preparations. Many of the men carrying their 'kavadis' seemed to be exhausted already as they got out of the temple, but they still had such a long way to go - 4km to the temple on Tank Road (by Fort Canning Park). The family and friends were dressed up to their best, and kept a close eye on the participant, ready to help if needed.


The purpose behind Thaipusam is to prove one's faith, and it really takes a lot of faith to carry the heavy kavadis and pearce one's skin that way.. It's quite something. I don't really admire them, but I respect their strong faith and will. (Oh, I do hope none of them were pressured into doing it..) Alltogether 9 000 people took part in the festivities. That's a lot of pierced skin..



More pictures will soon(ish) be uploaded to raisas.pic.fi