Chingay Blast From The Past

CHINGAY IS A street parade held every year in Singapore during Chinese New Year. It was inspired by the original festival in China when giant, elaborately decorated floats would form a slow procession along the streets, while dolled-up children waved to passersby below from their perch.

After the ban of firecrackers in 1972, the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had suggested a Chingay parade as an alternative. It made its debut in 1973, involving 2000 performers including big-headed 'dolls', lion dancers, stilt-walkers and flag-bearers holding up flags that were 6m long. The procession was led by a huge float of an ox, which was the zodiac animal for that year.

The successful launch led to the Chingay parade becoming an annual event. In earlier years, it traversed different housing estates such as Toa Payoh in 1974 and Marine Parade in 1978. The procession took a new route to celebrate the new millennium in 2000, moving from the former City Hall building to the Fountain of Wealth in Suntec City.