We are Singapore..!

Anyone living in Asia will immediately recognise the sound of the Lion dance – drums, cymbols and an accompanying troupe of typically sweaty performers all decked out in red and gold fiery costumes.  Usually part of an official opening or launch ceremony, the Lion Dance is very much part of the annual festivities in any Chinese community to welcome a New Year and they will be invited to visit a business or community to ward off evil spirits and also to bring luck and prosperity. If I tell you the primary purpose of a Lion dance is to make enough of a racket to frighten away evil spirits then you’ll begin to understand the significance of the colours and also the magnitude of noise that can be generated by just a couple of hefty blokes with drums and especially so in the confines of an office building.

So this year, driving to work one morning past a local food centre, I saw one Lion Dance troop all getting back into their lorry after, one presumes, a healthy and energy-packed breakfast to keep them drum-beating for the rest of the day.  Like an extended Christmas, the 15 days of Chinese New Year offer lots of opportunities to make some money – please note the pragmatism of the Chinese culture rarely wastes time, like the rest of us, rushing from shop to shop looking for something to wrap up, but instead puts some bank notes into a red packet and that’s the way to go!

Anyway, what surprised me most of all was the faces that I saw. Not just Chinese – in fact there seemed to be fewer of those than Indian and Malay faces and all decked out in what is definitely Chinese gear. I wasn’t sure what to make of it in some way – sad that we apparently don’t have enough young Chinese who want to learn and follow their own heritage or a fantastic tribute to Singapore’s long term goal to unite our three races, Indian, Malay and Chinese into one small, powerful and distinctly well-placed nation.

- From my point of view, it was a great validation of all those National Day songs and slogans – say it often enough, with impact and reinforcement – and people will hear you. We are one nation, one people – and a real mixed bag when it comes to a Lion dance.

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