EMBRACING UNITY: CELEBRATING RACIAL HARMONY DAY

Written by:Chloe Peh (2.4), Christie Teo (3.3) and Karis Lee (1.3)

Designed by: Pooja(1.8), Janelle Ang (2.6)

When someone mentions the words ‘Racial Harmony Day' , what is the first thing that comes to mind? Racial Harmony Day is a wonderful occasion to commemorate Singapore's remarkable success as a harmoniously diverse nation, where people of various races live and work together, fostering a deep sense of mutual respect and trust among all The event is a yearly racial effort to strengthen bonds among Singaporeans of different ethnic groups to come together and celebrate their differences But, what else is there to it?

Racial Harmony Day was first launched in 1977 by Singapore’s Ministry Of Education (MOE) to commemorate the communal riots of 1964. The riots happened on 21 July 1964, when Singapore was still merged with Malaysia This riot was caused by the murder of a Malay trishaw rider along Geylang Serai. This event triggered attempts of stabbings and severe violence among the citizens of different races It led to the death of 13 people, 106 were injured and 1439 were arrested. Many Singaporeans either lost or had to see their loved ones go through suffering from the injuries obtained from the riot, hence impacting not only the victims of the riot, but their friends and family as well.

Let’s see what Racial Harmony Day means to PL-lites. “It means people of different races getting together and being happy. It means a lot to me as I can share my culture with my friends who aren’t the same race as me,” said Gwen Too, a Secondary 2 student of class 2.4.

Schools organise a range of cross-cultural activities for students during Racial Harmony Day on 21 July every year On this special day, students are encouraged to wear ethnic costumes, such as the Cheongsam, Baju Kurung and the Saree. Students often look forward to taking photographs to mark the occasion with each other in these colourful outfits, which are a bright contrast to their usual school uniforms. During recess, canteen stall holders will prepare an array of delicious traditional delicacies, such as Satay and Nyonya Kueh. Teachers and students would beeline for the stalls, buzzing with excitement to try these delicacies

Furthermore, traditional games are played and at times, schools tend to spice this up by organising inter-class competitions. Favourites like Five Stones, Zero Points and Hopscotch are played, with everyone cheering and celebrating wins for each other. At times, schools also introduce some traditional activities to the students, such as designing Kolams and Maruthani and Henna hand painting, where students and teachers can learn about the traditional activities and culture of other races

Besides food tasting, games and the practice of donning ethnic costumes, a few key activities have been introduced to the Racial Harmony Day celebrations over the years. Since orange is the colour of racial harmony in Singapore, in 2001, the National Museum of Singapore introduced the act of wearing orange ribbons, which symbolises racial harmony and expresses disapproval towards racism among the diverse races Since 2008, OnePeople.sg has organised the Orange Ribbon Celebrations, a signature monthlong event held every July, to commemorate racial harmony on a national level.

Hence, it is no doubt that Racial Harmony day is a festive event where everyone is celebrated for their similarities and differences It indeed has a significant history, and remains as one of the key events of the year for all Singaporeans. Let's enjoy the occasion and continue hoping for the continuation of religious peace in Singapore