Singapore, Malaysia to jointly nominate Chingay parade for UNESCO cultural heritage list

Past OF CHINGAY

The term Chingay, derived from the Hokkien slang, means the art of mask and costume, according to the Chingay Parade Singapore site. &nbsp,

In Singapore, Chingay started in 1973 as a street festival to celebrate Chinese New Year. &nbsp, Founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had suggested staging the festival, with all its&nbsp, colors and merriment, to account for a 1972 ban on fireworks, a typical Chinese New Year exercise to ward off evil souls. &nbsp,

The Johor Bahru Tiongshua Association has organized the Chingay rally in Malaysia every on the 21st day of the first day of the first quarter of Taiwanese New Year since 1870. It has also been held annually at the Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple. &nbsp,

The Penang Chingay Association in George Town organizes the festival as a cultural and liberal achievement involving local and foreign players and local societies.

According to the NHB’s history reference portal, Roots. gov. In the early 1800s, node, these events and procesions were thought to have been introduced by immigrants from southeastern China to Penang and afterward to Singapore.

Now, Chingay is known for players dressed in elaborate costumes representing different ethnicities, cultures and backgrounds, beautiful floats, complex props and structures, and social performances from across the world.

” Chingay Parade, as practised in Singapore, reflects our cultural and diverse culture. As 2025 even marks our 60th anniversary, I hope more Singaporeans may help and attend the rally, according to Singapore Minister for Culture, Community, and Youth Edwin Tong.

The NHB captain, Ms. Chang Hwee Nee, praised the country’s lifetime as a “testament to its agility as a living history, and the commitment and inventiveness of its practitioners to impart knowledge and skills to the next era.”