Singapore Festivals Attractions

Little India is illuminated with millions of flickering oil lamps which signify a time of renewal. Little India plays host to a range of cultural performances during October or November.

The Chinese believed that hungry ghosts walked through the gates of hell to roam the Earth during the seventh lunar month. To appease them, food, candles, joss sticks and hell currency are offered to them. Chinese street operas and boisterous auctions are staged during this festival which falls in August or September.

Children display bright, colorful lanterns while adults enjoy performances and mooncakes under the full moon that falls during September or October. The Mooncake Festival commemorates how a tyrannical Chinese dynasty was overthrown in the 14th C by secret messages placed in mooncakes.

Kusu Island attracts thousands of pilgrims every year during the months of October or November who pray at island shrines for prosperity and good luck. The story is told of a giant turtle who once transformed itself into an island to save the lives of two drowning sailors, a Malay and a Chinese.

The most important event in the Chinese Calendar, falling most years in January or February, Chinese New Year is a time of reunion and rejoicing. Roadside stalls offer a selection of New Year goods and food. Cultural events are held in Chinatown's illuminated streets.

The annual fire-walking ceremony held in October honors the Goddess Draupadi. Hindu devotees walk barefooted across a red-hot coal pit.