Singapore's National Day - what is it and where to see celebrations?

Singapore flag. Red horizontal stripe above white. White crescent, for the emergeing nation. Five five-point stars. I like to think of it as five languages.

Flags
Singapore's National Day is celebrated every year on August 9th. For days, weeks, the red and white flags of Singapore have been flying on skyscraper office blocks, shopping malls, public buildings, schools, condos, HDB government built public housing estates and railway station ticket booths.

I also saw flags on car exterior mirror backs. At one time there were strict rules about how to show respect for the flag. But now the rules have been changed. In the USA you can use the flag on a car, a tablecloth, a tee shirt, your face, just about anywhere, flying the flag and displaying it everywhere is not seen as a sign of disrespect but enthusiasm. Singapore is starting to follow this attitude.

Speech Previews
At least three Toastmasters International clubs had Singapore and National Day as their theme in the days in August leading up to National Day, with a request to wear red and white.  I went to Changi Simei near Changi Airport for an evening meeting and they had Singapore flags for everybody to hold. Then I attended Eminent Communicators at Dell near Changi Airport for a lunch time meeting. Again they had flags.

I am President of Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters club and I bought bunting (a ribbon suspending triangular flags) and a pair of flags on stands, at $2 each from Daeso the budget Japanese supermarket.

 I saw the flags for sale in two branches, by Exp MRT station (one stop away from the airport).

I bought my flags at another branch in the eco friendly shopping mall beside Farrer Park MRT station near Little India.

Singapore has spent millions on National Day, seen as essential for promoting shared identity and harmony between the different races and religions of Singapore.


I prepared a slide presentation about Singapore for my Toastmasters Internation Braddell Heights Advanced Speakers' club's midweek meeting on Wednesday 7th just two evenings before National Day. Some of the table topics (picked off the table) for impromptu speeches of two minutes.

One of the speakers described his visit to a local school where dance troupes from the four major ethnic, religious and language groups showcased their dances, Chinese, Malay and Indian, all joining to celebrate together whilst harmoniously using their own group's unique features to contribute to the collective joy of the occasion.

After National Day, at the Braddell Heights Advanced Toastmasters club, we will celebrate Singapore again, this time with our recent memories of Singapore National Day. The meeting will be on Saturday August 2019. The club meets the first Wednesday evening 6.45 for 7 pm and the third Saturday afternoon 1.45 for 2 pm.

The Singapore flags are put into storage. They can be brought out again next year and on other national occasions.

Events
Street parade transport including President in an open top car.
Fly-past of planes towing a flag and puffs of red smoke.
March past parade of adults and children.
Lunches, teas, dinners and fast food kiosks with festive flags and cakes.
Finish with fireworks.

News And Replay On Screen And Phones
See it on YouTube, CNA (Not CNN but Channel News Asia), and in newspaper. Local papers are The Straits Times and The New Paper. You can subscribe to them on the internet on your lap top as well as reading and watching on your handphone.

October 9th culminates with a fireworks show, the main one in the centre but other events around the sity state island.

Websites
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ndp-2019-27000-turn-up-at-the-padang-for-singapores-bicentennial-birthday-bash

About the Author
Angela Lansbury