Racial Harmony Day is a day in
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...
to celebrate its success as a racially harmonious nation. It is observed on the 21st of July every year, with most activities organised by schools and grassroots organisations, including religious groups.
History
First launched in 1997 by the
Ministry of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
in schools, the event commemorates the
1964 race riots
The 1964 race riots in Singapore involved a series of communal race-based civil disturbances between the Malays and Chinese in Singapore following its merger with Malaysia in 1963, and were considered to be the "worst and most prolonged ...
which took place on 21 July 1964 when Singapore was still part of Malaysia (1963–1965), in which 22 people lost their lives and hundreds were severely injured. There were numerous other communal riots and incidents throughout the 50s and 60s leading to and after Singapore's independence in August 1965.
Racial Harmony Day has since expanded its reach. Today, grassroots organisations such as the
People’s Association and the
Community Development Council
The Community Development Council (CDC; ms, Majlis Pembangunan Masyarakat; zh, 社区发展理事会; ta, சமூக மேம்பாட்டு மன்றம்) is a government-led programme to organise grassroot organisations and comm ...
s are also involved.
Schools
On this day, students in schools across the nation are encouraged to be dressed in other cultures' traditional costumes such as the
Cheongsam
''Cheongsam'' (, ), also known as the ''qipao'' () and sometimes referred to as the mandarin gown, is a Chinese dress worn by women which takes inspiration from the , the ethnic clothing of the Manchu people. The cheongsam is most often s ...
, the
Baju Kurung and
Saree
A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
* as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO
* bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO
* gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...
. Traditional delicacies are a feature of the celebration. Traditional games such as five stones, zero points, and hopscotch are played, where inter-class competitions are sometimes organised. Some activities introduced by schools include designing
Kolam
Kolam (,, ), also known as Muggu () or Tharai Aalangaram () Rangoli () is a form of traditional decorative art that is drawn by using rice flour as per age-old conventions. It is also drawn using white stone powder, chalk or chalk powder, often ...
s and Maruthani and
Henna
Henna is a dye prepared from the plant ''Lawsonia inermis'', also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet, the sole species of the genus ''Lawsonia''.
''Henna'' can also refer to the temporary body art resulting fr ...
hand painting. this
Harmony Games
The event is an annual racial community effort to strengthen ties among Singaporeans of different ethnic communities to get together and celebrate diversity.
Declaration
Schools are also encouraged to recite a
Declaration of Religious Harmony
The Declaration of Religious Harmony of Singapore is a statement that affirms the importance of, and the commitment of Singaporeans towards, religious harmony. It is a basis for Singaporeans to reflect on religious harmony, and what should be done ...
during the celebrations. In the week of 21 July, representatives from the Inter-Religious Harmony Circle (IRHC) comprising various religious groups also get together to pledge their support and to promote the Declaration.
See also
*
1964 race riots in Singapore
The 1964 race riots in Singapore involved a series of communal race-based civil disturbances between the Malays and Chinese in Singapore following its merger with Malaysia in 1963, and were considered to be the "worst and most prolonged i ...
*
Maria Hertogh riots
Maria Hertogh (born ''Huberdina Maria Hertogh''; 24 March 1937 – 8 July 2009), also known as Bertha Hertogh, Nadra binte Ma'arof, Nadra Adabi and simply as Natrah, was a Dutch woman of Eurasian extraction and Malay upbringing, notable for bei ...
*
13 May Incident
*
Total Defence Day
Total Defence is Singapore's whole-of-society national defence concept, based on the premise that every aspect of society contributes to the collective defence of the state.
The strategy was first introduced in 1984 and adopted from the nation ...
References
{{Spoken Wikipedia, Racialharmonyday.ogg, date=2006-03-29
Singaporean culture
Education in Singapore
July observances