Chingay - another reason to celebrate

Chingay kicks off today. Another big event in the Singaporean calendar. Sadly I won't be attending as I'll be travelling for work (seriously, it's already getting in the way of my alternate lifestyle!). The word Chingay comes from a Hokkien phrase which means 'to paint the face and wear elaborate costumes'. I think you start to get the idea of where this is going. Starting as a Chinese festival, Chingay has evolved to celebrate the Singaporean way of life and it's culture. A mass of colours, people, floats and parades explode through the very heart of the Lion City.
I even know people that are coming over from far away type places to watch it. A Twitter friend (@mindanaoan) is travelling from the Phillipines with her mum to watch it. And boy is she excited! I think it makes for a great weekend and if you're in town it's not to be missed. Which it will be, by me.
Here's the official website http://www.chingay.org.sg/. People are genuinely excited about it and it's not even the end of Chinese New Year yet. However, I'll be in Hong Kong for that, so maybe it's not all bad!

Courtesy of www.chingay.org.sg