Racial Harmony Day is a day in Singapore to promote racial and ethnic harmony within the nation. It is observed on 21 July every year, with most activities organised by schools and grassroot 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 which took place on 21 July 1964 when Singapore was still part of Malaysia (1963–1965) – 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; ; zh, 社區發展理事會; ) is a government-led organisation to organise grassroot organisations and community programmes into smaller, local units as a bridge between the government and the community i ...

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 seen ...

, the Baju Kurung, and Saree. 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 (), Tarai Alangaram () and 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, oft ...

s and Maruthani and Henna hand painting. Students are also educated on racism and racial stereotypes.

Declaration

Schools are also encouraged to recite a Declaration of Religious Harmony 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.

References

{{Spoken Wikipedia, Racialharmonyday.ogg, date=2006-03-29 Culture of Singapore Education in Singapore July observances Recurring events established in 1997 1997 establishments in Singapore

History

Schools

Declaration

See also

References