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Racial Harmony Day

Singaporean holiday

Field	Value
holiday_name	Racial Harmony Day
type	National
image	Deepavali Celebration.jpg
imagesize	250px
caption	A Deepavali celebration in Singapore organised by a community centre where different races are invited.
observedby	Singapore
longtype	Secular
significance	Commemorates the 1964 racial riots
duration	1 day
frequency	Annually
scheduling	same day each year
date	21 July

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 (MOE) in schools, the event commemorates the 1964 race riots which took place on 21 July and 2 September when Singapore was a state of Malaysia from 1963 to 1965. 36 people had lost their lives, hundreds were severely injured and thousands were detained. There were also numerous other communal riots and incidents throughout the 1950s and 1960s 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 Councils 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, the Baju Kurung or 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 Kolams and Maruthani and Henna hand painting. Students are also educated on racism and racial stereotypes.

Declaration

Main article: Declaration of Religious Harmony

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

Lim, Audra. (24 July 2001). "Ethnic groups gear up for racial harmony week". [[Today (website).
(23 July 1997). "Small spark can create big mess". [[The Straits Times]].
Han, Jamie. "Racial Harmony Day".
(22 July 1997). "'Hi, your flowers match my baju ...'". [[The Straits Times]].
(22 July 1997). "Schools mark occasion with cross-cultural events". [[The Straits Times]].
Rahim, Nisha. (21 July 2022). "Students discuss racism and racial stereotypes to mark Racial Harmony Day". The Straits Times.
(24 July 2017). "Harmony Games: Minister stresses on religious harmony in Singapore". International Business Times, Singapore Edition.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

culture-of-singapore education-in-singapore july-observances recurring-events-established-in-1997 1997-establishments-in-singapore

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