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Orchard Road light-up

I'm surprised to learn from the Channel NewsAsia report on the Christmas light-up that 'last year's light-up attracted close to 1.6 million visitors to Singapore'. I can't believe that those 1.6 million people came to here just to look at the lights.

Okay, this is an old issue but a letter in the ST Forum today, 'Christmas and God of Fortune don't mix', set me thinking about it. Without actually going into the religious significance of Christmas, the letter writer pointed out that the God of Fortune hat was inappropriate for Christmas celebrations.

Well, I just feel it is weird that people are being wooed to come to secular Singapore to 'celebrate' Christmas. Why should they? What are they supposed to be celebrating?

My mother used to say that Baby Jesus was in all likelihood shivering in the cold (not to mention His Mother having to endure travelling from Nazareth to Bethlehem on a donkey while heavily pregnant, and finding 'no room at the inn', etc) so many Christmases ago, so what were we doing 'enjoying' ourselves at Christmas? And my dad added that no one knew for sure if December 25 was the date anyway.

I have to say that I do enjoy looking at the lights, 'Christmas' shopping, etc, but I still find it weird that a secular place should sell itself as a place for Christmas celebrations.

Singapore is not alone, though. In most major, and even not so major, Asian cities, you are likely to find some kind of Christmas light-up -- all these cities, like Singapore, being unlikely to care very much about the real significance of Christmas. Japanese cities, Chinese cities, Hong Kong, Seoul, even Chiangmai, etc... And I tell you, some of these places have spectacular Christmas decorations.

Mega Christmas tree in Kyoto:


Fairyland Christmas light-up in Seoul (really, really lovely):


Hong Kong even has its Christmas Eve Tsim Sha Tsui road closure. I was told by locals that it's a 'romantic' and 'fun' occasion. One Christmas there, we had no choice but to be part of the Tsim Sha Tsui 'Peaceful Night' (that's what they call Christmas Eve) crush because we had to walk through the closed roads back to our hotel. It was stuffy, crowded and people were certainly having fun but it really, really, didn't feel like Christmas.

And what is 'Singapore in the Tropics 2005' (Christmas light-up/celebrations tag line) supposed to mean anyway?

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