SINGAPORE: Singapore started the colorful Diwali celebrations early this year with the street light-ups and bunting hangings from the streets poles in the Little India shopping precinct and also motifs, festive themes painted on buses, trains and a major transportation hub.
The light-ups and festive decoration, which is part of the ethnic district’s every year Diwali celebration, will remain till November 25.
This year, Little India Shopkeepers and Heritage Association (LISHA) has collaborated with the Land Transport Authority and transport company SBS Transit to spread the festive cheer along the Public Transport Network from October 6 to November 9.
To create awareness regarding the celebrations and encourage positive commuter culture, two trains will be decorated with this year’s Diwali theme featuring the Indian celestial swan, Annapatchi, which symbolizes wealth and a noble soul.
Vibrant Rangoli designs have been included as part of decoration to symbolize luck, reported the Friday weekly, Tabla!.
Little India is among the prominent attractions for the tourist in Singapore, and many of them make several visits to understand India’s culture, ambiance and a wide range of Indian products.
For this year’s Diwali celebrations, a total of two million LED lights, in seven different colors, have given an elaborate touch to the decorations in Little India.
Light-ups in multi-racial Singapore are often the main tourist attractions during main festivals such as celebrations of Eid along the Geylang Serai, a predominantly Muslim favorite for festive shopping, Chinese Lunar New Year along the Chinatown and during Christmas along the Orchard Road.
The holiday resort island of Sentosa, shopping centers and hotels also celebrates these festivals for the attraction of tourist, giving insight to a foreign visitors.
A record 17.4 million tourists visited Singapore last year, according to Singapore Tourism Board. PTI
