Chinese New Year: Singapore

I spent Chinese New Year in both Singapore and Malaysia. The celebrations last for the first two weeks of the lunar year. On the official day of Chinese New Year I was in Kuala Lumpur. The weekend afterwards, I was in Ipoh and Georgetown. Otherwise I was in Singapore. First, I want to cover my time in Singapore during Chinese New Year.

This time did not feel much different from the lead up, as there are few official events. All gatherings and celebrations are banned in Singapore without direct permission of the government, who had only sanctioned a few celebrations in Chinatown. These are reasonably muted though as most people out are visiting temples for good luck in the New Year. Singapore bans fireworks so there are not many spontaneous celebrations going on. Everything is quite muted.

Overall, it's the time to be with family. It is the Christmas or New Years of Asia. Consider the same day in the US. On Christmas or New Year's Day, nobody is out. Instead, everyone is at home, celebrating with family. Most businesses, hawker centers, and attractions are closed.

NE of Marina Bay looking towards the Sands