Singapore celebrates its National Day on 9th August every year with much pomp and splendor. It attained its independence in 1965.
The Singapore region was initially inhabited by people of the Malaysian peninsula who migrated in the period between 2500 to 1500 BC. The European traders, namely the Dutch and the British, entered the region for the profitable spice trade. A trading post was established by Sir Stamford Raffles. In 1946 it was given the status of a British Crown Colony.
Singapore acquired the right to self governance in 1959. Lee Kwan Yew took on the office of the Prime Minister. In 1963, it became a part of the Federation of Malaysia along with Sarawak, Sabah and Malaya only to withdraw from it within a couple of years. It ceased to be part of the federation and declared itself as independent on 9th August in 1965.
Singapore National Day Celebrations
Singapore celebrates its independence day with a National Day Parade. It is organized at the Singapore National Stadium located in Padang. It is one of the biggest national events. It comprises performances by school band, mass displays, sky diving displays and choir performances. These are followed by the Parade in which personnel from the Singapore Civil Defense Force, the Singapore Armed Forces and the Singapore Police Force participate. Other segments in the Singapore National Day Parade include Flypast, fireworks and multimedia show.
In 2008, the National Day Parade 2008 Celebrations Committee decided in favor of an elaborate National Day celebration. The events were scheduled for a period of six weeks and included exhibitions, street theater, open air concerts, firework displays and photography exhibitions. On National Day, a string of musical and graffiti art displays were organized at the Esplanade in Singapore. Another event was the Singapore Connect which aimed to unite the young people in Singapore to hold each others hands and thus give shape to the “heart” of Singapore. The Young NTUC organized the biggest flag display and called it “Young NTUC Celebrates National Day 2008 Flag at Padang”.
Celebrations of National Day continued well beyond the actual day and included the Singapore Fireworks Celebrations, Bonfires, The Concert in the Park-World of Voices, Heart Rock Concert and the Heartstrings Walk.