From ‘Frightfully’ insensitive’, 11 Dec 2010, Life! Mailbag
(Francis Ang Soon Guan): I read with dismay the story about the former headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Department being used for the fright night tour complete with ghoulish creatures, dummies and skulls.
To call the experience the 13 Cells – Xmas nightmare is rather inappropriate and I am offended that the organisers of this event did not consider the sentiments of Christians. This event would have been appropriate if it was organised to coincide with Halloween or the Seventh Month Hungry Ghost festival. Just imagine the reaction if the event had coincided with the Hindu Festival of Lights and called a Deepavali Nightmare. While Christians are tolerant and open-minded, we should not accept this inappropriate linking of Christmas to a ghoulish event.
Jingle cells
So, by bringing Deepavali into the argument, is the writer suggesting that other faiths are not as ‘tolerant and open minded’ as Christianity? If ‘ghoulish’ associations with Christmas were so offensive, why not target Charles Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ for its portrayal of undead elements, or Tim Burton’s stop motion classic ‘The Nightmare before Christmas’, or even Dr Seuss’ Grinch? If it’s against the fundamental tenets of Christianity to indulge in fantasy and the supernatural , then perhaps one should even eliminate Santa Claus and flying reindeers altogether and turn Christmas into 12 days of austere gratitude showering over turkey and pudding. If you think about the hedonistic frivolities being conducted every year end and how loosely people have come to use the term ‘Xmas spirit’, getting spooked , compared to drunkedness and sex isn’t that bad really. And even if one were to time this with Halloween instead, Singaporeans will still complain about how we’re favouring Western ghosts over the Asian ancestral kind. Similar references to Deepavali, or ‘Happy Indian Festival’, in this article dated 23 Nov 2006, Today.
From ‘Stars and gripes’, 11 Dec 2010, article by Tay Suan Ching in ST Life!
(Raye Kwok): It looks like the designer tried too hard to dress up Orchard Road…This is Singapore’s main shopping street but the (Xmas) light-up looks like a mess
(Corrine Tan): I find the colours a bit cold…Christmas is a time of warmth – shared between family and friends and especially between those of the Christian faith. Christmas commemorates a religious event, so it would be nice if the lights and decorations reflect some of that aspect.
Given that it’s impossible to please everyone when it comes to Christmas lighting, perhaps Ms Tan would like to suggest what exactly she would like to see in a more ‘religious’ Orchard Road lighting without treading on the sensitivities of other faiths. Christians who want to see infant Jesuses on Christmas trees rather than purple icicles or glittery balls should go to their church instead, where believers ought to spend most of their warm, fuzzy Christmas time in the first place, instead of complaining about the godlessness of Orchard Road Xmas lightup. Still, it’s comforting to note from a anti-consumerism stance that people still bother to remind us all that the commercial juggernaut that is Christmas is not about booze, year end parties and gifts. Rather, it’s all about Jesus, as explained with exemplary zeal in this letter ‘The birth of Jesus Christ is the real reason for celebrating’ dated 19 Dec 1988, ST Forum. Telling your boss that Jesus himself is ‘God’s love gift’ to everyone this season would make a perfect excuse not to buy stuff for office gift exchange.
Filed under: 1980s, 2000s, 2010, Festivals, Orchard Road, Public holidays, Religion, Shopping malls | Tagged: Christians, christmas, deepavali, festivals, Orchard Road, Religion | Leave a Comment »
