The Festival Of Lights

Sweaty meshing of bodies. Ambrosial scents. Kaleidoscope of vivid chromatic fabrics.

No, I wasn't stuck in a dance party or a market. Rather, it was in Little India that I encountered such vibrancy for the senses.  

The Sunday before Deepavali, we trooped towards Little India to immerse ourselves in the impending celebrations of the Festival of Lights. It was the Bees' first trip right into the heart of Little India, and we wanted to go back another time soon!

We squashed with the festive crowds busy shopping in Mustafa Centre, and the Bees had their first experience of hastily trying out clothes in the constricted alleys of the congested Mustafa, with all eyes on them, 2 Chinese girls trying on resplendent saris. We bought 2 beautifully embroidered saris in dazzling lavender, all thanks to Hubby for choosing. 

The Bees adorned in their saris

We strolled along the streets of Little India, our olfactory senses engulfed in full-bodied fragrances of flavourful foods all around us. We looked around, amazed at the cultural diversity exploding in Singapore. We then ambled to the nearby spanking new City Square Mall, bewildered by the sheer size of the mall. 

We vowed to return with the Bees, who were as intrigued as us. And I would also love to bring them to Arab Street, Geylang Serai and many other ethnic quarters in multi-cultural Singapore...so that they would understand the idiosyncrasies and nuances of different cultures in Singapore.  

And on the day before Deepavali, Little Bee's class hosted the assembly performance in celebration of Deepavali (which was why we went to Little India to buy saris in the first place!). 

One thing I love about Little Bee's school is the opportunity to perform regularly (usually once in 2 to 3 months) in front of the entire school, performing plays, dancing and singing, so these kids would have no fear of public speaking and performing on stage in future. Parents are invited to such assemblies, and the school tries to involve parents in an interactive way during the performances. 

Big Bee with some of her best friends

For an extroverted and gregarious girl like Little Bee, who loves singing and dancing, she is like a fish in water when performing. For the Deepavali performance, her class performed a play depicting the origin of Deepavali, and 2 Indian dances. She had been constantly practising her dance moves at home, and telling us animatedly about her performance weeks before the day of performance. 

After the assembly, everyone praised her for her passionate Bollywood dancing. Some of the mothers were also dragged on stage to dance with them (including me!), and Little Bee was thrilled to see me beside her, performing in front of the school. 

Little Bee leading the pack during the 2nd dance performance!

That was truly one exciting performance by Little Bee and her friends, and I actually secretly enjoyed prancing around on stage with her!