Prime Minister Lawrence Wong took to social media to wish everyone celebrating a “joyous and meaningful” Deepavali.
The 50-second video captured what some of the Indian community in Singapore are looking forward to this festive season.
Some are excited about spending quality time with friends and family, and others, about the prospect of scrumptious food on the dinner table all weekend long.
To kick off the festivities, PM Wong attended the opening of the Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society’s (SIFAS) new campus at 250 and 252 Middle Road last weekend, opening his speech by saying: “Deepavali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, and good over evil. It is an auspicious time for renewal and new beginnings.”
That same weekend, on Nov 1, the Istana opened its grounds to the public for its annual Deepavali Open House, with cultural performances, food stalls and a community marketplace.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam also joined in the Deepavali celebrations, sharing a festive video with Singaporeans on social media on Saturday, Nov 7.
In the video, President Tharman and his wife, Ms Jane Ittogi, took on an idiyappam-making challenge with local artiste Das DD and National Institute of Education professor Dr Shaireen Selamat.
Idiyappam, also known locally as putu-mayam, took centre stage as the group tried their hand at making the traditional steamed rice noodles and discussed their favourite ways of enjoying the dish. He also tried his hand at making teh tarik during the video.
President Tharman revealed that he and his wife prefer the savoury version, served with sothi (a fragrant coconut-milk based curry) and sambal, while their guests opted for sweeter versions with grated coconut and sugar.
He ended the video by joining his guests in extending Deepavali greetings in Tamil, while the group also exchanged wishes in Malay and Mandarin.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Senior Minister Dr Janil Puthucheary also took to their social media platforms to extend their Deepavali greetings to the community.
Worker’s Party Chief Pritam Singh also extended greetings through a video on his social media accounts, where he learnt how to make crispy puris (fried flatbreads) and baingan bharta (a smashed brinjal dish) in time for the festive season. His teacher was none other than cookbook author and restraunteur Dhershini Winodan.
Deepavali falls on Sunday, Nov 8, so Monday, Nov 9, will be a public holiday, giving many a three-day break.
