Chinese New Year 2019: 50 Photos Capturing the Festivities in Singapore

Kurt Ganapathy returns to Chinatown and finds himself in the thick of the action as Singapore welcomes the Year of the Pig.

In many ways, 2019 feels like a year of transition. If you’re a twenty or thirtysomething, there’s a good chance that you (and/or a few of your friends) have recently gotten married, received the keys to your new home or welcomed a child.

In commemorating the Singapore Bicentennial – the 200th anniversary of the arrival Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles on our shores – we’ve begun taking a closer look at our history; revisiting the narratives we’d previously accepted without question all our lives.

And 2019 also marks the conclusion of the Chinese zodiac cycle – the pig being the last of the twelve animals in the Great Race. And that end inevitably heralds new beginnings.

In Chinatown, however, things aren’t all that different.

The smell of bak kwa is never too far away; people young and old throng its alleys, many carrying flowers and pussy willow cuttings; and tourists and locals alike marvel at the galaxy of festive lights around them. And that’s where we headed to get a taste of the season.

Gong Xi Fa Cai to all our readers!