The Far East(er)

This was my first Easter in Singapore and I didn’t know quite what to expect.  Singapore is at the crossroads of many different religions.  Indonesia is only an hour ferry ride away and home to the largest Muslim population in the world.  Malaysia is a 10 minute drive away and is over half Muslim, but with large Buddhist, Christian, and Hindu populations.  India is not too far away and primarily Hindu. 

The Singapore Constitution (Article 15) recognizes everyone’s right to practice the religion of his or her choice.  This is also apparent by the official public holidays in Singapore.  Many are religious:

·       Vesak – Budahhist

·       Good Friday – Christian

·       Deepvalli – Hindu

·       Christmas – Christian

·       Hari Raya Aidil Fitri – Islam

·       Hari Raya Aidiladha – Islam

Apologies for the long introduction, but what I was wondering is “how would Easter be celebrated here?”.  And the short answer is “just like any other Sunday”.

In Singapore, long weekends (remember Friday was a holiday for Good Friday) mean one thing—long weekend trips away.  Since I just arrived back after two weeks in the US, I didn’t do that.  For those that new my dad they will recognize I did what he would have probably done (and many times did). I got a haircut!