While it is considerably quieter this year, Geylang Serai was reminiscent of past festivities for a while last night.
Permission granted to do so
Permission was granted by the Singapore government for decorative lights situated at Geylang Serai to light up from 8:20pm to 10pm on May 23.
Here's what it looked like:
A Mothership reader shared some photos of the sight as well:
The lights are also quite gorgeous to look at in the day:
A sign of appreciation
In a special segment of the evening news on Berita Mediacorp on May 23, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said that permission was granted to do so.
Masagos noted that Ramadan has been very different for the Malay-Muslim community in the midst of the pandemic.
He hopes that the festive lights will give the community the spirit and ambience of the festivities, even if just for a while.
Masagos added that if things go well, the lights along Geylang Serai will be lit up in full for a few weeks after CB measures are eased.
Here is Masagos' translated message in full:
In conjunction of the upcoming Hari Raya celebrations, my Malay parliament colleagues and I have some good news. We have been given permission to light up the decorative lights in Geylang Serai for a while tonight.
The government gave us permission as a sign of appreciation for the Malay-Muslim community for going strong throughout Ramadan which has been very different this time and for being actively contributing to keeping other Singaporeans safe.
The Geylang Serai light-up is organised by the Geylang Serai Community Club and Wisma Geylang Serai.
Please enjoy the clip live from Geylang Serai.
I hope this Hari Raya light-up that has been really special will give us the spirit and ambience of Hari Raya, just like the previous years, even though it may be a while and enjoy it from your television screens.
If things goes well, the lights along Geylang Serai will be lit up fully for a few weeks after the circuit breaker measures are eased.
Together, we hope for the best.
Thank you for playing your part to fight the Covid-19 virus and for ensuring our safety.
Top image via Masagos Zulkifli's Facebook page