Tamil Murasu – Special Chinese New Year Feast For Senior Citizens at Sri Mariammam Temple
A special Chinese New Year luncheon was held at the Sri Mariamman Temple on South Bridge Road on Saturday, 18 January, for a total of 120 senior citizens from the Indian, Chinese, and Malay communities.
Seniors from four nursing homes – Sunlove Home, Sri Narayana Mission Nursing Home, Banyan Home @ Pelangi Village, and Chinatown Active Ageing Centre – mingles, laughed, and shared food with each other.
Ms. Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information, and Second Minister for Home Affairs, attended this banquet as the Guest of Honour, which has been held for 23 years by the Hindu Endowments Board.
The banquet's entertainment featured a traditional Chinese lion dance, where two performers in a lion costume danced in sync, with their eyes and mouths opening and closing. It also included a Dhillana dance by Bharatanatyam artist Ganapathi Saroja.
The seniors were treated to Chinese vegetarian dishes lovingly prepared by volunteers. Seated at eighteen round tables, the elders celebrated the Year of the Snake by tossing the Yusheng.
Sri Mariamman Temple’s Chairman, Mr. Sekaran Krishnan, welcomed everyone, expressing his joy in continuing the tradition of bringing everyone together to celebrate the Chinese New Year at this historic temple.
“This is the first time I am hosting this event, and it is an honor. It’s a satisfying feeling to see seniors from different ethnic groups talking, laughing, and having fun,” said Kannan Govindaswamy, 52, a temple fund member and chairman of the organising committee.
He also mentioned that hundreds of volunteers had contributed to making this event possible.
“I have been volunteering for the past six years. My experience working in a hospital has given me the skills to take good care of the elderly,” said Thilagawathi, 61, a Singapore General Hospital employee and volunteer.
“It was a great experience to participate and contribute to the Chinese New Year event for the first time. It was nice to see the large gathering of elderly people who are so used to chatting among themselves in their homes and come together and be lively,” said Anusiya, 39, a volunteer and childcare teacher.
“I thought there would be Indian food since it was a Hindu temple. I was happy to see Chinese food. The lion dance and Indian dance were a feast for the eyes,” said Polly Fong from the Chinatown Active Ageing Centre.
Aadikal Ammal, 83, from Sree Narayana Mission Nursing Home, shared her best wishes for a wonderful Chinese New Year for everyone.
All participants were given Ang Pows and oranges. They were also given gift bags containing 20 items each that were selected for seniors, including snacks, ankle braces, socks, and ointments.
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