Playlist for
Stephanie Sun,
Corrinne May,
JJ Lin &
Kit Chan performing past & present
National Day theme songs~!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvbpnGlmo34&list;=PLb44cK34ulYrZ4miZWKXcKCaZmrO3cDtN
SINGAPORE:
Tens of thousands surrounded the
Padang to mark the day in
1965 when
Singapore separated from
Malaysia and took its first step towards independence. More than 26,
000 gathered at the Padang itself where the first
National Day Parade took place in 1966, while many more thronged its surroundings such as
Marina Bay and the
Marina Barrage.
Fifty years since that fateful day on Aug 9, 1965, the nation threw its biggest party to celebrate its journey, but not without paying a touching tribute to its late founding
Prime Minister,
Lee Kuan Yew.
This year, crowd-favourites, the Red
Lions were unable to make the jump due to bad weather – the second time since
2013.
“The safety
of all our Red Lions performers is our foremost concern. Due to the low cloud cover which obstructed their view of the designated landing area, a decision was made to call off the jump to ensure the safety of the jumpers,” Chairman of the
NDP 2015 Executive Committee Brigadier-General
Melvyn Ong said in a statement.
For the first time since
1969, foreign leaders were invited to the celebrations, including
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and
Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah.
Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong arrived with three surviving signatories of the
Independence of Singapore Agreement in 1965. Prime Minister
Lee Hsien Loong also received a rousing welcome, but the man who saw the nation through its earliest and darkest days, and for whom
Singaporeans had come to reserve the loudest cheer at each
Parade, was absent for the first time. Marking his usual seat was a bouquet of flowers.
In previous years, the show segment stood on its own. This year, it was integrated within the larger
parade theme. Using multimedia, performances and larger than life props, the show told the Singapore story in six chapters, starting with the arrival of legendary founder
Sang Nila Utama and highlighting the role of Singapore's pioneers.
A special vintage segment was a nostalgic throwback to the parades of yesteryear, featuring about 450 participants from nine organisations, all of them donning the uniforms of the
1960s and
1970s.
The segment also featured the
Singapore Girl, an international icon in her own right. And for the first time, a
Singapore Airlines A380 flew proudly across the Parade.
The parade then welcomed
President Tony Tan Keng Yam and spectators watched in awe as 20 fighter jets flew past in a '50' formation in the sky.
The show of might had plenty of heart, highlighting military personnel alongside family members.
As the parade drew to a close, performances by the likes of
Stefanie Sun,
Corrine May, JJ Lin and Kit Chan kept the crowds entertained and singing along, especially when it came to the rousing song
Home.
Before long, the nation stood still, hand to heart, pledging to live up to the ideals the nation's pioneers strove for. They sang in one proud voice, the
National Anthem – a call for the country to aspire for success as it has in the last 50 years.
Then the fireworks lit the sky in a burst of glorious colours, capping off a record pyrotechnics display that punctuated the show and kept hundreds of thousands around the Marina Bay at wowed throughout the evening.
www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/ndp-2015-a-celebration/2039362
.html
- published: 09 Aug 2015
- views: 215832