Racial Harmony Day

Racial Harmony Day, as the name suggest is a day to promote racial harmony and we should not let our physical differences or difference in religious beliefs make each other enemies. Instead teach us how to respect each other's religious beliefs and make friends.
This particular date 21 July is where Racial Harmony Day falls on, the same date in the year 1964 happened the Race Riots. The Race Riots was a conflict between the Chinese and Malay race. This conflict was sparked off when a police-man approached a group of Malays who were not in the correct procession of Muslim Prophet Muhammad's birthday. The group instead of obeying the orders from the police-man attacked the police-man along with other ethnic Chinese-Malay passers-by and spectators.
The Racial Harmony Days which I have experienced in my primary school which was a Chinese school emphasized the fact that we have to respect the multi-races that we have in Singapore. Being a Chinese school, the school had no Malays or Indians, only Chinese. So, every 21th July the school would invite students of other races from other schools to attend the celebration in my school. The school would also invite stores like an Indian food store into the school to sell us Indian delicacies. Malay food stores to sell us traditional Malay foods. Our recess time would then be doubled so that we have extra time to enjoy the food so as to develop a liking for them and respect the other race better. Also, plays of how different races get along together would be performed during the celebration concert to constantly remind us to get along with our peers of different races well with respect.
Racial Harmony Day is a very important day to Singapore as Singapore is a multi-racial country. For a country of so many different races to unite as one for the country’s growth to happen, respect from one another is one of the basic needs. Racial Harmony Day plays an enormous part in the growth of Singapore as it brings the people united as one, like many chopsticks bundled together, not easy to break although they have their differences.