Celebrations in the heartland

Celebrations in the heartland

National Day songs, hip hop and yoga dances were on the programme yesterday as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong cut a 49th birthday cake for Singapore to celebrate with students at Chong Boon Secondary School.

Members of Parliament and grassroots leaders also marked the birthday with Singaporeans at other locations across the island.

The celebrations included performances like magic shows; activities like balloon sculpting; music; food; parades; and live telecasts of the National Day Parade.

In Serangoon, residents folded plastic bags into roses before using them to make a giant Singapore flag.

Marsiling residents entered the Singapore Book of Records by using 14,400 plastic flowers to form the SG50 and Marsiling constituency logos within two hours. At Dover Park Hospice in Novena, volunteers delivered National Day goodie bags to patients.

But the celebrations started much earlier for at least four couples, who celebrated the birth of their children at midnight.

Mrs Melissa Fathie gave birth to Elijah Fathie, a 2.9kg baby boy. She was rushed to Thomson Medical Centre when her contractions started at about 9pm. "I was shocked," she said. "We thought he would be born maybe by 10pm or 11pm on Aug 8."

Mrs Fathie, 35, who also has two daughters aged four and seven, said she planned to watch the National Day Parade in the ward.

Her husband Muhamad Fathie, 37, said: "My son will know that there will be fireworks to celebrate his birthday every year. It could not be more fantastic."


This article was first published on August 10, 2014.
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