Under The Angsana Tree

04/04/2021

Qingming Jie Festival 清明節 2021

Qing Ming 2021

The Qing Ming Festival takes place on 4 April 2021 this year, with the visiting period expected to last between 20 March 2021 to 18 April 2021. In view of the continued COVID-19 situation and strict safe distancing measures, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has put in place strict crowd control measures to limit the crowds and urges members of public to exercise socially responsible behaviour so as to protect our own well-being and the well-being of our families and relatives.

To cater for the anticipated increase in visitors during the annual Qing Ming period, NEA will extend the opening hours for government-managed columbaria (Choa Chu Kang, Mandai and Yishun Columbarium) to 24 hours daily with effect, from 20 March 2021 till 18 April 2021. An e-appointment booking system for visitors driving to Mandai Columbarium will be implemented during the peak days.

The crowds at Mandai Columbarium are expected to be larger this year given the high niche occupancy. To improve the traffic flow within Mandai Columbarium and to enhance the overall experience for visitors, NEA will implement an e-appointment booking system for visitors driving to Mandai Columbarium between 5:30 am to 5:30 pm during these peak days.

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Qing Ming 2021

Qingming is celebrated on the 15th day after the Spring Equinox, between April 4-6

Qing Ming is an important observance in Singapore for the remembrance of one’s ancestors, that is celebrated mainly by those of Chinese ancestry. It is also called “Tomb Sweeping Day” since cleaning and sweeping out your ancestors’ tombs is a part of the traditional way to commemorate it.

Qing Ming is not an official public holiday, but people will often take annual leave to participate in family ceremonial activities.

On Qing Ming, people bring all manner of offerings for their deceased relatives. It could be food items, wine, paper crafts, imitation gold bars or paper money, incense sticks, or chopsticks. Whatever is brought, it is supposed to show respect for the dead and is believed by some to help them have all necessaries in the next life.

Happy Easter 2021

Best Wishes from Jennie @ Amino Apps

03/04/2021

BAR MATHS

02/04/2021

Good Friday 2021

Why is Good Friday called Good Friday?

It is the day when Christians commemorate Jesus Christ's crucifixion. So why is it called Good Friday?

According to the Bible, the son of God was flogged, ordered to carry the cross on which he would be crucified and then put to death. It's difficult to see what is "good" about it.

Some sources suggest that the day is "good" in that it is holy, or that the phrase is a corruption of "God's Friday".

However, according to Fiona MacPherson, senior editor at the Oxford English Dictionary, the adjective traditionally "designates a day on (or sometimes a season in) which religious observance is held". The OED states that "good" in this context refers to "a day or season observed as holy by the church", hence the greeting "good tide" at Christmas or on Shrove Tuesday. In addition to Good Friday, there is also a less well-known Good Wednesday, namely the Wednesday before Easter.

The earliest known use of "guode friday" is found in The South English Legendary, a text from around 1290, according to the dictionary. According to the Baltimore Catechism - the standard US Catholic school text from 1885 to the 1960s, Good Friday is good because Christ "showed His great love for man, and purchased for him every blessing".

The Catholic Encyclopedia, first published in 1907, states that the term's origins are not clear. It says some sources see its origins in the term "God's Friday" or Gottes Freitag, while others maintain that it is from the German Gute Freitag. It notes that the day was called Long Friday by the Anglo-Saxons and is referred to as such in modern Danish.

It also says that the day is known as "the Holy and Great Friday" in the Greek liturgy, "Holy Friday" in Romance Languages and Karfreitag (Sorrowful Friday) in German.

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01/04/2021

April Fool's Day 2021

Observed on the first day of April, April Fool’s Day is a day in which people play practical jokes and good-natured pranks on each other. This day isn’t a holiday in any of the countries that it is observed, but is has been popular since the nineteenth century, nonetheless.

Many historians believe that this day can be traced directly to the Hilaria Festivals that were celebrated during the Vernal Equinox in Rome. However, since this festival occurred in March, many people believe that the earliest recording of this day came from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in 1392. In this edition is a story about a vain cock being tricked by a crafty fox on April 1st. Hence, spawning the practice of playing practical jokes on this day:

In France, April 1st is also known as poissons d’avril – or April Fish. On this day, people attempt to attach paper fish to the backs of unsuspecting friends and colleagues. This practice can be traced back to the nineteenth century, as evidenced by the many postcards from that time depicting the practice.
In the United States, people often try to scare, or fool, unsuspecting friends and family members using a variety of different techniques.
In Ireland, a letter is often given to an unsuspecting person on April Fool’s Day to be delivered to another person. When the person carrying the letter arrives at his destination, then the next person sends them some place else because the note inside the envelope reads, “Send the fool even further.”

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