NOVEMBER 6 — Here’s a fun fact about Singaporeans — they love Halloween.

I mean dressing up, risqué costumes, free candy; everyone loves Halloween but Singaporeans really take it to another level, maybe it’s our age-old obsession with hantu and hantu-based stories but every other Facebook post I see over the period is about a vampire theme party, a zombie run or similar.

While we haven’t gone as far as the States or even Tokyo with their huge Halloween parades, the procession of (in)humanity from sexed-up Harlequins to over-sized fluffy human commodes down the strip at Clarke Quay on a Halloween weekend might as well be a parade.

Now while I enjoy the assorted ghosts and ghouls as much as anyone, seeing another iteration of what was once a simple an end-of-harvest festival go by I couldn’t help but wonder why is it that we don’t apply as much enthusiasm to our own festivals.

For Halloween I see everyone, old and young of every apparent ethnicity scampering to don costumes and attend parties but at Deepavali... well, I basically see Indians and at Hari Raya too, gatherings seem increasingly mono-ethnic.

Even though there are little boards wishing everyone Happy Chinese New Year, Hari Raya etc on our blocks, none of these "traditional” festivals feels completely national.

Now of course there are deep cultural reasons these festivals have remained intra-ethnic rather than inter-ethnic. Chinese New Year, for example, is literally a Chinese festival. But at the same time everyone and anyone can appreciate yu sang, ang pow or a lion dance.

People carry puppet skeletons during the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade in Manhattan on October 31, 2016... in Singapore the "celebration” was no less festive. — Reuters pic

At the end of the day, it’s about balance between preserving the character of traditional festivals on one hand and modernising them and making them more inclusive on the other.

I mean lighting up Serangoon road for Deepavali is fine but the truth is I’ve seen variations of the same basic lighting theme for decades, the Deepavali market has also been unchanged for years and I think our celebrations and the government and private entities that back them can do better than that.

Even where Chinese New Year celebrations are concerned — and these naturally envelop a vast swathe of our population — things still seem lower key nowadays than they used to.

The Chingay parade is lovely but I am not convinced it’s really capturing the hearts of the younger generation. Also in the heartland I can see the crowds at local CNY events thinning.

At the end of the day, the smartphone, Netflix and a myriad of social media sites are strong competitors for time and eyeballs. The excitement we used to feel when the pasar malam came to town is no more — so why not acknowledge this and adapt with a Ramayana themed run (you know, like those zombie runs?) or a Chinese zodiac-based party?

Well, partly because of the religious and cultural base people might get offended which is why Western festivals which have had their religious/cultural roots struck out by commercialism (eg. Halloween) seem to have become more broadly appealing.

Now I’m not saying let’s tear the hearts out of our celebrations and replace them with cash and merchandise but at the same time a few decorated streets and kueh-kuehs are also not going to cut it far into the 21st century.

While purists may scoff that what we need is more things along the lines of salted caramel pineapple tarts, ice cream snow skin mooncakes or more designer kebayas. Why can’t Ghost Month be a forum for sharing the deep and dark history of our island across a range of formats?

Most of all, we need to remember that while festivals are a means of preserving our traditional ethnic customs they are also the best way of showcasing this culture to Singaporeans of all races — and only by being open, curious and willing to adapt can we ensure the essence of our festivals will thrive for another generation.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.