Deepavali, Festival of Lights, is a Hindu holiday celebrating the victory of good over evil and lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. Little India is ablaze with lights throughout the month of October. What better time than to take an organized walk through Little India? We started the walk at the Little India MRT Station using the wall map to give a little overview before we started off for the Tekka Market. A walk through the wet market with its visual and olfactory sensations ended at an old man, whose parrot will tell your fortune for S$2.00. Several people had their fortune told; the parrot comes out of his cage, cocks his head while he listens to your name, and then picks up a card with your fortune. Then we went to the Little India Arcade, where we saw a demonstration on henna designs and tasted some Indian candy (very sugary, even for us Americans!). Then we headed down the main street, Serangoon Road, and into a textile shop. One lady volunteered to model a sari, which takes a bit of finesse to put on and more importantly, stay on. The last stop was the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, a colorful, busy temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess, Kali.

Today I attended the lovely annual luncheon put on by the Antiques, Art & Culture Committee of the American Women's Association. The luncheon was called "Festive Thailand - Wan Log Krathong". Loy Krathong is a Thai celebration where thanks is given to the Goddess of the River, throwing sadness and misfortune away with the water.
The event was held at the Singapore Marriott. There was a opportunity to buy handicrafts from Thailand beforehand. Schoolchildren from Bangkok presented a traditional Thai dance performance and the menu featured Thai specialities.
There were a number of great prizes given away at the end (silk textiles, Thai massage packages, hotel stays, airline tickets, etc.) and I WON THE GRAND PRIZE!!!!!!! Tickets for two on Thai Airways from Singapore to Bangkok plus two nights at the Chakrabongse Villas located near the Grand Palace in Bangkok. Woooo-hooooo!