Even though Christmas has been commercialized for decades already, the usage of Mickey Mouse and co. for the yuletide commemorations along the Orchard Road this year seemed to be the last straw for the National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS).
The council’s disappointment was expressed in a letter to the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) last week, highlighting its concern about the “increasing secularisation and commercialization of Christmas” here. Basically, the NCCS is troubled by the fact that 2.88 km stretch of the shopping belt is being adorned with Disney princesses, Toy Story characters and other icons from the House of Mouse in lieu of actual Christian elements.
The Disney Magical Moments spectacle marks the first event in a three-year collaboration between STB and Disney, enabling Singapore to host activities involving the entertainment behemoth’s various properties.
“Being an essentially religious festival, Christmas should not be viewed primarily as a money-making venture or an opportunity to market a particular commercial brand,” stated Reverend Dr. Ngoei Foong Nghian, the general secretary of NCCS.
“We are not against the use of Disney characters per se, but we wonder if they should be the sole focus of what is essentially a Christian festival,” he wrote, noting how public commemorations of other cultures like Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa have a greater emphasis on its respective religious nature here.
NCCS does recognize the business interests of STB and the Orchard Road Business Association to leverage on the festivities to attract more people to the ailing shopping district, though. It’s just that they believe that STB has warped the original meaning of Christmas, which NCCS laments how it has been “effectively buried under the thick layer of this extensive and sophisticated brand promotion exercise”.
In response to media queries, STB mentioned that it has reached out to NCCS to initiate a discussion. The Orchard Road Christmas light-up, however, will remain open and welcome to everyone (both Christian and non-Christian) till Jan 1 next year.
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