As Hari Raya Puasa, Deepavali and the Mid-Autumn Festival all fell within one calendar month this year, Park View Primary School decided to hold a combined school celebration on 30 September. It was a welcome break from class, and also a chance for pupils to learn how and why each ethnic group marks their respective festival.

Celebrating for the children

"Don't wish us 'Happy New Year!'" pointed out Pri 4 form teacher Mdm Shirin Osman, dispelling the not-uncommon misconception that Hari Raya Puasa is the Islamic new year. "Say 'Happy Eid' or 'Selamat Hari Raya' instead," she advised her pupils, winding up her presentation with pictures of scrumptious Hari Raya goodies that they would soon enjoy at the stalls downstairs.

Pupil volunteers share the art of wrapping kueh dadar.

In a similar vein, another Pri 4 form teacher Ms Mano Mani shared how Deepavali is not the Hindu new year but a Festival of Lights that symbolises the triumph of good over evil. "No black!" she advised pupils, should they plan to visit Hindu friends for a get-together over muruku and halwa.

"We organised this celebration especially for the children," said Mrs Goh (as Mdm Ong is known in school) during a breather from her growing mountain of mooncakes. "And because it's Children's Day tomorrow, we've specially organised a games day for the children."

"It's really about bonding, not just for the students, but also the staff and parents," she adds. "We are learning from each other how to make the traditional delicacies of the various ethnic groups. The parent volunteers are also very keen and proud to take part because the children get to see their parents involved in the school activities."

Parent volunteer Mdm Josephine Wee demonstrates how to put together a Chinese lantern.

Most of the parent volunteers helped to man booths offering festival treats such as satay and muruku, as well as demonstrate how to make mooncakes, vadai and kueh dadar. One parent who did something a little different was Janice Soh, who showed the pupils how to put together a Chinese lantern using a wire frame, coloured paper and glue.

"I learnt this when I was maybe seven or eight years old," says Mdm Soh. "I remember it even now." Her daughter, Suzanne, is in Pri 3 and according to her mother, is "very excited as she likes to see me in school and involved in these volunteer activities."

Learning from each other

Pri 4 pupil volunteers Nurul Izzah and Siti Safiya were equally busy at their booth showing schoolmates how to fold, cut and skewer bite-sized pieces of kueh dadar. "It's made of coconut and pandan batter," explained Siti, who learnt the skill from her grandparents and hopes to teach her friends how to make the savoury snack.

Jumping as high as they can in a game of 'zero point'.

Another young volunteer was Pri 5 pupil Mustafa, who showed his friends how to play the traditional 'zero point' game. "You have to use a special technique to jump over the rubber bands as the bands get higher," he said, grinning. "I also like to play capteh, because I joined the soccer team and am very good at kicking and jumping!"

Meanwhile, Mustafa's classmate, Irwan bin Hamdan, helped other pupils as they tried to unravel a heap of ice cream sticks without causing any stick to fall. "I gave them instructions," he chirped. "This game is very hard to play because the ice cream sticks are very flat."

Like many others, this was Pri 4 pupil Lam Lee Ting's first attempt at making a mooncake. Flattening the thick dough was the toughest part, but she managed to complete every step needed to make what she said was her "favourite mooncake." Mrs Goh hopes the other children will share Lee Ting's gumption. "This is something we want to encourage our pupils to do," she stated, her hands white with flour, "an eagerness to try something they have never done before."