Racial Harmony Day Commemoration 2026

Racial Harmony Day (RHD) was commemorated in Peicai Secondary School in Term 3 Week 4, from 20 to 23 July 2026. This year's commemoration was anchored by the with the theme that has guided our school's RHD journey: "Our People, Our Tapestry". This serves as a reminder that our cultural threads, each unique yet intertwined, form a tapestry of shared heritage, and that it is our shared responsibility to mend and strengthen them through understanding and respect.

The week's activities were designed to deepen students’ cultural appreciation and empathy. Across all levels, students were invited to recognise that harmony is not simply the absence of conflict, but something actively built through curiosity, openness, and a willingness to understand the lives and traditions of those around us.

The programme began with a CCE lesson package that encouraged lower and upper secondary students to reflect on how their responses shape Singapore’s racial and religious harmony. It highlighted how everyday interactions, including online ones, contribute to the society we build together.

A highlight unique to Peicai this year was the Ethnic Cultural Exchange, a school-designed activity that invited every student to bring a piece of their own culture to share with their classmates. Students were invited to bring one palm-sized item from home, or a photograph of that item, that represents their cultural heritage to share with their classmates. Students reflected on how and when their item is used, its cultural significance, and how it connects them to their community and heritage as they shared that item with their classmates. The classroom conversations that followed were rich and personal, with students sharing stories behind items they have brought. These exchanges fostered genuine cross-cultural literacy, as students learned not just facts about other cultures, but the values, memories, and meanings that those cultures carry.

Throughout the week, a Static Infographic Display on Traditional Games was set up for all students to explore. Going beyond passive reading, students were also able to try out the traditional games featured, making the learning hands-on and experiential. The interactive nature of the display encouraged students to engage with cultural traditions in a playful and open-spirited way, reflecting the kind of acceptance and curiosity that lies at the heart of harmonious living.

During recess on 20 and 21 July, the school's foyer came alive with vendor-run craft and creative booth activities that showcased the artistic traditions of Singapore's three main ethnic communities. The Cultural Arts Showcase featured Chinese Cultural Arts through chopstick painting, Malay Cultural

Arts through bunga manggar making, and Tamil Cultural Arts through oil lamp painting — each activity offering students a hands-on encounter with the cultural significance behind these traditions. Students who painted oil lamps, for instance, came away with a deeper understanding and appreciation of the symbolism of light in Tamil culture, while those who crafted bunga manggar gained insight into the communal spirit of Malay wedding traditions.

Taken together, this year's RHD commemoration offered Peicaians a meaningful opportunity to develop civic and cross-cultural literacy. By learning about the heritage of their peers, students practised empathy and respect, and were reminded that appreciating diversity is not merely a civic duty but a source of genuine richness in our shared lives. Recognising that racial and religious harmony in Singapore is a deliberate and essential aspect of our nation's identity, being aware of and appreciating the cultural background and identity of self and others, and showing sensitivity and openness in interactions with people from diverse communities are values that Peicai is committed to nurturing in every student.

A Lower Secondary student works through a crossword puzzle featuring key terms from an article from ST IN, as part of the RHD CCE lesson package designed to make reading about racial and religious harmony engaging and accessible.

A student takes centre stage to show his classmates how a sarong is worn, explaining its place in Malay culture and the significance it holds during Hari Raya celebrations. Moments like these, where students share their own lived cultural experiences, are at the heart of what makes Peicai's Ethnic Cultural Exchange so meaningful.

A student with Vietnamese and Singaporean heritage shares about the áo dài, a traditional Vietnamese dress known for its elegance and often paired with the iconic nón lá conical hat, as part of Peicai's Ethnic Cultural Exchange. Moments like these remind us that every student carries a unique cultural story worth celebrating.

Students follow along as a vendor demonstrates how to craft bunga manggar, learning about the history, cultural significance, and use of these iconic decorative ornaments in traditional Malay weddings, all while making one themselves.