The word Chingay is from the Hokkien dialect, of which the Mandarin equivalent is “Zhuang Yi” , meaning “the art of masquerade”. The festival began as a neighbourhood parade with only Chinese elements in 1973. Today, the Chingay Parade has evolved to be the grandest street and floats parade in Asia, showcasing the rich, vibrant multi-culturalism of Singapore and exciting cultures all over the world. To all Singaporeans, the next Chingay Parade is a parade of our people, our dreams and our pride!
Source: http://www.chingay.org.sg/
