Maids of all faiths party together at Christmas bash

An industrial estate is the last place where you would expect to detect signs of life on Christmas Day.

But on Sunday, one office in Bukit Merah was pulsing with the sounds of heavy-metal Christmas songs.

A free Christmas party, organised by the Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training (Fast) at its modest clubhouse, was in full swing. About 300 maids had shown up after hearing about the event on Facebook and by word of mouth.

Maids from the Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka - whether Christian, Muslim or Buddhist - enjoyed the festive mood. Some wore red-and-white caps as they took photos on their phones, before hitting the dance floor.

Ms Sumarni Suginen, 42, sported a bright red tudung at the party. Originally from Palembang, she has worked in Singapore for almost eight years. "I come to every party here, Hari Raya or Deepavali. I am Muslim but I also respect other religions," she said.

Spirits were raised at the six-hour event with a performance by Dabarkads, a small local electric guitar band comprising Filipino musicians, which sang Christmas songs in Tagalog.

Sri Lankans Pasgodayaye Gedara Indrani Fernando, 51, and Welendra Mulacharige Wimalawathie, 55 - both Buddhists - said they enjoyed the songs because they love music and dance.

As she joined in the footwork, Ms Indrani said: "Any music also can, because we just follow the rhythm."

Her employer's family is on holiday in Canada, she said, and she planned to send them pictures of the party.

Ms Wimalawathie had delayed her Sunday prayers at Sri Lankaramaya Temple in St Michael's Road to attend the party. "I can go to the temple anytime. This party is for people of all religions to make friends and be happy," she said.

Guests dined on turkey and roast meat, and lucky draw prizes were up for grabs, courtesy of the event's individual and corporate sponsors.

A few lucky maids walked away with prizes such as an Indian-made Karbonn smartphone, a Fossil watch and a rice cooker.

Mr Seah Seng Choon, president of Fast, said that the event "helps the other religious faiths to understand what Christmas is all about - about love, about caring for one another, about reaching out to other human beings".

He added: "It also helps to foster bonds between the foreign domestic workers."

Foreign domestic workers enjoyed a day out at other venues around the island, too.

Gardens by the Bay gave almost 300 free tickets under its Gift of Gardens outreach scheme to maids who volunteer with local charity Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics. An adult ticket to the Gardens' two conservatories normally costs $20.

Ms Peggy Chong, deputy chief executive of Gardens by the Bay, said: "Migrant workers have contributed in many different ways to Singapore... We hope they have a memorable experience with their friends."