What could be the largest egg hunt in Singapore will take place at Mount Faber in the HarbourFront area and on Sentosa island this Easter.
In a twist on the Easter tradition, participants do not have to get on their hands and knees and search for the colourful, painted eggs - all they need is a smartphone.
One hundred giant eggs, measuring 1.5m by 1m, will be scattered across the precinct spanning 520ha. They will be on display from today to May 5.
To "pick up" the eggs, participants must use their smartphone to scan the Quick Response code (a type of barcode) displayed at the bottom of each egg. Prizes worth a total of $100,000 are up for grabs. The one who "collects" the most eggs will take home a grand prize of $5,000 in cash and a pink sapphire and diamond egg pendant worth more than $10,000. If there is a tie, the winner will be decided by a lucky draw.
The event, called The Great Egg-Venture, has been submitted to the Singapore Book Of Records, a non-profit organisation established in 2005 to compile and adjudicate all national records, as "Singapore's Largest Easter Egghunt".
It is organised by the three-month-old Sentosa HarbourFront Business Association. It consists of 30 members such as Mount Faber Leisure Group, VivoCity and Sentosa Development.
Mr Chang Yeng Cheong, who heads the event subcommittee, says the association wanted to commemorate the inaugural event by setting a record. He believes such a large-scale Easter egg hunt has not been done here.
While Easter for Christians marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the tradition of painting and decorating Easter eggs is a popular, non-religious activity. There are two versions of how this custom originated: from pagan rituals, or the egg seen as a symbol of the risen Christ.
The association's chairman Goh Chye Boon says he hopes the egg hunt will draw new visitors to the area and rekindle fond memories which many Singaporeans have of Sentosa and HarbourFront.
"A lot has changed here in the last five to 10 years... The egg hunt is a unique way to allow tourists and Singaporean families alike to explore the precinct," adds the executive vice-president of resort operations at Resorts World Sentosa.
He hopes to develop the hunt into a signature event for the precinct. The event is expected to attract a crowd of 200,000 over three weeks.
The eggs were painted in different designs by about 200 people aged nine to 55, including local artists, students and youths from the National Youth Achievement Award Council. The association chose the painters by reaching out to partners it worked with in the past.
Ms Amelia Lee, an 18-year-old design student from Temasek Polytechnic, jumped at the chance to be one of the painters. "Not everyone gets a chance to paint such a big egg," she says.
She painted a mermaid on her egg because it will be displayed next to The Merlion in Sentosa. She used thick brush strokes to create the texture for the scales, pastel colours for a "soothing, dreamy effect" and stuck starfish on it to represent the bikini. The project took her more than five days.
Home-grown fashion designer Gilda Su, 31, of the label Revasseur also went for a marine theme. She created an "egg sailor" complete with costume, hat and tattoos. She was inspired by Siloso beach, where her egg will be displayed.
"The challenging thing was to make something which could withstand harsh outdoor conditions. The materials we used had to be water-resistant. In the end, we used a lacquer meant for cars and motorbikes as a coating over our paint," says Ms Su, who spent more than two weeks on her work with two assistants.
The eggs, made of fibreglass in Malaysia, cost $2,000 each and weigh between 30kg and 50kg.
Housewife Dalia Mansor, 30, is looking forward to taking her four children, aged between two and nine, to join the hunt. Her oldest child Muhamad Danial, a Primary 3 pupil at Chongzheng Primary School, was one of the painters.
She says: "It looks like a fun and educational activity. It is a good chance to teach my kids about traditions practised by other religions."
The Great Egg-Venture includes other fringe activities, such as a programme which teaches the public how to walk on eggshells at Siloso Beach and an appearance by a diver dressed in a bunny costume at Resorts World Sentosa.
