The Culture of Singapore – Where East Meets West!
Singapore‘s culture is a fusion of Southeast Asian, Malay, South Asian, and Eurasian elements. Over time, Singaporean culture, which is typified by its cosmopolitanism, has seen significant changes. Originally, immigrants from Taiwan who were Austronesian in descent shaped Singapore’s indigenous culture. Over the years, several Chinese dynasties and other Asian nations had a greater effect on and inspiration for Singapore’s culture, which ultimately helped to build the unique and remarkable Singaporean culture that we witness today.
Table of Contents:
- Singapore’s Customs & Traditions
- Cleanliness in Singapore
- Fine City: General Offences
- Queuing in Singapore
- Religion in Singapore
- Language of Singapore
- Singapore’s Cuisine
- Festivals of Singapore
- Singapore’s Folk Dance and Music
- Arts and Crafts in Singapore
- History of Singapore
- Architecture in Singapore
Singapore’s Customs & Traditions
Because of its long history as a center of trade, Singapore, despite its small size, has a diverse population with influences from many ethnic groups, including Chinese, Malay, Indians, and others. English, Mandarin, Tamil, and Malay are among the spoken languages that demonstrate this variety. Several well-known Singaporean traditions and customs include:
- Make sure to give everyone you meet, whether professionally or casually, a solid handshake, even while you’re leaving. It is polite to bow slightly when shaking hands.
- Before going inside someone’s home, take off your shoes. Don’t forget to remove them before entering any mosques or temples.
- Always raise your hand to indicate rather than using your finger to point at someone or something.
- As gender discrimination is illegal in Singapore, be careful not to offend anyone.
- In Singapore, leaving a tip is not traditional. Tipping is often prohibited at restaurants as most of them include a 10% service fee in the bill. At food courts and hawker centers, do not leave gratuities. Additionally, Changi Airport strictly prohibits tipping.
- In Singapore, it is considered respectful to address middle-aged and elderly individuals as “Uncle” or “Auntie.”
- When using chopsticks for eating, avoid placing them straight in the bowl. It is said to bring ill luck and is reminiscent of burial customs.
- Keep your hands off people’s heads since many people view them as sacrosanct. Do not aim your feet directly at someone, though, as they are seen to be unclean.
- In most Singaporean locations, casual attire is permitted, including shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops. For fine dining establishments, bring a formal attire and dress shoes.
Cleanliness in Singapore
Among the cleanest nations in the world, not just in Asia, is Singapore without a doubt. There is not a single piece of garbage whatsoever, from the immaculate Changi Airport to the pristine streets and by-lanes. In Singapore, chewing gum is prohibited to preserve sanitation. A dentist’s prescription is still required for the restricted supply of medicinal chewing gums that have been permitted since the USA’s 2004 free trade agreement. Every year, the nation presents Clean & Green Singapore awards to the districts that achieve the highest levels of environmental cleanliness and public hygiene.
Fine City: General Offences
Singapore’s laws and regulations severely criminalize a number of behaviors that are regarded as misdemeanors or non-violent offenses in the majority of other nations. The following are Singapore’s common offenses:
- Attempting to enter the nation with chewing gum without a prescription or having it in your possession.
- Jaywalking is the illegal act of walking or crossing the street; this includes failing to use the pedestrian walkway, the zebra crossing, or the traffic signals.
- Smoking is prohibited in public spaces and in places where “No Smoking” signs are displayed.
- Spitting or urinating in public places.
- Dumping trash outside of a trashcan rather than in the roadway.
- Fighting in a public setting, such as a bar fight or a disturbance involving two or more persons, is known as affray.
Queuing in Singapore
Discipline is highly valued among Singaporeans. When something is good, they don’t mind waiting in line for it. In Singapore, you’ll find some of the most orderly lineups you’ll ever see because Singaporeans understand that standing in line is a waste of time and a headache and that human nature dictates that we should always obtain what we want before someone else does.
Because of the vast number of Southern Chinese immigrants and their descendants, Chinese Buddhism is the predominant religion in Singapore. The religion of people of South Indian ancestry, Hinduism, is also widely practiced. The number of young Singaporeans who are inclined toward Christianity is expanding tremendously as a belief system.
Malay, Mandarin Chinese, English, and Tamil are the four official languages of Singapore. English is the language that is spoken and written the most in this former colonial nation. In Singapore, it is the de facto language used in trade and business, public administration, and the legal system as it is the lingua franca. British English is used in writing in Singapore. The spoken vernacular of Singaporean English, however, is referred to as “Singlish” throughout the region. Only 15–17% of Singaporeans are able to communicate in Malay, despite it being the native language of the nation.
The local cuisine of Singapore is majorly influenced by Chinese, Malay, Indian and Indonesian dishes (source)
Although living in Singapore is not inexpensive, eating there is quite affordable. This nation is fueled by delectable, mouthwatering cuisine, which are found in everything from high-end restaurants to outdoor cafés and street vendors. Although Singapore is a multicultural center, it offers a wide variety of cuisines, the most popular ones being Chinese, Indonesian, Indian, and Malay. Singapore is known for its hawker centers, where a vast array of flavors may be sampled in primarily outdoor communal seating. Though Singapore’s unrivaled street food legacy is the inspiration behind the concept of hawker centers, the biggest one, located on the second floor of Chinatown Complex, serves the world’s most affordable Michelin-starred meal – a dish of soy-sauce chicken rice or noodles – for just SGD 2.
The meals with noodles and broth, as well as skewers of pig, lamb, or seafood, are the most popular. Essentially a bowl of vermicelli noodles topped with fishcakes or prawns, laksa is a popular street cuisine. Tiger beer is a well-liked beverage among consumers, while those who abstain from alcohol like The Tarik, which is a classic Singaporean black tea served with milk and aerated between two glasses. Tipping is not customary when dining out at Singaporean restaurants, so keep that in mind. The country is renowned for paying its waiters minimum wage, and most establishments charge a 10% service fee. It is not customary to leave tips, and they might be misconstrued.
A significant number of religious celebrations that occur throughout the year have a significant impact on Singaporean culture. The National Day Parade has been held annually since 2005 to commemorate the nation’s Independence Day, which falls on August 9. Apart from this, the diversity of Singapore’s ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups is reflected in the list of official holidays. Among the assured ones, there is Chinese New Year, Eid-ul-Fitr, Diwali and Buddhist Vesak Day or the Death of Buddha, as well as Good Friday, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Other celebrated festivals are Pongal, Thaipusam, Buddha Jayanti and Hari Raya Haji.
Among the cultural events are the Singapore Food Festival, which takes place every year from June to July end, the Singapore Art Festival in January, and the Singapore Night Festival, which takes place at the Bras Basah Bugis art enclave every year and features two weekends in August with a new theme. Buddhists offer food to the souls of their departed at the Hungry Ghost Festival. The Dragon Boat Festival, or Zhongxao Festival in Chinese, is held at Bedok Reservoir in May and June. Aside from a few hundred spectators, dragon-shaped boats are raced. One of the biggest festivals in the nation is the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival, which falls on the fifteenth and last day of Chinese New Year celebrations.
Singapore’s Folk Dance and Music
The variety of dance styles, including both traditional and modern styles, reflects Singapore’s multifaceted cultural landscape. Singapore is a cosmopolitan nation, with the Chinese community making up the majority of the island’s population together with Indians, Malays, and Indonesians. The Malay national dance, Zapin, is well-liked among Malays, whereas the Chinese community performs the Lion Dance at celebrations such as New Year’s. In some Singaporean schools, Indian dance forms like Kathak and Bharatanatyam are taught. With free jazz and opera events periodically held along the waterfront at Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay, this is unquestionably one of the greatest locations to enjoy western-style performing arts, including ballet and opera, thanks to the generosity of the Symphony Orchestra. The island is also well-known for hosting a variety of music events, including the innovative Baybeats and the Mosaic Music Festival, which draw rock bands and celebrities from across the world each year.
Arts and Crafts in Singapore
In order to highlight Singapore’s cultural culture, there are several museums, art galleries, and musical orchestras. More than 8,000 pieces by South Asian painters may be seen at the main institution, National Gallery Singapore. Red Dot Museum, which is known for its love of paintings of commonplace, daily items, and Singapore Art Museum, which concentrates on contemporary art, are two other notable names.
Folk, pop, rock, and classical music are all beloved by Singaporeans. SSO, which was founded in 1979 and has its main location at Esplanade Concert Hall, leads the musical scene. The country’s biggest venue for celebrating performing arts is The Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.
During the reign of Srivijaya, Singapore’s history began in 650 A.D. Thereafter, the island nation was held by numerous different entities, including the Johor Sultanate, the Malacca Sultanate, and the Kingdom of Singapura. When Muslim Indian soldiers were sent to battle the Ottoman Empire, a Muslim state, in 1915, the colony – which had been a British colony in 1824 – went through a revolution. Starting with the British forces’ defeat in the Battle of Singapore and culminating in a Japanese invasion, Singapore was severely impacted by the Second World War. Even though Singapore was a Commonwealth nation for many years after the war, they became independent on August 9, 1965.
It is simple to distinguish between Singapore’s pre-war and post-war urban landscapes. The majority of the traditional buildings, which date back to before World War II, were typical Malay homes, businesses, schools, and places of worship designed in the Neoclassical, Gothic, Renaissance, and Palladian styles. The idea of constructing air-raid shelters was introduced during the war. The modernist, postmodernist, and art deco styles are largely influencing post-war architecture.
Little India, Chinatown and Tiong Bahru are just a few of the neighborhoods that exemplify Singapore’s culture, which celebrates variety in all of its forms. Everything appears to be extremely Singaporean from the outside. Upon closer examination, however, it becomes clear how disparate backgrounds have coexisted peacefully to form what the outside world considers to be Singapore’s authentic culture.
Source: https://bit.ly/3W2BstV
