Culture of Singapore

Encyclopedia : C : CU : CUL : Culture of Singapore

Life in Singapore
Culture
Politics
Economy
Education
Demographics
Music
Film
Literature
Holidays
Languages
Singlish
Transport
Religion
Sports
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As Singapore is a small and relatively modern amalgam of Chinese, Malay and Indian immigrants, the culture of Singapore expresses the diversity of the population as the various ethnic groups continue to celebrate their own cultures while they intermingle with one another. For example, one can find a Malay wedding taking place beside a Chinese wedding at a void deck, on the ground floor of a HDB apartment block. This can be said to be due to the policies of the HDB which tried to make sure all public housing have a diverse mix of races. However, Singapore has achieved a significant degree of cultural diffusion with its unique combination of these ethnic groups, and has given Singapore a rich mixture of diversity for its young age.

Singapore has several distinct ethnic neighbourhoods, including Little India, Chinatown and Kampong Glam, formed by the Raffles Plan of Singapore in the early 19th century to segregate the new immig|rants into specific areas. Although the population are no longer segregated in distribution, mainly due to the policies of the Housing Development Board and the ruling People's Action Party, these ethnic neighbourhoods retain unique elements of their specific culture. The usage of such neighbourhoods is mostly commercial or for cottage industry specific to the culture of its ethnic neighbourhood, and no longer plays a large part in housing the population, although it was once used for that purpose. Hence, these neighbourhoods have patronage of all races who wish to either eat or buy something specific to that culture.

For example, Little India is known and patronised by all races within the population for its thalis-- South Indian "buffets" that are vegetarian and served on the traditional banana leaves. These neighbourhoods are accessible by public transport, especially by Mass Rapid Transit (MRT).

In other parts of the country, such segregation is discouraged by government policy. The policies of the Housing Development Board are designed to encourage a mix of all races within each housing district. This effect can be observed in all parts of the country; for example a store devoted to selling Malay food might be right next to stores selling Chinese or Indian goods. The aim is to foster social cohesion and national loyalty, which Lee Kuan Yew felt was crucial for sustaining Singapore after independence when he was Prime Minister. There is a weighty emphasis on racial harmony and subsequent case study of historical events, such as the 1964 Race Riots.

Festivals

Singapore celebrates festivals from different ethnicities

The major public holidays reflect the mentioned racial diversity, including Chinese New Year, Buddhist Vesak Day, Muslim Eid ul-Fitr (known locally by its Malay name Hari Raya Puasa), and Hindu Diwali (known locally by its Tamil name Deepavali). Christians constitute a large minority, and Christmas Day, Good Friday, and New Year's Day are also public holidays.

On August 9, Singapore celebrates the anniversary of its independence with a series of events, including the National Day Parade which is the main ceremony. The National Day Parade, 2005 was held at the Padang in the city centre.

Religion

Singapore is a multi-religious country, the roots of which can be traced to its strategic location; after its declaration as a port, a wide variety of nationalities and ethnicities from places as far as Arabia immigrated to Singapore. More than 40% of the Singaporeans adhere to Mahayana Buddhism, the main faith of the Chinese population of Singapore. Other Chinese are followers of Taoism, Confucianism, and Christianity, including Catholics. Christians constitute about 14% of the population of Singapore. Most Malays are Muslims, who constitute about 15% of the population, while most Indians are Hindus, constituting 7%. There is also a sizable number of Muslims and Sikhs in the Indian population.

As a result of this diversity, there are a large number of religious buildings including Hindu temples, churches and mosques, some of which have great historical significance. There are also some Sikh temples and Jewish synagogues. These interesting buildings often became prominent architectural landmarks in cosmopolitan Singapore.

A selected list of include

• Hajjah Fatimah Mosque
• Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Temple
• Masjid Jamae
• Sakya Muni Buddha Gaya Temple
• Central Sikh Temple
• Sri Mariamman Temple
• Sultan Mosque
• St. Andrew's Cathedral
• Saint Joseph's Church (former Portuguese Mission)
• Chesed-El Synagogue

Racial harmony

Religious tolerance has been strongly encouraged since the British colonised Singapore; the Sri Mariamman Temple (a south Indian Hindu temple that was declared a national heritage site in the 1980s), as well as the Masjid Jamae Mosque that served Chulia Muslims from India's Coromandel Coast is situated along South Bridge Road, which is a major, and old road that runs through Chinatown. Among other religious landmarks is the Church of Gregory the Illuminator, that was built in 1836, making it one of the oldest religious buildings in Singapore. It has been preserved to the present day, and Orthodox services continue to be held in it. Although orthodox religions are tolerated, some groups are banned, including Jehovah's Witness, which opposes Singapore's policy of national service.

Cuisine

A food centre in Lavender, Singapore

Main article: cuisine of Singapore

Singaporean cuisine is also a prime example of diversity and cultural diffusion in Singapore. In Singapore's hawker centres, for example, traditionally Malay hawker stalls selling halal food may serve halal versions of traditionally Tamil food. Chinese stalls may introduce Malay ingredients, cooking techniques or entire dishes into their range of catering. This continues to make the cuisine of Singapore significantly rich and a cultural attraction.

Favorite local food include:

• Bak kut teh
• Char kway teow
• Hainanese chicken rice
• Hokkien mee
• Ketupat
• Laksa
• Nasi lemak
• Rojak
• Roti prata
• Satay

Language

Coxford Singlish Dictionary, a book on Singlish

There are 4 official languages in Singapore: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

In general, English tends to be the 1st language spoken widely in the business, education and government sector of Singapore. But colloquially, the Singaporean also speak a diverse and mixed language that can involve English, Singlish, Chinese, Malay and Tamil, depending on the circle one is associated with, the age group, the race and the places in Singapore.

The English used is primarily British English, with some American English influences. The local colloquial dialect of English is known formally as Singapore Colloquial English (though it is more commonly called "Singlish"), and has many creole-like characteristics, having incorporated much vocabulary and grammar from various Chinese dialects, Malay, and Indian languages. Singlish is basically identical to Manglish (the English dialect of Malaysia), and is the usual language on the streets, but is frowned upon in official contexts, and this matter has been brought up in recent years in the Parliament and the ruling party. English used among the population generally became more widespread after the implementation of English as a first language medium in the Singapore education system in 1980.

Mandarin Chinese is the second most commonly-spoken language among the Singaporean Chinese population. It became widespread after the start of Mandarin language campaign during 1980, which aims to make Mandarin the common speech tongue among the Chinese in Singapore. In 1990s, effort was taken to target the English-educated Chinese. Colloquially (on street), the Mandarin in Singapore is spoken in a mixed way similar to Singlish, in which Mandarin is often mixed with other Chinese dialects, English or Malay words. The accent of Mandarin Chinese language spoken in Singapore is largely influenced by Chinese dialects such as Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew etc and in comparison to the standard Beijing accent, it has no curl-up tone, exhibiting a Chinese accent unique only in Singapore.

Performing arts

, a production by Singapore Repertory Theatre is one of the most successful original musicals staged in Singapore.

Singapore is emerging as a cultural centre for arts and culture, including theatre and music. As a cosmopolitan and multi-racial society, Singapore is often identified with the "gateway between the East and West". In the past decade, there is an emergence of several performing arts groups in Singapore, especially in theatrical arts. A number of productions were staged successfully and several groups, such as TheatreWorks, have performed in overseas.

Prominent local arts groups include:

• TheatreWorks
• ACT 3 International
• The Necessary Stage
• Singapore Repertory Theatre
• W!LD RICE
• The Theatre Practice
• Singapore Dance Theatre
• Dance Ensemble Singapore
• Singapore Symphony Orchestra
• Singapore Chinese Orchestra
• Orkestra Melayu Singapura
• Singapore Indian Orchestra and Choir
• The Singapore Lyric Opera

Movies

I Not Stupid, a successful Singaporean film

Main article: Cinema of Singapore

The development of film industry in Singapore has a considerably late start and therefore lags significantly behind that of other countries or economies in the region such as Hong Kong. Before 1990s, it was thought that the local market was too small for the industry. However since then, the industry has sprouted with a number of movies made and released successfully. Two important pioneers in local film-making are Eric Khoo and Jack Neo, both of whom produced several popular movies depicting unique cultural and social aspects of the country, especially concerning the lives of Singapore heartlanders. In particular, the movie I Not Stupid struck an emotional chord among many Singaporeans as its story highlighted many of the issues they face in an increasingly competitive society.

On 13 December 2003, 10 year old Megan Zheng became the first Singaporean actress to win the Taipei Film Festival Golden Horse Award for Best New Performer (co-recipient) with her role in Jack Neo's movie Homerun.

Selected list of Singaporean films:

• Mee Pok Man (1995)
• Army Daze (1996)
• I Not Stupid (2002) 小孩不笨
• Homerun (2003) 跑吧,孩子
• I Not Stupid Too (2006) 小孩不笨二

Notable artists

Siow Lee Chin, violinist

Stefanie Sun won the Best Female Mandarin Singer award in Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards, 2005

• Zoe Tay, actress
• Ah Du, singer
• Tan Swie Hian, artist, calligrapher, poet
• Liu Kang, artist
• Siow Lee Chin, violinist
• Vanessa Mae, violinist
• Kam Ning, violinist
• Lee Huei Min, violinist
• Melvyn Tan, pianist
• Seow Yit Kin, pianist
• Jeremy Monteiro, jazz pianist
• Neila Sathyalingam, choreographer
• Elaine Chan, music composer and director
• Liang Wern Fook, writer, musician
• Catherine Lim, writer
• Jack Neo, actor, film-maker
• Eric Khoo, film-maker
• Gurmit Singh (aka Phua Chu Kang), TV actor
• Fann Wong, actress
• Kit Chan or Chen Jieyi, actress, singer
• Stephanie Sun Yan Zi, singer
• Tanya Chua or Cai Jianya, singer
• Michelle Alicia Saram, singer and actress
• Corrinne May, singer and songwriter
• Dick Lee, singer, music composer and playwright
• Jocie Guo, singer
• Huang Yida, singer and music composer

Recreation and sports

Aide Iskandar, captain of the Singapore national football team, hoists the Tiger Cup in 2004.

Singaporeans participate in a wide variety of sports and recreational activities. Favorite sports include soccer, swimming, badminton, basketball and table tennis. Most people lived in public residential areas that often provide amenities including swimming pools, outdoor basketball courts as well as indoor sport centres that can be used for badminton, table tennis, volleyball among others.

Living on an island, the people also enjoy many water activities including sailing, kayaking and waterskiing. There is also a number of avid recreational scuba divers and one of their favorite diving spots is a southern island called Pulau Hantu, known for its rich coral reefs.

The main spectacle sport is soccer where there is a semi-professional S.League. Launched in 1996, the league now consists of 10 teams competing with each other in stadiums around the country. In 2004, the Singapore national football team became the two-time winner of the Tiger Cup. The team had previously won the trophy in 1998.

While not a major sporting power, Singapore's sportspersons have performed relatively well in regional as well as international competitions, especially in table tennis, badminton, bowling, sailing, silat, swimming and water polo. Some athletes such as Li Jiawei and Ronald Susilo have become national celebrities.

Architecture

The durian-shaped Esplanade (on the left) stands out in front of the Marina Bay area

The tall business buildings of the Central Area comprise the skyline along the coast of the Marina Bay, which is one of Singapore's famous tourist attractions. The statue of the Merlion is situated there. Since the late 1990s, the government has been striving to promote Singapore as a centre for arts and culture, including theatre and music. This positions Singapore to be a cosmopolitan and diverse society, often hailed as the "gateway between the East and West". The highlight of this plan is the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, a centre for performing arts that opened in 2003, built at an estimated cost of S$1 billion, is noted for its exterior which resembles a durian to some people.

Popular culture

Singapore is also home to Zouk, one of Asia's most famous nightclubs.

Cultural policy

Singapore maintains tight restrictions on arts and cultural performances. Most artistic works have to be vetted by the government in advance, and topics that breach so-called out of bounds markers (OB markers) are not permitted. While the OB markers are not publicly defined, they are generally assumed to include sensitive topics such as race, religion, and allegations of corruption or nepotism in government. Nudity and other forms of loosely-defined "obscenity" are also banned. Singaporean film director Royston Tan has produced movies which challenge these policies, including a movie called Cut in reference to censorship of the arts. Jake Lloyd Smith, 24 July 2004. [Singapore filmmaker takes Cut at censors], Houston Chronicle, retrieved January 25, 2006.

The country's first pre-tertiary arts school, The Arts School, is currently being built at Kirk Terrace. Expected to commence in 2008, the school aims to provide an environment for nurturing young artists aged between 13 and 18 years old. By Valarie Tan.

National Symbols

• Flag of Singapore
• Coat of arms of Singapore
• Majulah Singapura - the National Anthem of Singapore
• Singapore National Pledge
• Vanda Miss Joaquim - the National Flower of Singapore
• Symbol of Singapore - the Lion Head symbol

See also

• Holidays in Singapore
• Cinema of Singapore
• Cuisine of Singapore
• Literature of Singapore
• Music of Singapore
• Tourism in Singapore

References and notes