Singapore Local Customs

  water
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  • water
      water
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  • circle
      circle
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  • souvenirs galore
      souvenirs galore
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  • more souvenirs
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  • in food courts
      in food courts
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Most Viewed Local Customs in Singapore

126.

Daily Customs   Singapore

Daily Customs, Singapore

 20 Reviews  Often and much you will listen of how is a Durian Fruit. Much people like it. In Singapore is in the Bugis market area a Durian seller, where you can see how to manage to open this tropical fruit-... 

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127.

Singlish   Singapore

Singlish, Singapore

 8 Reviews  Singlish, quite literally, means Singapore English-- a unique blend of the languages and dialects of the diverse ethnic groups residing here. Most Singaporeans are actually capable of speaking proper... 

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128.

HDB Housing   Singapore

HDB Housing, Singapore

 6 Reviews  Most of the HDB estates have shops at ground floor level selling day to day items that you may need for around the home. They sell a large varietyof things like foods and drinks, alcoholic... 

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129.

Weather   Singapore

Weather, Singapore

 2 Reviews   Singapore is very near the Equator, surrounded by water and HUMID all year round. Plan accordingly. Wear cool comfortable clothes and stop into air conditioned hotels or shops from time to time to... 

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Diverse Culture and Unique Heritage

by bkoon

Singapore is a multi-cultural society. When modern Singapore was founded by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1819, immigrants from around the region came to Singapore, settled down here and hence, explaining the multi-cultural, multi-religion, multi-customs Singapore.Currently, the population of Singapore of approximately 4.34 million of residents (Singaporeans, Permanent Residents and Foreigners). Among its 3.7 million of Singaporeans and Permanent Residents, 76% are Chinese, about 14% are Malays, 8% of Indians and about 2% minorities.In the next few tips, I shall explain some of the diverse races and the customs each racial group embraces.

Sir Stamford Raffles

by Flipboy

Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles is found all over Singapore, from statues to name stakes: Raffles hotel, Swissôtel The Stamford, Raffles city, etc. Trivia:The flower Rafflesia is named after Sir Stamford Raffles, it is a parasitic plant that smells of rotting meat.Website:...He established a settlement on the island of Singapore to extend British influence in Southeast Asia and later developed an administration here....On the 29th of Jan 1819, Raffles and Farquhar reached Singapore. They went to see the Temenggong, the chief of this island. Raffles asked permission from the Temenggong to setup a British settlement here. ...On the 6th of Feb 1819, Raffles set up a tent at the Padang and made Tengku Hussein the new Sultan of Johor. The Sultan and Temenggong signed a treaty with British, which allowed British to setup a settlement on the island, and in return, both Sultan and Temenggong...

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Others...

by zafilm

Apart of the major religions, there are some other religious followers here in Singapore.there are sixteens Sikh organizations,and seven Gurdwaras (Sikh Temples). Besides, there are two Jewish synagogoues,while the Zoroastrians and Jians, the followers of Mahavira,poccess no temple. A few numbers of free-thinker that strongly believe theirs own thinks.

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Malay

by zafilm

The Malay made up 15 percent of Singapore's population and were, like the Chinese and the Indians, descendants of immigrants. They or their ancestors came from peninsular Malaya, Sumatra, Java, and the other islands of the Indonesian archipelago. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Java was much more densely populated than peninsular Malaya, and its people had a significantly lower standard of living. From the mid-nineteenth century to the period just after World War II, many Javanese migrated to Singapore, attracted both by urban wages offering a higher living standard and by freedom from the constraints of their native villages, where they often occupied the lower reaches of the economic and social order. Singapore Malay community leaders estimated that some 50 to 60 percent of the community traced their origins to Java and an additional 15 to 20 percent to Bawean...

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Chinese

by zafilm

Singapore's Chinese residents were the descendants of immigrants from coastal southeastern China, an area of much linguistic and subcultural variation. The migrants spoke at least five mutually unintelligible Chinese languages, each of which contained numerous regional dialects. Singaporean usage, however, following the common Chinese tendency to assert cultural unity, referred to mutually unintelligible speech systems as "dialects." All the Chinese languages and dialects shared common origins and grammatical structures and could be written with the same Chinese idiograms, which represent meaning rather than sound. The primary divisions in the immigrant Chinese population therefore followed linguistic lines, dividing the populace into segments that were called dialect communities, speech groups, or even "tribes". In the nineteenth century, each speech group had its own set of...

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Indians

by zafilm

The Indians, although a component of Singapore's society since its founding, were in the 1980s its most immigrant-like community.Hindu is mostly indian religion.Almost two-thirds (64 percent) of the Indian population were Tamils from southeastern India's Tamil Nadu state; some Tamils also came from Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka. The great diversity of the Indian populace was indicated by the census category "other Indians," who made up a substantial 19 percent of the group, followed by Malayalis (8 percent); Punjabis, mostly Sikh (8 percent); and Gujaratis (1 percent). Like the Straits Chinese, some of Singapore's Indians adopted English as a first language, a change facilitated by the widespread use of English in India, where it had become another Indian language. Indians were the most religiously diverse of Singapore's ethnic categories; an estimated 50 to 60 percent were Hindu, 20 to...

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Caucasian

by zafilm

Mostly caucasian came from European and Western. The multiracial mix is such that most Singaporeans celebrate more than just the festivals of their own ethnic group. So a Chinese Christian might go to church, but also partake in the cultural rites in some Chinese festivals. Even when they don't actually celebrate certain festivals, many will visit their friends and neighbours from other ethnic communities to join in the fun. Of course (Singaporeans being the foodies that they are) it helps when you have Chinese noodles, Malay "satay"and Indian curry thrown in.Christian festivals have a fairly strong following in Singapore. Christmas in particular is heavily commercialised. The entire stretch of the Orchard Road shopping belt is lit up with decorative lights from November to early January.

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Blend of religion

by zafilm

Most Singaporeans celebrate the major festivals associated with their respective religions. The variety of religions is a direct reflection of the diversity of races living there. The Chinese are predominantly followers of Buddhism, Taoism, Shenism, Christians, Catholics and some considered as 'free-thinkers' (Those who do not belong to any religion). Malays have the Muslims and Indians are Hindus. There is a sizeable number of Muslims and Sikhs in the Indian population.Religious tolerance is essential in Singapore. In fact, religions often cross racial boundaries and some even merge in unusual ways in this modern country. Younger Singaporeans tend to combine a little of the mysteries of the older generation with the realistic world that they know of today.Religion is still an integral part of the cosmopolitan Singapore. Many of its most interesting buildings are religious, be it old...

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Toilets in the airport

by stephikins

Watch out for the automatic flushing toilets in Singapore Airport. A great idea but I got a fright every time it happened. Something to get used to I guess.Free internet is available at the airport but it has a time limit of 15 minutes. If it's not busy you can just log back on but be aware other people may be waiting to use it at peak times. Try upstairs from the transit shopping area to get a quiet internet connection.

Free-seating at the Budget Terminal

by Chyan

There are not enough free seats at the Budget Terminal. So, it's kiasuism taking place at the Budget Terminal and tourists can observe how far Singaporeans are considerate and polite here. There are no boarding call announcements. Time yourself when to board the aircraft of Tiger Airways and Air India Express. See the flight number screen first.

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Local traditions and culture in Singapore

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Local Customs: Cities in Singapore
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Questions and Answers

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Q:  We are flying into Singapore and will then be travelling onto Malaysia. We would like to visit Malacca, KL and Penang/Georgetown.... 

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A: Trains quite OK. The Malaysian Railways KTM offer both day trains and night trains to Kuala Lumpur, with quite comfortable 1st class seating and sleeping cars... 

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