Singapore Local Customs

Hanging clothes at my aunt's house

by AngMimi

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Hanging clothes at my aunt's house
by AngMimi
At Service Hall 3
by AngMimi
At St Stephan Church
by AngMimi
My aunt, Dorothy, Gerard and Molly
by AngMimi
at Mandai crematorium and columbarium
by AngMimi

Most Viewed Local Customs in Singapore

151.

Daily Customs Singapore

22 Reviews Dear Uncle Arthur We all missed you. My uncle died of cancer on 10th March 2012 at age 80, he gone peacefully without any pain. Cremation on 14th March 2012 at Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium...

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152.

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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153.

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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154.

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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Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Arrival and departure at the Budget Terminal

by Chyan

It takes 15 minutes to travel from Terminal 2 to the Budget Terminal. There are 10 departure counters and 14 arrival counters at the Budget Terminal. So, the queues are longer at the departure hall. So, be sure to arrive at the Budget Terminal earlier for Tiger Airways' flights to Padang and Phuket, Guangzhou and Haikou. The turnaround time is 30 to 40 minutes for a budget airline.Passengers upon arrival from overseas must not bring in drugs and tobacco. There are many X-ray scanning machines at the Budget Terminal. Claim baggage according to belt number. Talk to door handlers if baggage is damaged or lost. Tiger Airways' administrative office is at Terminal 1, not at the Budget Terminal. It has only one passenger ticket purchase counter at the check-in area.

Raincoat instead of umbrella

by Chyan

During your budget travel to and from Singapore with Tiger Airways, it is advisable to put on a raincoat rather than protect yourself with an umbrella during rainy days. This is because in the event of strong windy conditions, the umbrella might be blown away and stuck the engine, causing damage and flight abortion. Tiger Airways will charge the traveller a penalty of SGD10,000.00 for repair. The Budget Terminal is said to sell a disposable raincoat at SGD1.00.At the Budget Terminal, tourists must tolerate noise, kerosene smell and rain. The walkpath joining the departure and arrival halls is like a jail and a kelong unit. There are no proper windows except square holes on the wall. Rain water easily comes in during a thunderstorm and wets the walkpath. So, be careful when tourists walk to the gate.

Behaviour at the Budget Terminal

by Chyan

Tourists cannot take snapshots of Immigration counter and Police counter. There is no faster check-in for foreign tourists but Singaporeans and Permanent Residents can obtain an access card worth at a value of SGD30.00 for faster check-in. Firstly, tourists must report at the check-in counter. The Tiger Airways will process your check-in and issue you a boarding pass. There is no gate number on the boarding pass. Tourists have to hunt for the gate number of the specific Tiger Airways flight themselves. Before entering the Immigration counter, the Police matches the passenger name according to passport holder official name. They do not allow passengers who use a shorter name on the e-ticket to check-in. So, make sure your passport name appears on the boarding pass and e-ticket too.

Strick rules

by Pomska

- spitting is punishable according to law in Singapore- failure to flush your toilet can result in a $150 fine- littering of any kind is subject up to S$1.000 fine- import, sale and possession of chewing gum is prohibited- death penalty is mandatory for those convicted of trafficking, manufacturing, importing or exporting more than 15g of heroin, 20g of morphine, 30g of cocaine, 500g of cannabis, 200g of cannabis resin and 1.2kg of opium. For unauthorized consumption may result maximum of 10 years imprisonment or fine of $20.000 or both.

Multi-faith religious customs & considerations

by xuessium

THE CHINESE1) You should never buy clocks as gifts for Chinese friends (unless they do not mind). The Chinese words for "sending clocks" sound almost the same as "sending you to your grave". So, if you are intending to buy a gift for a Chinese friend, clocks should never be a consideration! On the other hand, watches are fine.2) Never stick your chopsticks upright in your rice. Chopsticks stuck straight up in a bowl of rice resembles jossticks in an urn which is only meant for funerals. Never ever do this during a banquet or during a hosted meal. Also, never use a chopstick and point at people. It's very rude.THE MALAYS1) Muslims do not drink alcohol, nor do they take meat of creatures deemed "dirty" in their religion, such as pork. Other meat such as poultry and beef, has to be slaughtered under the Islamic way before they can be consumed. Restaurants with the "Halal" sign/logo (see...

That "lah" thing

by bianchis

Part of the Singapore way of life is using "lah" to end your sentences. It adds enphasis to your sentences. So relax-lah and enjoy the local way of life.Have you tried Durian. Well if its durian season you will smell it, smell like bad drainage, lie sewage if you know what I mean. I am not too keen on it but other people would die for it.

Local Foods

by cwhit21

Try the Muslim Indian food chicken murtabak prata. Comes with a curry sauce that tastes more like a chili con carne sauce. It was so good I almost ate the chicken bones that were included, but not recommended, so I spit them out.

Join the melting pot!

by Travel2write

The best way to learn about any culture is to get involved and meet the locals. If you look at the bunch of guy's I meet up with one night. They are as different as they come. Indonesian, Chinese, Malay, and Indian but they all go to school together and grew up together. When I asked what cultural things I should do while here in Singapore, well they would not shut up. They all had so many different ideas, but that's Singapore! There is something to see every night, weekend, or month in every different neighborhood.

Rapid development of Singapore

by victorwkf

Singapore is indeed developing at a very fast pace. New technologies, skycrapers, fashion etc are coming up very quickly. This photograph shows an artwork of Singapore's skyline drawn by me a few years ago. If you compare with the skyline of the exact location now, some of the old buildings had been demolished and many more skyscrapers have filled the space.

Goods & Services Tax (GST)

by yipsufen

A 5% GST is levied on most goods & services. When shopping at retail outlets displaying the Tax-Free Shopping logo, ask for your Global Refund Cheque when paying. GST refunds can be claimed on goods worth SGD300 or more from one outlet or accumulated receipts from various outlets with a minimum purchase of SGD100 from each outlet. You can claim your GST refunds in cash at the Global Refund counters in both Terminal 1 and 2.

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Singapore Local Customs

Most Viewed Local Customs in Singapore

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Arrival and departure at the Budget Terminal

Raincoat instead of umbrella

Behaviour at the Budget Terminal

Strick rules

Multi-faith religious customs & considerations

That "lah" thing

Local Foods

Join the melting pot!

Rapid development of Singapore

Goods & Services Tax (GST)

Top 3 Hotels in Singapore

Explore the World

The Place

Experience Singapore

Local Customs: Cities in Singapore

Questions and Answers

Click here for best deals for Singapore