CULTURE
Despite
rapid industrialisation, the majority of Singaporeans celebrate
the major festivals associated with their respective religions.
The variety of religions found in Singapore is a direct reflection
of the diversity of races living there. The Chinese are predominantly
followers of Buddhism and Shenism (deity worship), though some
are Christians. Malays are overwhelmingly Muslims and most of
Singapore's Indians are Hindus; there is, however, a sizeable
proportion of Muslims and Sikhs amongst the Indian population.
The
four official languages of Singapore are Mandarin, Malay, Tamil
and English. English is widespread and is the language which unites
the various ethnic groups. Children are taught in English at school
but also learn their mother tongue to make sure they don't lose
contact with their traditions. The only communication problem
English-speakers are likely to have in Singapore is with older
Singaporeans who did not learn English at school, though trying
to understand the unique patois called Singlish - which uses a
clipped form of English mixed with Malay and Hokkien words - can
be taxing. The use of Malay is mostly restricted to the Malay
community. Chinese dialects, such as Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese,
Hainanese and Hakka, are still widely spoken, especially among
the older Chinese, but the government's long-standing campaign
to promote Mandarin, the main non-dialectal Chinese language,
has been very successful and increasing numbers of Chinese now
speak Mandarin at home. Tamil is the main Indian language, though
Malayalam and Hindi are also spoken.
Older
Singaporeans are keen on Chinese opera, which is a colourful mixture
of dialogue, music, song and dance. It is an ancient form of theatre
which reached the peak of its popularity during the Ming Dynasty
from the 14th to 17th centuries. The acting is heavy and stylised,
and the music cacophonous to most Western ears. Street performances
are held during important festivals such as Chinese New Year.
The Lion Dance is a spectacular, acrobatic dance usually performed
during Chinese festivals. Other performing arts include Malay
and Indian dances; liberalisation has also meant a noticeable
increase in alternative theatre, but the mainstay of Singaporean
culture must be shopping.
Singapore
is the food capital of Asia. Chinese, Indian, Malay, Indonesian
and Western foods are all on offer, and some of the most tasty
creations are those sold from the atmospheric street stalls. Nonya
cooking is a local variation on Chinese and Malay food, mixing
Chinese ingredients with local spices such as lemongrass and coconut
cream. The popular spicy, coconut-based soup laksa is a classic
Nonya dish. Singapore is a great place to discover tropical fruits.
Some of the more unusual ones on offer include rambutan, mangosteen,
durian, jackfruit, pomelo, starfruit, zirzat, buah duku, chiku
and jeruk.
