Singapore – Many cultures – one nation
Singapore is very culturally diverse. Actually it is one the most culturally diverse cities in the world. Having been integrated with different ethnicities over the years—predominately Malay, Chinese, European and Indian heritages—the city is a host to a harmonious mixture of culture. In addition to this cultural mix, approximately 46% of Singapore natives are foreign born and as such there is much more of a mix. Despite this cultural mix however, most of the persons living in Singapore consider themselves Singapore natives.
Other than the people, Singapore and its diverse ethnic mix can be seen mostly in its architecture. The city has a lot of buildings and small villages from which you can ascertain the cultural history. The British rules can be seen in historic buildings with neo-classical designs. In different parts of the cities, you can see the marked different ethnicities through their culture. For example on Arab Street you can see many Muslim characteristics while in China Town there are a lot of Chinese culture, cuisine and language. There is also a sufficient amount of Indian cuisine in Little India as well.
Another part Singapore’s culture that is diverse is religion. Religion is as diverse as the people. For example, you will find that most of the natives of Chinese descent follow Buddhism, Shenism, Taoism and Christianity, the Malays will follow Islam, and the Indians will follow Hinduism. With such a wide range, it is no surprise that there is a high tolerance for the different religions. Religious buildings mostly are not bound by the different geographies as you may find with residential and cultural boundaries. So you may find a mosque, temple or a church in China Town as easily as you may see them in Little India. In addition the various religious festivals are celebrated all over the city, and not just in different areas in the city.
Singapore and its diverse ethnic mix can also be found in the language. Although Mandarin, Tamil, Malay and English are the official languages, there are a number of different languages spoken by residents. These are spoken at home and within social groups. English however is taught in schools and it is considered the universal language that unites the different ethnicities. In different groups you will also find that there is an emerging language “Singlish” which is a mixture of the different languages spoken and English. Of course if you are a foreigner, it is even harder to learn than just a normal foreign language!
The tastiest way to explore one’s culture is of course through food. And one can imagine what bounty is afforded in a city like Singapore with such diverse ethnic mix. There is Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Malay, Western, Italian, Spanish, Thai, French, Perkanakan and of course a fusion of two or more of these different cultural dishes, a host of tasty ethnicities from which you can choose.
