Knowing about Singapore:
It is always good to know something about the place you plan to visit or maybe work at for a few years. Most of the time we learn these things after we arrive over time and then just as we are getting ready to depart we realize just how nice the place is and want to stay longer.
Local customs are a mix of many things. Some are religious while others are regional and cultural. Here in Singapore you find many different races living side-by-side, you will have friends from each of them so know what to do and what not to do is important. As a visitor it will help you to understand what is going on around and why to some degree.
If you plan to be in country long get out and mix with the locals. See the different part of town and see how everything fits together here in Singapore. You may just be surprised what you see and learn.
General info early immigrants
Chinese
The first Chinese immigrants came from Riau and Melaka (Malacca) , many belonging to the distinct Baba community (also known as Straits-born Chinese) . In February 1821, the first junk from Amoy, China, arrived and others soon followed. The Hokkiens from Fujian province formed the largest group. Others included the Cantonese from Guangdong; the nomadic Hakkas or Khehs from northern Guangdong; the Teochews from Shantou; the Kwongsais from Guangxi; the Hokchius from Fuzhou and the Hainanese from Hainan Island. Most were poor farmers, laborers or craftsmen.
Indians
The first Indians came from Penang and Malacca. Others migrated from the Coromandel and Malabar coasts of Southern India (mainly from the present states of Madras and Kerala). They also came from Gujarat, the Punjab, Sind, Bengal and Sri Lanka. The early Indians were soldiers or camp followers and a few were merchants. Indentured laborers were brought in later by the British for construction work. Others worked as clerks, teachers, traders and money- lenders.
Malays
Most of the original inhabitants were Malays. Other early immigrants came from the Malay Peninsula and Archipelago, including the Bugis. The first Malays were mainly involved in agriculture or, before Raffles, were camp followers of the Temenggong (Defense Minister) of the Sultan of Johor.
Europeans
Apart from the British, many Europeans came mainly as professionals. They brought their families with them and while many left for home eventually, others settled down and became citizens.
Other Ethnic Groups
These include the Eurasians, descendants of Europeans, mainly Portuguese, married to Asians. Also there were a few Arab families, who came as traders, and eventually married Malays.
Daily Items on Singapore you need to know
No tipping: Seriously! It is not encouraged in this country, Singaporeans think that once the servers get used to them, it will be expected, just pay your bill, and don’t worry about it!
Watch for tips included!: Take a good look at your bill in the nicer restaurants. Most include a “surcharge”, which is the tip. I only found out after tipping on the tip when some fellow travelers told me as we walked away.
Avoid wearing shorts: Women in Singapore wear either pants or skirts, while men wear pants only. Despite the heat, if you want to look like you belong, ditch the shorts.
General dress guys: business shirts are the norm for the guys when going out and just about all other times too. While you will see guys with pull-over shirts these are of the higher quality collar type, not Tee-shirts. Dress shoes are a most if you are hitting the town. Have a good stylish watch, leather wallet or one that look like it belong to man and not some kid in grade school. Dress to impress is the best thing to do!
Eating: You will find Food courts and Hawker Center all over the country these places food everyone for a great price. Many families eat daily at the food courts because it is easier then cooking not to mention cheaper. When you go to a house party chances are the food will be form the food count located some where around the block. You will always be offered food of kind be your host when visiting friends or family.
No shoes in the flat (house) please: When you arrive at your friends flat you will not be wearing your shoes inside of the flat. If you are the last one to show up you will find all the shoes out side the door, so make sure your socks don’t have whole in them! Ladies no need for expensive shoes no one will see them or know that they are your, ok! Save them for when you hit the town. Stick to the sandals and you’ll be ok for daily use.
Walking in the street: This takes place every where in the country, but you can see it a lot in areas like Chinatown and little India. Due to the thin sidewalks and number of people, it is just easier to get around that way. Plus you don’t have to watch out for the deliveryman on his motorcycle riding on the side walk too!
Toilet Paper: When visiting a friends place don’t be surprised if you find there is not toilet paper in the bathroom, what you may find is a hose and bucket to wash your backside with.
Toilets: in some of the older flats and in many public bathroom you will find toilet in the floor where you need to squat over it to take care of business, (the old #2). For many of the locals this is no big deal but for the westerners and Europeans it is just about impossible to use for some reason. So be prepared, you have been warned!
* Taboo gifts are clocks (”zhong”=funeral), handkerchiefs (associated with tearful partings) and umbrellas (associated with mishaps).
* Red is an auspicious colour, as are other bright colors, while black is frowned upon by the older generation, especially during festive occasions.
* For funerals, attend in somber colors. Small tokens of money are the norm-wrapped in white or brown packets and in odd amounts.
Chinese
1) 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 resemble 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.
Number 4 is bad luck for the Chinese: In a culture where numbers are believed to affect human life and destiny, one can only expect just as there is the revered number 8, there is its nemesis. The number 4 is resented by the Chinese. In Chinese, the pronunciation of 4 sounds like ‘death’, and death is regarded as bad luck. The Chinese do not like to have a house or a car with the number 4 or a combination like 14 “must die”, 24 “easily dying”, 44 “dying and dead” and 74 “surely dead”. So if you’re working here in Singapore and living in the apartments, you can be sure there’s not many Chinese on those apartments on the fourth floor compared to the other floors!
The Chinese obsession with number 8: Deeply rooted in a culture of money and wealth, local Chinese here give great significance to the number 8. It is thus not surprising to see an overwhelming bid for this particular number for house or apartments, phones and vehicle license plates. In Chinese, “fa” sounds the same as ‘to strike rich’ hence the obsession with the number ‘8′ which has the same sound ‘fa’. The figure 88, on the other hand, looks like the Chinese character for `Double Happiness’ so it is most popular on the doors for a young married couple.
– Chinese like things in even numbers, for example, two Mandarin oranges as a token during the Lunar New Year visiting.
– 2 (”yi”= easy), 6 (”lok”= wealth) and 8 (”patt”= prosper) are considered lucky numbers.
– 4 (”sei”= death) is deadly
Chinese belief for 4D numbers: Known as the “Luohan” in Chinese, this Flower Horn Fish of the Cichlasoma Cichlids group, is believed by the Chinese to possess hidden sure-win 4D numbers in-scripted on their bodies. The Chinese are willing to pay any price for a “good” luohan. These fish can cost up to S$9000, that’s US$5700! (8 June 9, 2006 Exchange rate)
Bak Kwa: Bak Kwa which means BBQ Pork is a must have for many Singaporean during the Chinese New Year. This particular brand is well loved by all locals and you will see queues (lines) forming 2-3 weeks before the Chinese New Year.
Have you eaten yet?: If you stay long enough in Singapore and mingle with the local ethnic Chinese, you may be surprised if one day, you are asked by your friend or your colleague if you had taken your meal. Among the ethnic Chinese in Singapore, it is common to ask a colleague or friend whom you bumped into casually in the streets or in the corridor `Have you eaten yet?’ regardless of the time of the day. In Mandarin, you say `Ni chi bao le ma?’ which literally means `Have you eaten till you are full?’ This custom of enquiring about the satiety status of another person is an age-old custom with origins in China. In rural China, food was scarce in the winter months and during prolonged drought or other natural calamities. The families of farming communities had to endure long periods of food shortage and sometimes hunger. It was therefore common to enquire whether your neighbor had taken a meal for the day. With greater affluence, urbanization and movement of populations from rural to urban areas, starvation and hunger became less common. However, this custom remains till today and is also prevalent in countries with a Chinese majority like China and Taiwan.
Malay
1) 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 do not serve liquor.
2) Never offer to shake the hands of Muslim ladies, unless offered. This applies to guys. A simply nod of acknowledgement with a slight bow and a smile will do.
3) Never use your left hand to shake a Muslim’s hand. The left hand is seen as evil and dirty and thus should never be used to shake hands, even if you are left-handed.
Malay kissing hands: It is a Malay custom to kiss the hand of older people to seek forgiveness or just as a show of respect. Note though that the hand to be kissed is the right hand and not the left.
Malay engagement ceremony: The traditional Malay engagement ceremony is similar to that of the Indian. Before the engagement day, henna is applied onto to the bride’s hands and feet. In Indian customs, this act is believed to ward off evil. Representatives of the groom-to-be would come to the bride-to-be’s home bringing trays of gifts including, among others, a betel-nut leaves arrangement, an engagement ring and sweets.
* Muslims don’t eat pork. When entertaining Muslim guests, check that no pork, lard or alcohol is used in the cooking, and that the meat is bought from a ‘halal’
food supplier. Never bring wine when visiting a Muslim home and always
dress modestly.
* Muslims fast during the Ramadan month, celebrated in the month of Ramadan on the Muslim calendar, the exact date of which moves ahead by 11 days every calendar year.
Indian
1) The Indian community in Singapore has 3 main faiths - the Hindus, the Muslims and the Christians. You can distinguish the Hindu and Muslim Indians by the color of the sarong the guys wear. Hindu Indians will wear pure white colored sarongs while the Muslim Indians will wear checkered colored ones.
2) Followers of the Hindu faith do not eat beef as the cow is sacred in the Hindu religion while followers of Islam will not eat Haram items such as meat that has not been properly killed and animals deemed “filthy” such as pork.
In general always take off your shoes and hat/cap before entering a place of worship. You aren’t allowed to wear shoes into the washroom in the mosques. They have slippers for you.
Hindu Clothing and accessories: SARI Traditional Indian outfit which is a five and a half meter piece of fabric draped around of the body of a woman tied like a pleated skirt with one end of the fabric thrown over the shoulder. CHOLI short-fitting blouse worn with the sari POTTU A mark worn on the forehead by Indian women, a symbol of Hinduism and marriage.
Tamil: Almost all of the Indian in Singapore can understand and speak English, but their mother tongue is Tamil. There are also some with Malay mother tongue. Tamil are widely spoken in South India and below listed some common vocab. Just to share these words since I am taking basic Tamil class in school. vanakkam - Hello/good morning/good afternoon/good evening/good night.. nanri- thank you ama- yes illai- no itu enna velli- this one how much en- me nan- I un- your ni- you venum- want ventum- don’t want teriyum- know teriyatu- don’t know enakku koli coru venum- to me, chicken rice wanted (weird right? there is not ‘I want chicken rice’ in Tamil) I found that Tamil is a very hard to learn language, harder than English, Chinese or Malay at least. There are different words for I eat, you eat, she eats, he eats, it eats, they eat, the categories involved are more than in English he/she/it and I/ you/we/they.
* Hindus don’t eat beef. Some are strict vegetarians, as are some Buddhists.
Festivals:
The Chinese celebrate the Lunar New Year which can be in January or February, depending on the Lunar Calendar. This is the equivalent of the American Christmas and Thanksgiving all rapped into one. There is a big reunion dinner on the eve of the New Year. During this period many shops are closed for a few days or are on shorter hours. Some Chinese businesses close for up to two weeks also.
Other Chinese festivals include Qing Ming, time for the remembrance of ancestors, the Feast of the Hungry Ghosts or what is call the Ghosts month (October), during this time they will burn fake money in the hope to have a prosperous New Year and to scare away evil sprits. The Mid-Autumn Festival also known as the Mooncake or Lantern Festival.
Muslims in Singapore celebrate two main festivals.Hari Raya Puasa is a joyous celebration to mark the end of a month of fasting. Muslims decked in finery visit each other. Hari Raya Haji is a time of prayer and remembrance. Smaller-scale festivals are: the first day of the Muslim calendar month of Muharram, a New Year celebration, and Maulud, Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.
Hindus celebrate the Tamil New Year sometime in mid-April, while other Indian groups observe New Year at different times. Thaipusam is a penitential Hindu festival popular with Tamils. This is the festival where Indians walk several miles carrying “Kavadis” that pierce their bodies, to thank their gods for answering their prayers. Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs. Other festivals include Thimithi, fire-walking ceremony and Navarathiri, nine nights’ prayer.
Christian festivals have a fairly strong following in Singapore. Christmas in particular is heavily commercialized. The entire stretch of the Orchard Road shopping belt is lit up with decorative lights from November to early January.
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 neighbors from other ethnic communities to join in the fun.
Foreign Works
Popular for foreign workers: Despite a current population of over 4 million, Singapore takes in foreign workers in large numbers to the extent that perhaps it’s the only city in the world that unites large groups of southern Indians and mainland Chinese in one place. As this goes without saying this means an influx of men, Sunday is their mutual day for entertainment. Indian nationals would head for Little India while Chinese nationals would have more options like Chinatown, Bugis or Geylang areas where Chinese karaoke bars are abundant.
Sex with a twist
In the Asian culture Transsexuals are viewed in a different light then in the western world. It is not uncommon to be in most any bar and fine one or two mixing the in the crowd at you larger night clubs. It is accepted here and part of life. While Changi Village is one area they are located other areas include Geylang, Orchard Towers, Orchard road, Scotts Road and Chinatown, to list a few places.
Changi Beach & Changi Village: Transsexual at Changi Point
Go to Changi Point to walk these transsexuals. They are located at the car park of Changi Point and come out at night. They look very beautiful compared to those transsexual in Malaysia. Seriously, you will think that they are women until the moment they speak. To get there, just tell the cab driver you want to go see ah-gua at Changi Point. The nearest MRT Station is Tampiness MRT.
Singapore is clean
To say Singapore is clean is a minor statement. It is almost sterile. When reading all the fines for different offences, please take them seriously, not just because of the fines, but to help keep the city clean. I have never in any of the cities I have visited so fast, seen so many cleaners maintaining the streets, litters, undergrounds so clean as in Singapore.
“Aidil Fitri” is the Muslim celebration after a month of Ramadan. Malay Muslim in Singapore celebrate this occasion and they cook our tradition food like Ketupa, Lontong, Rendang, Sambal goreng.
If you have the chance to visit local residence, one thing you must remember is to take off all footwear before entering. Regardless of which race or religion, it is a practice of taking out footwear.
As here you have many mixes you have to follow many tips like not using left hand and others typical of Hindus, Muslims and Chinese, but well as you are a tourist you will be understand. I am left handed, what can I do? I can eat with the hand but I will eat with the left hand … do not use the finger to point things, and all that.
Shoes
In Singapore, like a lot of other Asian countries, it is a custom to remove your shoes outside the house before entering. Therefore, be careful about your socks with windows. This stems from the belief that houses are considered sacred place and no bad influence be cast on the house. Therefore, by wearing shoes inside somebody’s house, you may get bad influence from outside. In general if you get invited to somebody’s house then they will offer you a house sleeper (only to be worn inside the house).
WARNING: Don’t wear expensive shoes when you get invited to somebody’s house.
1. Nobody will notice your expensive shoes
2. Since it is kept outside, it may develop wings!!
MRT
Checkout the picture along the tracks and you’ll notice a board saying to keep off the tracks in 4 languages. People have to be reminded how life is of value. Kinda stupid, don’t you think? But believe me, it’s not stupid! The reason for being so, in 2004 we had so many “Jumpers on the track!” until the MRT system has to be disrupted for a few hours. Which in another words, loss of revenue besides creating unpleasantness to other commuters. So, it’s telling those future suicides to keep off the track! Yes, I have to agree too with that! If life is useless, die in a place where you’d not affect others much. Drink a poison ivy? Or gas yourself till death. Why must you jump down the train track and get your blood and chunk of meat from your body be to others who still want to live?
Disable people
Singapore is a city that is disable unfriendly to a point but over the years this has started to change vastly. Lifts are installed in many of the MRT stations and there are also special buses that are set up to be lower to the grown for easy loading and unloading. Moving around the shopping mall can be harder due to thin walk ways the volume of people but I think this is a problem they are use to dealing with anywhere. Cabs have trunks that can hold wheelchairs which is also good.
Trishaws
Well, you can see these at some cultural event here. But, the real thing is almost gone now. Trishaws was once the cheapest mode of transportation. But now, it’s the most expensive mode of transportation. We locals don’t use the trishaw anymore. It’s more for the tourist. Due to high cost of living, these trishaw peddlers have to rise the fee from one place to another. With automobiles (taxi) and other machineries as transport, the trishaw had to give way. In the earlier years, these peddlers are more to old and middle aged men. But now you can see some well build peddling it, it’s so fake! It’s for the tourism industry. Well, if you’re in Singapore you can try experience it but it’ll definitely be costly.
Bubble tea
When bubble tea was introduced in Taiwan about fifteen years ago, Singaporeans take on it as a fad till almost every shop in Singapore has a small space just to make this drink and sell it! Bubble tea consists of a mixture of sweetened iced tea and milk and possibly other flavorings. Black gummy balls made of tapioca, called “pearls” or “bubbles”, sit at the bottom of the cup. The cup of bubble tea is sold to the customer with a plastic seal by a machine to the top of the cup to be pierced by a straw by the drinker. During the frenzy for bubble tea, this machine sells like hotcakes and were very expensive. In fact, a cup of bubble tea was selling at S$5! Today, the bubble tea is no longer in craze, you can see Singaporeans trying to sell off these machines and a cup costs you only S$1!
