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                                       Singapore Trip

Looking into the Culture of Singapore

by Hye-im Li, Reporter

kateli1004@naver.com 

▲Marina Bay Sands

  Is there anyone planning to go to Singapore? Then, this article will help you a lot. I went to Singapore during winter vacation. I traveled from February 27th to March 3rd. It was a very fruitful journey. I would like to share my experience about the culture of Singapore with you. It will help you when you are traveling in Singapore.

  Singapore is a multi-ethnic nation. Singapore consists of 74 percent Chinese, 13 percent Malay and 9 percent Indian. Therefore, Singapore is a country where many cultures coexist. There are Singapore Chinatown, Little India, the Old City and Arab Street where each culture is gathered. At first, let’s find out about the food cultures in Singapore.

Looking into Food Culture

<Singapore Chinatown- Yum Cha Restaurant>

  I visited Chinatown in Singapore. I searched for the Yum Cha Restaurant which was recommended by the local people. After the meal, I was satisfied with all of the dishes which I ordered. I think Pan Fried Radish Cake was the best. I took a picture of the Pan Fried Radish Cake. It is on the left side. I want to eat Pan Fried Radish Cake again! 

▲Pan Fried Radish Cake

<Singapore Chinatown-Chinatown Seafood Restaurant>

  When I was searching about Singapore’s popular food, chilly crab caught my mind. I found out that there was “Chinatown Seafood Restaurant” which sells chilly crab. It takes only 7 minutes to arrive at the restaurant from my hotel. The chilly crab was as delicious as I expected. Now I understand why many Korean tourists recommended chilly crab!                         

▲Chilly crab

<Little India-Tekka Centre>

  I went to the Tekka Centre which is one of the Hawker Centers. A Hawker Center is a kind of food court where local food is gathered. The Tekka Centre is located in Little India so there are many Indian foods. I tried a garlic naan and vegetable sauce. Here is the picture which I took in person. The garlic naan was freshly baked and the vegetable sauce was more delicious than I thought. If I lived near the Tekka Centre, I would visit every day to try all of the food. It was too bad that I could not try many kinds of food.

▲Garlic naan and the vegetable sauce

  Second, let’s find out the religion in Singapore.Singapore is a multi-religious country. Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Taoism are gathered in Singapore. However, one particular religion was not developed in Singapore. Therefore, Singapore designates Buddha’s Birthday, Christmas, Easter, ProphetMohammed’s Birthday as a public holiday. In the article, I would like to tell you about three popular religions which are Buddhism, Christianity and Islam.

Looking into Religion

<Buddhism>

  Singaporeans who believe in Buddhism are about 33%. However, Buddhism in Singapore is mixed with Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and ancestor worship. Therefore, Buddhism in Singapore is hard to be referred to as Buddhism. 

< Christianity>

  Singaporeans who believe in Christianity are about 18%. With so many Christians, Singapore is one of the few countries which allows Christmas as a public holiday along with Korea, Hong Kong, Macao and the Philippines. Therefore, you can see equatorial Christmas with no snow in Singapore. 

< Islam>

  Singaporeans who believe in Islam are about 15%. Most of the 99% of Malayans are Muslims. Thanks to the Malayans, Islam could retain religious force in Singapore. The Sultan Mosque (left) is the greatest Muslim mosque in Singapore and the most splendid religious structure in the country. The Sultan Mosque is located on Arab Street. If you have a chance to go to Arab Street, make sure to visit the Sultan Mosque!

▲The Sultan Mosque

  Finally, let’s find out about the laws of Singapore. Singaporean society is highly regulated through the criminalization of many activities which are considered as fairly harmless in other countries. If you are going to Singapore, you must notice about some laws that can be easily broken. 

Looking into the Law of Singapore

(SGD 1 = KRW 830)

  I was a little bit nervous when I noticed about the criminal laws of Singapore. Therefore, I have to keep in mind the law when I am traveling Singapore. If I had not kept in mind the law, I could have faced hefty fines. It would be very embarrassing. I hope you make sure about the law in advance and prevent the embarrassing moment. 

  My Singapore trip was satisfying. It was impressive to experience various cultures in one country. I wish I could visit Singapore again. In addition, I am glad to share my experience with you. I hope my article is useful to you when you are going to Singapore.

Sources:

https://www.visitsingapore.com/ko_kr/see-do-singapore/culture-heritage/places-of-worship/sultan-mosque/

https://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=3406984&cid=48179&categoryId=48382

https://namu.wiki/w/%EC%8B%B1%EA%B0%80%ED%8F%AC%EB%A5%B4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Singapore