Singapore is a small and relatively modern amalgam of Chinese, Malay and Indian migrants, there appears little in the way of specifically Singaporean culture. The various ethnic groups continue to celebrate their own cultures, side by side. For example, one can find a Malay wedding taking place beside a Chinese wedding at a void deck, on the ground floor of a HDB apartment block. This can be said to be due to the policies of the HDB which tried to make sure all public housing have a diverse mix of races.
The major public holidays reflect this diversity, including Chinese New Year, Buddhist Vesak Day, Muslim Eid ul-Fitr (known locally by its Malay name Hari Raya Puasa), and Hindu Diwali (known locally by its Tamil name Deepavali). Christians can be considered to be a minority, but Christmas Day, Good Friday, and New Year's Day are also public holidays.
Singapore also has several ethnic neighborhoods, including a "Little India" and a "Chinatown", formed by the Raffles Plan of Singapore to segregate the new immigrants into specific areas. Although the population are no longer segregated in distribution mainly due to the policies of the HDB now, these ethnic neighbourhoods retain selective elements of their specific culture. The usage of such neighbourhoods is mostly commercial or for cottage industry specific to the culture of its ethnic neighbourhood, and does not play a big part in housing the population, although it is used for that purpose. Hence, these neighbourhoods have patronage of all races who probably wish to either eat or buy something specific to that culture.
For example, The Little India is known for its thalis--south Indian "buffets" that are vegetarian and served on the traditional banana leaves. Both neighbourhoods are accessible by public transport and especially the MRT.
Owing to a shared heritage and a similar racial mix, Singaporean culture has many similarities to Malaysian culture. Some remnants of Peranakan (Straits Chinese) culture are also visible, particularly in Singaporean cuisine. Singapore also has major elements of Western culture in it, that contribute to both cuisine and the arts.
Some uniquely Singaporean cultural concepts include:
- Singlish, the local dialect of English
- Katong laksa, a noodle dish developed in Singapore
- Zouk, one of Asia's best-known nightclubs
Famous Singaporeans in the arts:
See also: Cuisine of Malaysia, Music of Malaysia
