Despite rapid industrialization, the majority of the population of Singapore celebrate major religious holidays. Variety of religions that exist in Singapore reflects a huge variety of nations and nationalities living here. Chinese – traditional supporters of Buddhism and Taoism (worship of multiple deities), although some of them are Christians. Malays – almost all Muslims, majority of living in Singapore Indians – Hindus, though among the Hindu population you can see a considerable number of Muslims and Sikhs.
Singapore has four official languages: Mandarin, Malay, Tamil and English. English is spoken everywhere, this language integrates various ethnic groups. Children are taught in schools in English, but they are required learn reading in their native language so they do not lose their roots. Only language problem that can occur for the English-speaking tourists – when dealing with the older generation of Singaporeans who have not studied English in school, by the way, it may be useful to learn to understand the peculiar dialect called singlish and is a combination of English , Malay and Hokkien dialect. Malay representatives speak only Malay community. Chinese dialectsare widely spoken, especially among the older generation of Chinese, but the Government’s campaign to introduce Mandarin as the only option for Chinese, has been very successful, and now more and more Chinese people say Mandarin language, even at home. Hindus say, mostly in Tamil, though some – on malay and Hindi.
The older generation of Chinese loves Chinese opera, which is a colorful mix of dialogue, music, singing and dancing. This is an ancient form of theater, which reached its peak during the reign of the Ming Dynasty in the 14-17 centuries. Opera has a very complex stylized action, unusual for European ear music sounds like cacophony. During important holidays such as Chinese New Year, you can see plenty of street performances. During Chinese festivals you can also see Lion Dance, spectacular, acrobatic dance. Other forms of the performing arts include Malay and Indian dances. The liberalization of life in Singapore has led to the effervescence of alternative forms of theater, but shopping is still a major cultural event in Singapore.
Singapore – a grocery capital of Asia. Here you can offer Chinese, Indian, Malay, Indonesian and Western dishes, and the most delicious food you can buy from street stalls in the open. Nona cuisine – local version of Chinese and Malay cuisine, blending Chinese ingredients with local spices, such as stalks of lemon and coconut cream. A very popular spicy laksa soup made from coconut – a classic nona dish . Singapore – the perfect place where you can try all sorts of tropical fruits. The most unusual – rambutan, mangosteen, jackfruit, grapefruit, star fruit.
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