Singapore's Culture at a Glance

Singapore is effectively an immigrant country made up by people who descend from various parts of the world, predominantly from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Europe etc. As such, the culture of Singapore is a blend and mix of cultures brought by various immigrants. It is generally considered to be a blend of Asian and Western culture, with globalization continuously transforming the culture of the country.

The culture of Singapore expresses the diversity of the population as the various ethnic groups continue to celebrate their own cultures while they intermingle with one another. For example, one can find a Malay wedding taking place beside a Chinese funeral void deck. However, Singapore has achieved a significant degree of cultural diffusion with its unique combination of these ethnic groups, and has given Singapore a rich mixture of diversity for its young age.

Singapore has several distinct ethnic neighborhood, including Little India, Chinatown and Kampong Glam, formed by Raffles Plan of Singapore in the early 19th century to segregate the new immigrants into specific areas. Although the population are no longer segregated according to races, mainly due to the policies of the Housing Development Board and the ruling People's Action Party, these ethnic neighborhoods retain unique elements of their specific culture.