Ethnic Domain

Little India

As you step into Little India, be prepared for an assault on the senses! You will be greeted by the strong, heady scent of spices and jasmine garlands, followed by the treasure trove of silverware, brassware, wood carvings and colourful silk saris, dazzling to behold. Pick up a walking guide and start your exploration of this colourful ethnic quarter.

The first Indian settlers in Singapore arrived with Sir Stamford Raffles as assistants and soldiers back in 1819. In the late 19th century, many more Indian immigrants arrived to find work, be it as labourers to build roads or to take up key positions in the civil service.

Today, Little India is the focal point of Singapore's Indian community. Its spice-scented streets beckon you to a cornucopia of ethnic jewellery, jasmine garlands and silk saris. From the large Tekka Centre and Little India Arcade to the small provision shops, Little India is packed with interesting things to discover. During Deepavali (usually between Oct/Nov), the Indian Festival of Lights, Little India is transformed into a fairyland of gaily decorated, brightly lit streets bustling with shoppers. Witness also the faith of devotees during the colourful and ritualistic Thaipusam in Jan/Feb each year.

Colourful temples co-exist side by side with churches and mosques, parrot fortune tellers stationed by the five-foot way and tantalizing scents of spices drifting out from restaurants. Don’t leave Little India without a temporary Henna tattoo or try “Teh Tarik”, a hand pulled cup of tea.

ChinaTown

Singapore's Chinatown evolved around 1821 when the first Chinese junk arrived from Xiamen, Fujian province in China. The passengers, all men, set up home around the south of the Singapore River which is known today as Telok Ayer. Chinatown’s local name - Niu Che Shui (Bullock Cart Water) arose from the fact each household at that time had to collect fresh water from the wells in Ann Siang Hill and Spring Street, using bullock-drawn carts.

Not all parts of Chinatown are Chinese though. The Al Abrar Mosque along Telok Ayer Street, and the Jamae Mosque and Sri Mariamman Temple along South Bridge Road lay witness to the harmonious racial and religious atmosphere in Singapore.

Chinatown can be divided into four main districts - Kreta Ayer, Telok Ayer, Tanjong Pagar and Bukit Pasoh - each with its own distinctive flavour. The heart of activity is in the Trengganu/Smith Streets area.

Geylang Serai

Geylang Serai is the cultural heart of the Malay community in Singapore. At the Malay Village, go back in time and discover the traditional 'Kampung Days' lifestyle of Malays in the 1950s and 1960s! Or experience traditional Malay arts and crafts like batik painting, kite-making and kampung games such as top spinning.

The Cultural Museum features a fascinating collection of artifacts like weaving tools, musical instruments and an extensive display of a traditional Malay wedding complete with hand-sewn garments, accessories, and a Bridal Chamber. The Muslim Showcase, Hall of Fame and Geylang Serai Corner too offer insights into the lives of Malays in Singapore. Occasional cultural performances are held at the Floating Seafood Restaurant. Call 67484700 to find out the performance dates and times.

The Malays are the native inhabitants of Singapore. After the British dispersed the Malay floating village at the mouth of the Singapore River in the 1840s, the Malays, together with the large influx of Malaysians and Indonesians, congregated in Geylang.

In the early 1920s, Kampong Gelam's Malay population moved out en-mass to Geylang Serai as a consequence of the keen competition for land in Kampong Gelam. Malay influence is still strong in Geylang Serai as reflected in the restaurants and shops specialising in Malay cuisine and ethnic goods, arts and crafts.

Kampung Glam

Named after the Gelam tree which used to grow in the area, Kampong Glam was the historic seat of Malay royalty in Singapore. Today, the former Istana Kampong Glam (Sultan’s palace) has been converted into a heritage museum, the Malay heritage Centre, to showcase the rich history and culture of Singapore’s Malay community. The building and architecture has been meticulously restored to retain its flavour and authenticity.

Next to the Istana is Tepak Sireh, a restaurant in a restored bungalow which offers halal food and cultural performances in a charming historical district. If you’re lucky, you may even dine with guests at a royal-style Malay wedding!

A key building in Kampong Glam is Sultan Mosque (or Masjid Sultan) at Bussorah Street, the largest mosque in Singapore with the capacity to accommodate up to 5,000 Muslims in congregational prayers. Built in 1928, the mosque features a massive golden dome and is one of Singapore’s most imposing religious institutions.

Fronting the mosque is Bussorah Mall, where the beautifully restored shophouses sell traditional clothes, artefacts, handicraft, furniture and jewelry. Or head on down to Kandahar Street to try some traditional Malay cuisine.

Arab Street is the centre of the Muslim community where it used to be the main selling place of Muslim men’s headgear (or songkok), the holy Quran, prayer mats and textiles. Today, Arab Street is a designer’s dream locale! Glittery and lavish fashion items abound, like the finest lace, sparkling semi-precious stones, ostrich feathers, iron-on diamantes, gold thread, and wholesale bales of silk, organza and lame which dazzle in rainbow hues and intensities.

Peranakan Experience

Introduction to the Peranakan Heritage

Peranakans refer to the descendants of the early Chinese community who settled in the Malay Archipelago from the 17th century. The Peranakan culture is a rich blend of the Chinese and Malay cultures with some influence from the Portuguese, Dutch, British, Thai, Indian and Indonesian cultures as well. What has evolved over time is a community of people who observe traditional Chinese festivals and traditions but show a strong Malay influence in their food, language and dressing.

Culture and Tradition

All the seasonal festivals of the Chinese lunar calendar and the major rites of passage from birth to death are celebrated by the Penerakans in a fastidiously traditional manner that in China has long become extinct. Of these, the most elaborate were weddings, birthdays, ancestral rites and funerals. The wealthy Peranakans enacted these rites with great ostentation, and acquired the finest items for these purposes, leaving a fabulously rich legacy of material culture – from textiles, to jewellery to ritual vessels and furniture in expensive materials such as gold, silver, porcelain, silks, velvets, teak and blackwood.

Most of the artifacts were commissioned but Peranakan beadwork and embroidery were actually made by members of the community. Unmarried Peranakan women, known as Nonyas, often dedicated their time to beading and embroidery and produced many intricate and exquisite items, combining European and Chinese motifs in a totally unique and vibrant way. The quality and quantity of beadwork and embroidery was a mark of their eligibility for marriage. Many of these items were created in preparation for their wedding, such as beaded shoes, beaded panels for the bridal bed and embroidered ceremonial handkerchiefs or covers for fine vessels.

Whether in gold or silk or porcelain the favoured motifs were auspicious symbols of fertility, wealth, happiness and longevity, such as the phoenix, bats and cranes, and flowers like the peony. All these have of course become treasured heirlooms.

Architecture

The Peranakan house is an electric mix of architectural details and ornaments from East and West. Corinthian columns and Mediterranean looking windows and shutters are juxtaposed with Chinese glazed tiles, and plasterwork with ornamental Chinese symbols. With the unique pintu pagar, a fence-door, the Peranakan Chinese combine their love of decoration with a practical response to living in the tropics. The half-height doors of the pintu pagar would be closed during the day, allowing air circulation through the house without compromising privacy. Walk around Emerald Hill, Tanjong Pagar and Koon Seng Road in Joo Chiat – districts that showcase rich and baroque Peranakan architecture.

Lifestyle

Dress was a significant form of cultural and self expression for the Peranakan Chinese. In the 19th century, Peranakan Chinese men, or Babas, dressed in the style of fashionable men from southern China, with suits of loose jackets and trousers in silk and brocaded satins known as baju lokchuan. In the 20th century, they adopted Western dress, such as the colonial drill cotton suit they called baju pinjang (‘long tunic’) and sarong with a wide array of jewellery and accessories like hairpins, bracelets, brooches, belts and anklets.

Another unique feature was the footwear – the embroidered slippers of the 19th century gave way to the modern beaded slipper or kasot manek. The sarongs were the finest floral batiks from Java. The silhouette of this garment has evolved with time and remains popular to this day. Both the bride and groom wore elaborate wedding costumes. The traditional Peranakan wedding ceremony took place over 12 days and took weeks to prepare. Often it involved the collective effort of all women in the extended family. The bride’s costume, in particular, featured a great deal of jewellery. On its own, this bridal ensemble could weigh as much as five or six kilograms.