Singapore Local Custom Tips by bpacker Top 5 Page for this destination

Singaporeans love Seasonal Festivals

Now for a country with no seasons at all, Singapore celebrate season festivals with a vengence. Undeterred by the fact that it only rains or shine over here , Singaporeans will buy pussy willows during the Spring festival, buy real, yes, real Christmas trees that wilt in our tropical heat in no time at all during the Yuletide season and lanterns and mooncakes during the Lantern Festival. In case you're wondering, mooncakes are lard-filled orbs of bean paste and egg yolks that no healthy Singaporean would consider eating on any other month. Still, come September during the Mid Autumn Festival, they will go out dutifully, in full force to buy the best mooncakes in town and hold lantern competitions in a fairyland of lights and colour in the Chinese Garden. Why? This perhaps harks back to a time long ago, when our Chinese ancestors, filled with homesickness for their Motherland and practice these time bound traditions in their new tropical home. I'm quite sure it gave them some measure of comfort and for us, the migrant lot, some comforting reminder of the past and our roots . As for me, I'll give a pass on those orbs of lard, I'd rather have a cheery lantern anytime.

How to eat Rice in Asia

Contrary to belief, chopsticks are not just for picking items. It's also used as a mighty shovel.
We Asians use chopsticks to SHOVEL rice in the mouth and we never, ever, pick the rice, grain by grain, to put it into our mouths.
I'm always filled with silent mirth whenever I witness how some folks diligently pick their rice diligently and make the ardous journey from the bowl to their mouths.
Needless to say, more than half of what they pick up lands on their lap.
Another thing to note is that we never, ever, stick our cutlery into our bowls of rice like a cocktail stick. Why? Because it's implying that we're praying to the dead ( We stick joss sticks into bowls pretty much the same way ) It's really bad luck and really disrespectful so don't ever do it...

Ever wondered why Singapore is called Lion city?

Contrary to belief, Singapore was not named by our "founder" Sir Stamford Raffles but by a Hindu Prince from Indonesia.
Yup, His Royal Majesty got a terrible case of traveller's luck one day and got shipwrecked. Fortunately, he landed on this island after the ferocious storm. Presumably hallucinating from the terrible experience, he saw a lion " singa " ( in his native tongue ) and named this place " Singapura " .
The good news is, the chap was really delirious, there has never been another sighting of a lion ever since. Apart from the caged lions at Mandai Zoo and the gaudy, drum-loving pride who appear every Chinese New Year to bring in Good Luck, I doubt you'll see the mammal roaming about the city.