6 unique Singapore elements and a proposed national icon

Every culture has their own unique cultural behaviours and artefacts that are an expression of the deep-rooted values and beliefs in their hearts. Singapore is no exception. Singapore has many distinct behaviours and artefacts, of which I will pick six diverse ones to talk about.

From sending children to special gifted training programmes since the tender age of 6 to forming long queues just to buy a limited edition toy, Singaporeans are well-known for their fear of “losing out”. While this self-centred and competitive demeanour is off-putting of sorts, Singaporeans widely accept “kiasuism” as their unique positive trait that helps to unify Singaporeans with a common spirit.

Singlish, an informal English language spiced with toppings of Chinese (Mandarin), Malay and several dialects, has been so integrated into the lives of Singaporeans that we hardly realise we are using it. This Singapore slang is so uniquely Singaporean that speaking of which brings immediate familiarity between Singaporeans but leave foreigners in complete bewilderment. Singlish has, in a sense, become the common language between different races in Singapore, with which can there be great understanding and thus unity among Singaporeans.

Singapore is probably the only country in the world to have the notion of placing a tissue pack on a food court table be widely accepted as having “reserved” it. It essentially stems from the spirit of “kiasuism”, because Singaporeans are afraid of losing the table to customers who arrive after them. Whether it is something sightly is another matter; but we do know it is a phenomenon uniquely Singaporean.

Singapore is famous for its special buildings; the Esplanade is one of them. It resembles the durian fruit, which is the local favourite. Not only does the Esplanade showcase the speciality of architecture in Singapore, it also shows our love for the durian fruit.

In 2015, Singapore celebrated its 50 th National Day with various events other than the usual National Day Parade. This significant event with its diverse activities from the Countdown Party to community activities helps give insight into how Singaporeans commemorate their very own nation’s Independence Day.

As Singaporeans, we often take the multiculturalism in our society for granted and sometimes forget to appreciate the fact that it is a rarity in today’s world. Most nations have a mostly homogenous culture; with the majority dominating over the minorities. Only Singapore truly recognises and celebrates all the forms of racial and religious cultures.

Heart  Shows how the various cultural symbols stem from beliefs deep-rooted in the heart Various colours  Diversity in Unity Various prominent symbols (e.g. durian)  Represents the various Singaporean cultural artefacts and behaviours