Musings from Singapore: holidays and cultures

Singapore is an interesting mix of cultures. Mostly Asian influence, a hodge podge of Chinese, Malay and Indian people (most native Singaporeans identify with one of these races) and an interesting mix of expats from US, UK and Australia. All of these cultures blending together manifests in some interesting ways.

For example, public holidays are a mix of the most popular/common holidays of each of the major religions and races. We get Hari Raya, a Muslim holiday, off in October; Deepavali - also known as Diwali - which is a Hindu/Sikh holiday, off in November; and we get Christmas off in November. We also get Chinese New Year and Singapore National Day off.

Singapore is really a very new country. Though British and Dutch explorers visited the island in the late 1800s, it's only been in the last 30 or so years that Singapore has really become an independent nation with government and industry. Being a small island nation, surrounded by many other countries, its inhabitants came from all over Asia and brought their traditions with them. So the Singaporean traditions are really a mix of other cultures.

When compared to the nations of Europe, the US is very young. And while the kingdoms and dynasties of Asia have been around a long time, the current nations are very new. Newer even than the US. In the US, our customs are a melding of the customs and traditions of the western Europeans who founded the country with the customs of the indigenous people and a sprinkling of the other cultures who've come to the country since. We have Memorial Day and Veteran's Day to honor our military, Christmas and Easter as Christian holidays, and Thanksgiving, Labor Day and President's Day in honor of our history. The holidays are uniquely American. In Singapore, it's a bit different. There hasn't been enough time for the different cultures to really meld together, so the holidays are a collection of important days from the other cultures who came here.

I've heard it said that America is a "melting pot" of cultures, all melted and blended together; but Singapore is a salad bowl: lots of different flavors put together in a bowl, but each remains wholly distinct. You can pluck a tomato out of a salad (as the bf generally does) but you cannot pluck a chocolate chip or wedge of cheese out of a fondue pot once it's been melted.

I wonder if in 200 years the holidays will just be "Singaporean" or if the distinctions will remain.....

Musings from Singapore: toilets

They tell us that in the northern hemisphere, some things are different than in the southern hemisphere. For example, seasons. In the northern hemisphere, winter is November through February. It is frequently possible that Americans and Canadians (and Russians and Swedes, for that matter) will experience a White Christmas. In fact, it's common enough that Bing Crosby made a hit song AND a movie out of the concept. In Australia, not so much. They have a very warm Christmas because December is in the summer in the southern hemisphere. (It's quite warm in Myrtle Beach at Christmas also, but Aunt Big Cat and I still have to turn the space heater on when we sit on the front porch drinking wine. Not the same.)

Constellations are another thing. The stars you can see from places north of the equator are not the same as the ones you can see from places south of the equator at the same time of year. I dont know a lot of constellations, so I cant give you a lot of examples of this, but I believe it to be true. For example, the Southern Cross is a constellation most often visible in the southern hemisphere and is so commonly seen that it is represented on the Australian flag. You cant see it from Seattle. Also, I know you can see the North Star, the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) and the Little Dipper (Ursa Minor) from the northern hemisphere. Specifically, from Raleigh, NC. I've seen it. And you can see Cassiopeia from New York. I know this because I've seen the movie Serendipity. Like 5 times. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. John Cusack, Jeremy Piven, Kate Beckinsale, Molly Shannon and a pre-S&TC Season 4 John Corbett (read: bad hair Aidan) as Lars, the celebrated oboist or whatever.

Another thing that we're often told is different in northern and southern hemispheres is the toilets. That in the northern hemisphere, they flush counter clockwise and in the southern hemisphere, clockwise. Now, I have been to the southern hemisphere (Peru) and neglected to pay attention to the way the toilets flushed. Probably because I was just glad to be flushing a toilet after 4 days on the Inca Trail....but I digress.

Singapore is basically on the equator. Downtown Singapore is 85 miles north of the equator, at 1 degree north latitude. So if northern toilets flush one way....and southern toilets flush the other....what happens on the equator?!

The toilets don't flush around! They just go....down. The water comes in from both sides and it just goes down. No around. Just down.

And THAT is what happens to toilets on the equator.

You're welcome.