April 1, 2010
Live in Singapore for any stretch of time and you’re bound to be invited to a local wedding. Here are some interesting customs and traditions to keep an eye out for at a traditional Malay wedding. BY HAZZEL TAN
Royals for a day
ROYALTY FOR A DAY
A bride upon the pelamin
A Malay wedding is a vibrant, colourful event. The day of the celebration is called bersanding (pronounced ber-sun-deng), which refers to the couple being seated on the bridal couch on a dais. This couch is called the pelamin (pronounced as per-la-men) and symbolises a throne, on which the couple sits. From this vantage point, the couple may view the celebrations and also be admired by guests.
It is customary for the couple to be decked in the traditional dress of royalty – the bride in richly coloured and embroidered dresses and her groom in a matching suit with a dagger (called a kris) at his side. (more…)
January 1, 2010
There’re more places to get your retail fix than Orchard Road. Discover local flavour, colour and weird bric-a-brac at these alternative shopping spots. BY DONOVAN WONG
Sungei Road Thieves’ Market
An odd pairing – laser dics, music CDs and old shoes
The best time to visit is on a Saturday afternoon. Shoppers, gawkers and traders stroll serenely through a grid of haphazardly arranged street stalls with their gaze pinned to the ground seeking out the tarpaulin gallery. Old shoes, faulty gizmos, knock-off sunnies, scratched CDs, vinyls and laser discs, nets, drills and other bizarre bits and pieces. But it’s not all junk. A plastic case displays a tangle of Buddhist amulets while dog-eared books bake quietly in the heat of the day. Youngsters sporting the best in flea-market chic can also be found sifting through racks of used clothes.
Since the 1930s, the flea market at Sungei Road has had the infamy of being know as ‘Thieves Market” for selling a varied assortment of second-hand goods – not all gainfully acquired. Today, the little street makes a great lazy-day outing. (more…)
October 1, 2009
Expecting? Learn about Singapore’s cultural masala of confinement traditions that run the gamut from indulging rubdowns to strange garlic cocktails. BY ANNIE TAN
Zhuo yue. Translated word for word, the Chinese term literally means ‘sit-month’ – the period of post-natal convalescence that – archaic though it may sound – many modern Singaporean mothers, take quite seriously, though not literally. In fact, there is some science behind traditional confinement practices, although some cultural taboos may best be taken a little less seriously. But granny’s advice still sticks with many – for example, Indian women still try to shower between certain hours of the day, Chinese women go on a specially concocted diet and Malay women are strictly confined to the home.
(more…)
July 1, 2009
The ubiquitous kopitiam (coffeeshop) is a hallmark of Singapore culture and a focal point for meals, neighbourly chats, family dinners and even soccer fans. For newcomers to the city, what makes a cup of kopi different from the lattes and cappuccinos served elsewhere? Here’s a look at some kopi culture. BY LIM SAY LIANG
Eng Lan Lam, proprietor of Nanyang Old Coffee
When it comes to Singapore coffee – or kopi (pronounced as koh-pee) as the locals call it – it all boils down to the way the beans are prepared. Roasted with sugar and margarine, local coffee is dark, strong and retains the smooth caramel and butter character of its roasting companions. As with many other local delicacies, Malaysia’s robust blend is a close cousin. The latter however, is brewed from Liberica beans while Singapore’s is from a blend of Robusta and Arabica.
Kopi is also different from some international gourmet coffee, says Eng Lam Lim, proprietor of Nanyang Old Coffee because of the quantity of coffee in each serving. “The punch is there because we use a lot of Robusta. Cappuccino for example, is twenty percent of coffee and eighty percent of milk. For us, it’s eighty percent of coffee.”
(more…)
