Food: We went to Tekka Market, where a huge variety of Indian food was sold such as Briyani, Murtabak and Aloo Gobi. Spices like cloves and cinnamon are very commonly used in these foods. When we asked one stall owner, he told us that this is because of the good medicinal values and fragrant smells these spices provide. We also got to know that Indians of different religions have different dietary restrictions. The Hindus are not allowed to eat beef, the Jains follow a strict form of vegetarianism and the followers of Vaishnavism do not eat garlic or onions, which are actually types of spices! This came quite as a surprise for us as we did not know of this before and even had misconceptions that all Indians are able to eat meat and all spices. Now, we understand more of our Indian friends and their diet.
Fashion: At Little India Arcade, Tekka Market and along the streets of Little India, there were many shops selling the different types of traditional Indian costumes. One shop owner informed me that this was because there are many different Indian communities in India, and each of them have varied traditional clothing. I was quite surprised as this meant there must be a lot of different types of Indian costumes. However, this will not stop us from trying to find us as much as we can about all of them. We carried on looking at all the clothing and textile stalls to gain knowledge of the Indian costumes. I found out that the traditional clothing of the East and North of India, which is to me the most commonly seen in Singapore, is one with a sari and a choli(top). A sari is a long fabric draped over the body in style. All the fabrics sold there were of diverse and bright colours. There were also several shops selling a lot of jewellery as wearing them is known to benefit their health!
Folklore: For the Indians, they go to the temple every week to pray. On a festival, there will be 4 rituals in the temple. The rituals are conducted in the morning, midday, sunset and nighttime when they are closing. Indian men would wear white, sing and recite mantras, and play the drums during the rituals. Why you ask?They not only play drums during the rituals but also for Indian weddings. They play drums to welcomes key personnel like how they welcome kings in the past, and these deities are highly revered, so the drum is used. It also serves as a practical use to cut down any inauspicious noises that may arise during the rituals. Indians also put water on their heads and toes before praying. When praying, instead of bowing, the Indians sit with their legs crossed and with their arms in a specific gesture on their laps. They pray as they believe that it will remove any anger, fear and pressure for them to be content with their lives. It also calms them, which will reduce their ego and allow them to be a better person.
Festivals: Pongal is a festival celebrated by the Indians. In Singapore, Pongal is celebrated on the commencement of the auspicious month of Thai. On the first day, 'Bhogi Pongal', celebrations begin with worship of Lord Indra, the Ruler of Clouds and Giver of Rains. Thorough spring-cleaning as well as the discarding of old belongings is carried out to signify a fresh start. Oil lamps are lit, new clothes are donned and colourful designs in rice flour are created on the floors of houses. This is similar to how we Chinese do spring cleaning and buy new costumes for Chinese New Year! On the second day, 'Surya Pongal', the Sun God is honoured. Every household cooks a pot of rice with milk to offer up to Surya at dawn. Pongal means to ‘overflow’, hence the pot of rice has to bubble over to symbolise prosperity and abundance. This is then served to members of the family as well as any visitors to the house. It is a very social period, as relatives and friends visit each other and exchange greetings. We think this practice is very beneficial as it allows everyone to bond stronger together. This is like how we Chinese visit our friends and relatives’ houses for Chinese New Year. The third day, called 'Mattu Pongal', is set aside to honour cattle – cows are sacred animals in the Hindu religion. To remember the work they do, the cattle are scrubbed and their horns painted. Multi-coloured beads, tinkling bells and flower garlands are placed around their necks and they are fed special snacks as a treat. We feel that this is quite special as we know of very few festivals that give such honour to animals! It is nice to know that the Indians show appreciation for other creatures too. The last day, called 'Kannum Pongal', is all about the community and strengthening ties. Younger members seek the blessing of the older members of their families. Landlords distribute clothes, food and money to their workers. Offerings are made at temples even as special prayers are conducted. This can teach them to be gracious and kind. Overall, we feel that there are some parts of this festival that are similar to our Chinese New Year. However, it is also quite different and special, but very meaningful.
Reflections:
Throughout the 3 days of going to the different cultural places, we learnt a lot more about the Malay and Indian culture that we have didn't give much thought and also realised that we knew very little about our fellow Singaporeans of different cultures. We learnt that the different cultures have their many differences and reasons for it. For the Malay culture, it is more on respect to oneself and others, discipline, empathising with others, and also about treating the entire Malay community as family, which is something we feel that we as Singaporeans can learn from for our country to be more united, by treating other Singaporeans as family so when disaster strikes we can still be united as one and get through difficulties together.
For the Indian culture, we learnt that they have many customs and beliefs that relate to health benefits, and also for having a simple, content and better life. For example, they wear bangles as they believe the circular shape may improve their blood circulation. They also believe that praying can allow for them to have a content life and not to be arrogant and greedy.
This is also similar to the Chinese culture, in which there are many reasons why we pray, such as to have better health and prosperity, etc. Instead of wearing white for purity, our traditional costumes are mainly red as it was believed to chase away an evil spirit called Nian, and symbolises prosperity. Our Chinese culture also focuses more on family and prosperity.
Singapore is a multiracial society with many cultures, which are all different, diverse and special in its own ways. That is why we should embrace and cherish our multi-cultural country, something that gives Singapore its identity, and take the initiative to learn and understand more about the cultures of our fellow Singaporeans and to respect their culture despite the differences we may have. This will then allow us to learn how to appreciate our diversity in culture and also keep a vulnerable and small country like Singapore united as a nation! We are very thankful that we had the opportunity to learn about the different cultures and now know of what to be mindful of when talking or visiting people of different cultures so as to not offend them.
This is one of the many stalls selling Indian food at Tekka Market. The huge pot of food the stall owner is scooping from is actually the famous Briyani. This dish is very commonly eaten among the Indians, thus forming a part of their culture.
This is the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, dedicated to the Hindu goddess, Kali. Many religious, social and cultural activities are held here, catering to the needs of many of the Hindus in Singapore. This is very important to them and their culture.
This is a stall selling Indian flower garlands along Buffalo Road. These garlands are usually offered to the Hindu deities and an important part of worship(puja). This is a custom of the Indian culture.
This are the traditional Indian costumes for the women. There is a huge variety of them, and they are all really pretty and colourful. These costumes are traditionally worn by the Indian women for a long time now, and is important to their culture.
These are jewellery which the Indian women wear with their costumes. They consist of earrings, necklaces and more, which are all really shiny and colourful. Jewellery have been traditionally worn by the Indians since a long time ago, and is part of Indian culture.
An Indian man wearing white covered clothes and playing the drum in the temple.
Temple-goers in white playing the drums and singing during the rituals conducted four times a day during festivals.
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