Singapore: a melting pot

Chinese, Indians, Malays, Eurasians and expatriates from around the world: this is Singapore. The melting pot is completed by a great diversity of religions, each of them with its ceremonies and rituals.

Although one the most modern cities in the world, customary and religious practices are still a distinctive characteristic of the town. Chinese are the majority with their Buddhist and Taoist temples, but the visitor will find also Hindu temples and Muslim mosques (before entering the latter remember to remove your shoes and to be modestly attired).

No wonder if you see Chinese devotees burning paper money as an offering to long dead ancestors or more recently deceased loved ones. According to Chinese tradition this kind of offering will give the dead money to spend in the afterlife.

The same goes if you see a Hindu devotee with his body pierced with skewers and spikes as he carries a heavy steel kavadi with peacock feathers and flowers during one of the Thaipusm festival processions. Only after weeks of rigorous preparation can the Hindu face this procession in a somehow state of trance: no blood comes out from these piercings and you will also see that some devotees walk on beds of nails.