Культурные особенности англоговорящей страны (Сингапур)

Vesak falls on the full moon day in the fifth month of the year. The occasion is marked by chanting, recitations and offerings at shrines; the ritualistic bathing of Prince Siddartha’s (the earthly name of the Buddha) statue; the practice of vegetarianism; and the release of captive animals. Temples are also decorated with flags, lights and flowers, and vegetarian meals are served to those present.

T he joint Vesak celebrations held by Buddhist organisations and temples are observed by the practice of dana (the virtue of generosity). G ifts in cash and kind are distributed to the poor and needy through charitable organisations, regardless of their race or religion. B uddhist youths participate in mass blood donation exercises held in hospitals.

S ome Buddhists also visit homes for the aged, drug rehabilitation centres and prisons to share the joy of Vesak with the inmates. V esak celebrations in Singapore are also marked by mass candlelight processions, in which thousands of devotees participate to chant sutras (holy verses) and pay homage to the Buddha. The highlight of the festival is a mass religious and cultural gathering held at either the Singapore Indoor Stadium or a major public theatre.

CHRISTMAS AND EASTER

Christmas (from the old English Christaes maesse, or Christ’s Mass) is the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ, whom Christians believe to be the Son of God. To the Christians, Christ’s birth is an initiative taken by God to reconcile man to Him and to redeem man from sin. The event is marked by special Christmas services in churches. In the week prior to Christmas, many Christians visit homes to sing Christmas carols. Good Friday is a solemn festival which marks the trial and crucifixion of Christ.

Good Friday services include the holy communion, during which those who participate remember Christ’s sacrifice. Easter, which falls on the Sunday after Good Friday, is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection. This is very important to Christians because they believe it signifies the victory of Christ over death, bringing the gift of eternal life to all who believe in Christ. Both Good Friday and Easter are festivals of remembrance and thanksgiving, marked by prayers and special church services.

The Chinese Opera is performed at the China Theatre Circle in Chinatown. Singapore Lyric Opera usually performs Western classical pieces, occasionally fusion, at assorted venues. The National Arts Council organises alfresco concerts by local arts companies in parks. For a truly local experience, a Wayang is a Chinese Opera, usually in Mandarin. These highly elaborate performances are most often held during August and September during the Hungry Ghost Festival.

Theatre (7): Local groups are extremely energetic in producing contemporary theatre with an Asian flavour, reflecting Singapore’s ethnic diversity. Showcasing young local and international talent is the annual Singapore Fringe, spread across various venues in the city. The largest multi-purpose venue for performing arts, The Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay is a waterfront complex containing a concert hall, recital studio, two theatres, an art gallery and a bay-side outdoor stage. Plays are often performed in Mandarin, with English subtitles. Some of the more prolific theatre companies include: Singapore Repertory Theatre has both a Singapore Wing and an International Wing and develops its two strands; and feisty Wild Rice shows modern, experimental drama.

Dance (1): Ecnad Project is a young, professional performing arts group going strong for over a decade, renowned for its cutting-edge, dynamic performances. Its base is at the Telok Ayer Performing Arts Centre. The Singapore Dance Theatre performs classical dance and ballet and is based at Fort Canning Centre, Cox Terrace, Canning Park. One of the city’s most popular events is their outdoor Ballet Under the Stars, held at Fort Canning Hill in July.

Film (2): The annual Singapore International Film Festival in April features documentaries and films from around the globe, in addition to other foreign film festivals throughout the year. Cinematheque at the Gallery Theatre in the National Museum of Singapore is a monthly screening of inventive and largely unheralded films from around the world. Sinema Old School is a 130-seat high-definition cinema in a former school lecture theatre that shows a popular range of home-grown Singaporean movies and short films.

Literary Notes (5): 'When in Singapore, feed at Raffles.' It was a good piece of marketing for the hotel by Rudyard Kipling, who came to Singapore after leaving India in 1889. In fact, Kipling spoke of 'a place called Raffles Hotel, where the food is as excellent as the rooms are bad'.

Raffles has, for over a century, been fertile writing ground for many authors, including Hermann Hesse, Joseph Conrad, Noel Coward, Somerset Maugham and James Michener — and in their honour, the Writer’s Bar was named. More than any other, Somerset Maugham sought inspiration on several visits to the island. His short stories of Singaporean colonial life include The Outstation, Yellow Streak, The Casuarina Tree (1926), and the controversial The Letter (1927), about the real-life murder of her lover by a rubber planter’s wife.

P rominent contemporary Singaporean novelists include Hwee Hwee Tan, whose Foreign Bodies: A Novel (1999) tells of an authoritarian state in which three rootless friends become implicated in an international soccer gambling syndicate. M ammon Inc. (2001), her latest novel, is a cutting satire of our times. A very different Singapore is portrayed in Catherine Lim’s The Bondmaid (1997), set in the 1950s, which paints a picture of a Singapore entwined with its Chinese roots, traditions and beliefs.

T wo popular recent reads are Got Singapore (2002), a collection of articles and stories by journalist Richard Lim, with a personal and humorous testimony about his experiences from the 1960s to the 1980s. I n Notes from an Even Smaller Island (2002), Neil Humphreys’s rather lightweight humour, as displayed in books like Scribbles from the Same Island, dissects the culture and lifestyle of Singapore from a Dagenham-born expat’s viewpoint.

S et in Singapore during WWII, The Singapore Grip by JG Farrell (2005) tells of a city under siege, and the trials and tribulations of the very British and powerful Walter Blackett. This is the final novel in Farrell’s ‘Empire Trilogy'.

Conclusion

The Singapore of today was first described by a third century account as «Pu-luo-chung», meaning «isle at the end of the peninsula». This description, would in the future, prove very offhand and unassuming, for even as Singapore entered the 14th century, it had gained might as part of the romantic, albeit tragic, Srivijayan Empire.

Singapore is a good place to view and purchase local and Asian art and its cultural diversity means that local artists cover a broad palette of themes and styles. Despite its ultra-modern, futuristic facade, the influences of pan-Asian cultures and religions remain entwined in Singapore. Throughout the year, a constant stream of festivals and celebrations in the streets and temples reflects the diverse beliefs and backgrounds of this multicultural society, comprising of Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Sikhs. The Chinese calendar dominates and the Chinese New Year (in February) is the biggest festival of all, where pretty much everything shuts down for several days.

Bibliography

Gretchen Liu, Singapore: A Pictorial History 1819−2000 — Singapore: Archipelago Press совместно с National Heritage Board, 1999. 400 стр.

Jan Uhde и Yvonne Ng Uhde, Latent Images: Film in Singapore — Singapore: Oxford University Press совместно с Ngee Ann Polytechnic, 2000, 255 стр.

Lee Kuan Yew, From Third World to First: The Singapore Story 1965;2000 — Singapore: Times Editions & Singapore Press Holdings, 2000. 778 стр.

Nicolette Yeo, Journey through Singapore: A Pictorial Guide to the Lion City — Singapore: Times Editions, 2003, 71 стр.

No Other City: The Ethos Anthology of Urban Poetry — Singapore: Ethos Books, 2000, 102 стр.

Robert Powell, Singapore: Architecture Of A Global City — Singapore: Archipelago Press, 2000. 253 стр.

Singapore’s 100 Historic Places — Singapore: Archipelago Press совместно с National Heritage Board, 2002. 142 стр.