Little India and Chinatown
Three major populations have contributed to the rich cultural diversity of Singapore and throughout the years, the Malays, the Chinese and the Indians have developed and created different areas throughout the city. The customs, the different styles of architecture, and the various festivals express the different histories of the cultures. Different districts exist throughout the city which support the shops, with items coming from their homelands, restaurants featuring the cuisine of their countries, luxury Singapore hotels, and parks and memorials, churches, mosques and monuments of their religion. Traveling through these different areas provides one with a better understanding of the entire culture of Singapore, and just how interwoven all these cultures living in the same country have become.
In Chinatown, the culture is even integrated. This section itself is divided into four areas, each reflecting the distinct flavor and originality of those living within them. The Chinese immigrants began moving to this area of Singapore in 1819. Upon arrival, there were already mosques and temples built, which remain there to this day. There are many contrasts to this neighborhood, due to the variety of those that live there, and it is an area that is steeped with old belief systems and newly conserved and re-habbed architecture. The first Indians also arrived in Singapore during 1819, traveling as soldiers and assistants. By the end of the 19th century, more immigrated in search of laborer jobs or jobs with the civil service industry. Cattle farms served to make this a more attractive move for many more Indians, and became–from the farmland it once was–the commercial and industrial center for the community that was beginning to form. Now, it is the center of Singapore for the Indian population. Visitors to this area are oftentimes overwhelmed by the color, the spices, the scents, the sitar music, and the beautiful temples. One of the best times to visit is during the Indian Festival of Lights, when this entire section of Singapore becomes somewhat of a sparkling fairyland.
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