A Guide to How Different Cultures in Singapore Celebrate Mother's Day
Mother's Day in Singapore is celebrated on the second Sunday of May, like in many parts of the world. Despite its Western origins, the celebration has been embraced across Singapore’s diverse ethnic communities—Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian—each adding their unique cultural flair.
Chinese Community
Common Practices:
Family Meals: Families often take mothers out for a lavish dim sum brunch or a banquet-style dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Popular dishes include Peking duck, longevity noodles, and double-boiled soups.
Gift Giving: Children may give skincare products, handbags, or handmade crafts.
Respect Rituals: Especially in more traditional families, children may serve tea to their mothers and grandmothers as a sign of respect.
Modern Additions:
Bouquets, social media tributes, and spa vouchers are increasingly popular among younger Singaporean Chinese.
Malay Community
Common Practices:
Home-Cooked Feasts: A traditional spread featuring rendang, nasi ambeng, ayam masak merah, and kuih-muih is prepared to celebrate.
Religious Values: Islam emphasizes honoring one's mother. On Mother's Day, children often pray for their mother’s well-being and success both in this life and the hereafter.
Cultural Respect: Younger family members may kiss their mother’s hand (a gesture of respect called salam).
Modern Additions:
Handmade cards, modest jewelry, and heartfelt speeches or poems are popular gifts.
Indian Community
Common Practices:
Family Gatherings: It’s typical to have a big home-cooked meal featuring dishes like biryani, sambar, chapati, and sweets like gulab jamun or payasam.
Honoring Elders: Not just mothers, but also grandmothers and mother-in-laws are celebrated, often with small ceremonies or blessings.
Religious Elements: Some families may perform a puja (prayer) at home to seek blessings for the mother.
Modern Additions:
Gifts such as sarees, gold jewelry, and framed photos are cherished. Many families also write personalized messages or poems in Tamil, Hindi, or English.
Eurasian Community
Common Practices:
Fusion Cuisine: Eurasian families might cook or dine out for unique dishes like devil’s curry, shepherd’s pie, or sugee cake.
Church Services: For Christian Eurasians, a special prayer or church service may be part of the celebration.
Music & Memory Sharing: Families often share stories and photos, sometimes with a sing-along session of old-timey favorites.
Modern Additions:
Fancy brunches, flowers, and tech gifts like phones or tablets are becoming more common.
Common Threads Across Cultures
Despite differences, certain themes are universal in Singapore:
Family bonding over food is central to all celebrations.
Showing gratitude and expressing love, often through handwritten notes or digital tributes.
Pampering mothers with rest, gifts, and attention for the day.
