Category: Uniquely Singapore

Selamat Hari Raya! 7 Unique Facts About Ramadan You Never Knew

Also known as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Hari Raya Puasa is the most prominent and celebrated occasion in the Muslim community. Do you know that Hari Raya means “grand day of rejoicing” and Puasa means “fasting”? This festival marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, and the start of a new month, Syawal.

Whether you are planning on visiting your Muslim friends during this Hari Raya Puasa or planning to head down to the Geylang Serai Bazaar, here’re 7 interesting things about Hari Raya Puasa you probably didn’t know.

1. Fasting Is One Of Islam’s Five Pillars

The importance of fasting among Muslims cannot be overemphasised. Prior to the festival, Ramadan is a period of sober repentance for Muslims. The purpose is to cultivate self-discipline. Besides fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims also refrain from smoking, sexual activities, and any sinful behaviour.

As one of Islam’s five pillars, the act of fasting is done for atonement, to express gratitude and empathy for the needy. After a month of fasting, Eid al-Fitr then marks the end of Ramadan as Muslims celebrate.

2. Muslims Have To Pay Taxes During Ramadan

Yes, compulsory taxes. Announced by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, annual taxes are to be contributed by Muslims during the month of Ramadan. As one of the five pillars of Islam, Zakat serves principally as the welfare contribution to poor and deprived individuals.

3. Gongsi Raya Is A Thing

From 1996 to 1998, Hari Raya Puasa and Chinese New Year actually fell on the same week! Double celebrations then occurred amongst the Chinese and Muslim communities, which eventually led to the term “Gongsi Raya” or “Kongsi Raya”. Originating from Malaysia, the term was eventually accepted by Singaporeans to commemorate the two festivals.

These two occasions brought about a shared experience and respect for ethnic diversity and understanding of cultural differences. It fostered closer ties between the Muslims and the Chinese. House visiting was also more convenient as the majority of homes were open for visitations.

4. Oil Lamps Were Used To Attract Spirits And Angels

Oil lamps known as pelita or panjut are lit from the 20th day of Ramadan to attract spirits and angels alike. It is also believed to bring blessings to people’s homes during the night of Lailatul Qadar. These lights continue to shine brightly until the end of the festival.

Nowadays, the oil lamps are lit only for decorative purposes. Many families now use LED lights instead.

5. Traditional Outfits Used To Be Tailored Or Hand-sewn

In the past, most Malay traditional outfits were tailored (tempah) and had to be sent to respective tailors weeks before Hari Raya Puasa. Women, on the other hand, used to design and sew their outfits. Due to the busy lifestyles of Singaporeans, however, many have decided to avoid the hassle by simply shopping for their outfits online.

As part of the occasion, men don on the songkok and sinjang while the ladies wear their baju kurong or kebaya. Most families will probably spot thematic outfits, demonstrating the importance of family.

6. The Celebration Begins With Grave Visitations

The first day after Ramadan is a busy one. Muslims wake up early and begin their day with a trip to the mosque for special prayers. This is swiftly followed with visiting the graves of departed family members for an offering of “doa” (prayer verses).

During the evenings, Muslims visit the mosque to recite the Takbīr, which means “God is great”.

7. Ketupat Is Traditionally Served

While dressed in their best, friends and relatives visit each other and dig into delicious food. Visitations are also a sign of respect and an act of renewing relationships.

If you’re lucky enough to be invited for a meal, get ready to indulge in a lavish spread of beef rendang (spicy beef stew), sayur lodeh (vegetables cooked in coconut milk gravy) paired with sambal (chilli paste).

One of the must-have dishes, however, would be the ketupat. Not only served as a dish, it is also commonly used as a decorative object. Often, Muslim mothers will pass the tradition of weaving ketupat cases down to their children. Ketupat cases woven from colourful ribbons also typically adorn Malay homes during this festive period.

If you’re partaking in the festivities, do don on a bright outfit and bask in the festive atmosphere! Though Singapore only has one official public holiday, the celebrations of Hari Raya Puasa extend to three days, and for some, up to a month! For non-Muslims, do greet your Muslim friends, “Selamat Hari Raya”!

Do note that when visiting a Muslim home, attire is important. Avoid visiting in shorts, ripped jeans, sleeveless tops or skimpy dresses as your dressing may be perceived as a sign of disrespect.

(Header image by Also, read 8 Geylang Serai Bazaar Street Snacks Worth Braving The Heat For!

Seafood So Fresh, They’re Still Alive! 6 Best Places To Get Them

Cooking with seafood is a delicate process. While it requires both meticulous preparation and the right techniques, working with quality ingredients is also paramount in the execution of the perfect seafood number.

Here in Singapore, we often find ourselves limited to the measly seafood selection at chain supermarkets (no offence NTUC). Sometimes, sourcing for the freshest seafood can be more challenging than cooking itself. This is why we’ve taken upon ourselves to uncover a list of places to buy the best of seafood. These 7 honest-to-goodness places are guaranteed to sell you only the freshest seafood. In fact, for Ah Hua Kelong, Eating Crabs, Emporium Shokuhin, and Greenwood Fish Market & Bistro, some seafood can be bought or delivered live!

1. Song Fish Dealer Pte Ltd

[caption id="attachment_9216" align="aligncenter" width="680"] Source: greatnewplaces[/caption]

The super ulu location may not be as convenient as your Giant or Cold Storage. However, the fresh and extensive range of seafood sold at wholesale prices make the visit to Taman Jurong worthy. At black cod, king crab leg, lobster, rohu, shark fillet, tuna loin.

Song Fish Dealer
Address: 19 Fishery Port Road (retail showroom)
Opening Hours: 8 am – 5 pm (Mon-Sat), 830 am – 12 pm (Sun & PH)
Tel: 6777 3939

2. Ah Hua Kelong

[caption id="attachment_9217" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: ahhuakelong[/caption]

Situated amongst the hipster vendors at PasarBella is 

Fish is only hauled up on the actual day of your delivery to ensure optimum freshness. Ah Hua Kelong’s highlights include the barramundi, pearl grouper, live mussels, flower crabs and seabass.

Picking out fresh seafood isn’t exactly second nature to us millennials so major props to them for providing an Seafood that can be bought or delivered live: clams, mussels, and crabs.

Ah Hua Kelong
Address: #02-K2 PasarBella, 200 Turf Club Rd
Opening Hours: Mon to Thu, 1 pm-930 pm; Fri to Sun 12 pm -10 pm
Tel: 8655 3074

3. Tekka Wet Market

[caption id="attachment_9167" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: macomberproductions[/caption]

This vibrant, two-storey wet market located at Little India is possibly the largest and most iconic wet market in Singapore. Housing over 284 tenants, expect to find a good handful of stalls selling fresh ocean catches at Tekka. This is also where you’ll experience bargaining – a quintessential aspect of the authentic wet market experience. The better the vendor knows you, the lower the prices. If you are a first-time buyer, put on your sweetest smile and maybe bat your eyelashes a little. For the guys, try flexing a little and see how far that gets you. Be sure to look out for squids, snappers, salmon, tiger prawns.

Lee Yit Huat Trading is one of the stalls to check out. They are known for their bountiful array of seafood, including squid and stingray. You will be pleasantly surprised by how much cheaper the seafood here can be. Tekka is open until late afternoon, so you have the luxury of sleeping in and avoiding the jostle with the morning marketing crowd.

Tekka Wet Market
Address: 665 Buffalo Rd, L1 Tekka Centre S210665
Opening Hours: Daily 6.30 am-5 pm

4. Eating Crabs 

[caption id="attachment_9219" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: crabtowkay[/caption]

This one’s for all crab lovers out there – Apart from crabs, they also offer a range of fresh Canadian oysters, sea bass, green or blue mussels and prawns of all varieties.

Seafood that can be bought or delivered live: oysters, mussels, clams, lobsters, and crabs.

Eating Crabs
Opening Hours: Daily 9 am – 6 pm (4pm last order)
Tel: 83337436

5. Emporium Shokuhin

[caption id="attachment_9168" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: wheretoeat[/caption]

This new Japanese supermarket at Marina Square has its own in-house, live seafood market with fresh imports from Japan, US, Australia and Europe. Armed with 22 specially-designed water tanks that house over 20 variations of live fish and shellfish, chances are you will be able to find what you are looking for at Oyster lovers, this is also the place to get your indulgent fix – Emporium Shokuhin has over 10 live oyster varieties freshly imported from countries like France and Canada. If you find the traditional, rowdy wet markets and giant warehouses too overwhelming, you can now shop for all your favourite seafood at this gourmet supermarket – all in the comfort of air-conditioning without compromising on quality.

Oysters aside, keep a look out for their Alaskan king crab, Dungeness crab, abalone, flounders, Japanese saba and Boston lobsters. Delivery is also available for those who prefer shopping from the comfort of their homes.

Seafood that can be bought or delivered live: crabs, oysters, lobsters, and more.

Emporium Shokuhin
Address: 6 Raffles Boulevard, #01-18 Marina Square
Opening Hours: Daily 8.30 am-10 pm
Tel: 6224 3433

6. Greenwood Fish Market & Bistro

[caption id="attachment_9169" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Source: thesilverchef[/caption]

This cosy neighbourhood fish market and bistro is dedicated to bringing in only the freshest of seafood. Greenwood Fish Market and Bistro specialises in importing cold water fish from the coasts of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the U.S.

The staff here is well trained and extremely knowledgeable. They’ll dish out recommendations and cooking tips to ease you into the seafood-buying process. They also have a bistro section; you can choose to bring your buys home or have their in-house chef prepare it for you on the spot. Highlights include its smoked Haddock, swordfish, mahi mahi, tuna steak and live Boston lobsters.

Seafood that can be bought or delivered live: lobsters and oysters.

Greenwood Fish Market & Bistro
Address: 34 Greenwood Ave
Opening Hours: Daily 11 am-1030 pm
Tel: 6467 4950

7. Senoko Fishery Port

For the benefit of those who have no idea what Senoko Fishery Port is, this one’s for you.

A familiar name to most, the Senoko Fishery Port, unlike our local wet markets, only roars to life when the sun is down. Open from 2am-6am, be prepared to stay up if you want to snag the freshest ingredients at this wholesale fish market. As this is a wholesale market, you can expect an extensive range of seafood; from fish to squid to the ever indulgent lobster and even guitar sharks at bargain prices. Do also check out the stingray, shark, sea bass, tilapia, red and white snapper.

For those keen on exploring the market, you can find an informative guide to Senoko So the next time you’re on the hunt for fresh seafood, do check out the aforementioned places. You no longer have to be confined to the limited range at your nearest supermarket or settle for anything less than fresh. Apart from obvious health reasons, the quality of the seafood you use does make a world of difference to your final dish.

Also, read Watermelon Fried Rice In Singapore, Have You Tried It?

Kopitiam Talk – The Art Behind Your Everyday Kopi O Siew Tai

As a colloquial term for coffeeshops in Singapore, kopitiam is an integral part of any Singaporean. Very much like the microcosm of local culture, Kopitiams effectively capture the multi-racial fabric of our society – from the food choices to languages spoken. Even the word kopitiam itself is a mishmash of two different languages. ‘Kopi’ means coffee in Malay while ‘tiam’ is the Hokkien dialect for the word stall. Indeed, our kopitiam lingo is a curious and eclectic mix grounded in Singlish, and the result is that of a unique language system surrounding this humble and traditional eatery.

Spend some time at your neighbourhood kopitiam and I’m sure you’ll pick up a whole slew of lingo that is baffling to the uninitiated. These diverse stall owners themselves are a reflection of the Singapore culture. With all of them under one roof, the various languages have blended together over the years to create an eclectic concoction of kopitiam lingo. Let us explore this curious lingo and at the end of it all, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of kopitiam talk one lah.

Bottoms Up

Ordering a cup of coffee or tea at Kopitiams is in itself an art form. With so many suffixes that can be attached to the stem word of coffee or tea, getting your caffeine fix from Kopitiams might be a little daunting especially if you’re new to the scene. Fret not, for with the help of this flowchart, you’ll find yourself ordering your cuppa like a Singaporean in no time.

I’d Drink To That

It won’t be surprising to hear drink stall owners echoing something completely different after ordering a drink. Many of the drinks have alternative names affectionately coined by drinks sellers. Let’s uncover some alternative names of drinks that have caught on with the Kopitiam culture.

From these Kopitiam lingos, we can see how language has revolved around this eatery, making it the perfect representation of Singapore itself. From Malay, Chinese and dialects, it really is amazing to see these various cultures blend into one.

Also, read Look How Far Singapore Has Come! We Compare The Now & Then

BOLDR Watches – It’s Time To Make A Bold Statement

Founded in 2015 by childhood friends, Travis Tan and Leon Leong,

The company has recently revealed its latest timepiece – The BOLDR Journey. For the collectors/watch wearers, this watch, BOLDR Journey timpiece, has to be part of your collection. For the non-watch wearers, you’ll be convinced to put on this classy timepiece.

The BOLDR Journey

[caption id="attachment_10187" align="alignnone" width="1024"] BOLDR Journey Chronograph Sopwith: Silver Orange dial with Dark Bourbon Strap[/caption]

The company’s latest launch, the BOLDR Journey, is built on the popular BOLDR Voyage concept. A vintage, aviator-inspired design, and the unique Seiko meca-quartz movement are the key features of the watch. Its dome-shaped, durable box mineral glass lens brings a vintage look whilst creating a curve canopy surface. This allows light to create a soft, even tone on the textured watch face.

[caption id="attachment_10196" align="alignnone" width="680"] BOLDR Journey Chronograph Wasp: Black Lightning Yellow dial with Midnight black strap[/caption]

The Seiko VK64 Meca-Quartz Movement consists of a hybrid of quartz and mechanical mechanisms for the chronograph. It gives off mechanical vibes whilst containing a quartz crystal. The timekeeping mechanism is essentially quartz. With such precision and legibility of the Journey watch, you’ll never miss a second.

[caption id="attachment_10190" align="alignnone" width="680"] Limited-edition art piece by Kevin Tan.[/caption]

What’s special about the Journey is that it features a limited-edition art piece on the case back that is designed by Malaysian tattoo artist, Kevin Elijah Tan. Each watch is carefully created to represent each BOLDR watch. This is BOLDR’s first watch that encompasses limited-edition designs, available only on Kickstarter.

Specifications

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="680"] Specifications of BOLDR Journey[/caption]

The specifications of Journey comprises of marine-grade stainless steel and a premium calf leather strap. With its current stretched goal above $100k CAD, a free silicon strap will be available for each order!

The double-layered sandwich dial design really brings the bold theme across. Oozing with modern style is the two distinct sub-dials, one on the left for the chronograph’s minute indicator and the other on the right with a 24-hour indicator.

[caption id="attachment_10217" align="alignnone" width="679"] Available in 3 styles: Sopwith, Wasp, and Warhawk.[/caption]

The BOLDR Journey fits both men and ladies and it comes in a variety of colours. To honour its vintage aircraft rooted design, each model is named after a mechanical aircraft.

With such meticulous design and high-end specifications, it comes as no surprise that The Journey has stormed past its funding target on Kickstarter. We’re sure getting one of these watches for ourselves.

Here’s your chance to support local and get your very own BOLDR Journey. Back them up on their Kickstarter project now. The campaign ends on 3 July. Production is set to start immediately, with the first delivery to be shipped out in September.

(All images in courtesy of BOLDR Watches, header image by

Also, read The Perfect Shot – DarylAiden’s Photography Journey & DreaChong