Gift Giving in Singapore
Etiquette in Singapore
Singapore is one of the most multicultural cities in the world and is considered one of Asia’s biggest and busiest hubs. While the country itself is small, it is densely populated with people from the world over. The population of Singapore is made up of Chinese (76%), Malay (15%) and Indian (6%) cultures; this means that each culture has different norms and etiquettes that they follow. Singaporeans enjoy their cultural heritages, however they also have strong national pride and unity, it is therefore advisable to familiarize yourself with the cultural norms of the society as an expat, especially in light of giving gifts.
Gift Giving in Singapore
Due to the fact that Singaporeans come from three distinct cultural lines it is always imperative to know your host’s heritage in order to give the correct gift. This is a guide for giving gifts at private events and functions. Bringing a gift to a business meeting may constitute a bribe and is frowned upon.
If the receiver of the gift is ethnic Chinese here are some guidelines to gift giving;
- Gifts will not be opened when received.
- If you are attending a dinner party does not bring food as this indicates that you do not believe that your host can provide for his guests.
- Instead bring a small box of cakes or sweets for the children.
- Do not bring flowers as they are associated with sickness and death.
- If you are giving anything that can be counted, ensure that you give even numbers as odd numbers are considered unlucky.
- Do not give knives, scissors or any cutting utensils as they indicate that you would like to sever the relationship, also do not give clocks, handkerchiefs or straw sandals because of their strong association with death.
- When buying gifts ensure that they are wrapped elaborately in yellow, red or pink paper (happy colors). Never use white, blue or black to wrap gifts in as these are mourning colors. Also never wrap gifts, especially children’s gifts in paper with birds or storks as these are harbingers of death.