The Culture of Macau

The culture of Macau is regarded asa mixture of the cultures of the Portuguese. Since almost all of the population is of Chinese ethnicity, it would be presumed that is would override any Portuguese cultures, and the rest would just simply blend in with the Chinese culture. An example of this is in India, which retained its Indian culture, the Portuguese carried out trading activities for so long. Since the Indians were far more in number, the Portuguese had little effect on their lifestyles. However, a permanent military station was established in Macau till 1974. This gave the Portuguese men to settle down after they had completed their compulsory military service, and so this allowed for the Portuguese culture to sink in with the rest of the Chinese people.

People and languages

The proportion of Han Chinese in Macau’s population amounts to almost 95 percent. The only other ethnicity that contributes significantly to the population make up of Macau is Portuguese, which amounts of 2 percent. There are, however, other ethnicities present in Macau, albeit in minority. Both Chinese, which is also known as Cantonese in Macau, and Portuguese are the official languages of the area, but most of the citizens choose to speak Cantonese. The medium of instruction for the educational institutions in Macau is Portuguese.

Signs in Macau are portrayed by both old-fashioned Chinese and Portuguese. People in mainland China usually usesimplified Chinese characters for their mode of writing. However, similar to Hong Kong and Taiwan, does not use simplified Chinese characters.

Cultural Identity

After the African provinces of Portugal won independence and Indonesia took over Portuguese Timor in 1975, Portuguese culture almost disappeared from the face of Macau. Slowly and gradually it was brought back, till now Macanese culture is more Portuguese than Chinese. Since the main language spoken in Macau is Cantonese, and the main religion practiced here is Buddhism, the Portuguese that came to Macau, also took these things back with them to their country. As a result, the Chinese culture has had an effect in Portugal, and things like Chinese food and Chinese marital arts, such as kung fu and wushu, have gained popularity in Portugal over time.

Macanese cuisine

Macanese cuisine is a blend of southern Chinese and Portuguese cuisines, and is also affected by Southeast Asian cuisines and the cuisines of any country where Portuguese is spoken. Long ago, the wives of Portuguese sailors used many spices, ingredients and seasonings in their dishes that came from Europe, Africa, Latin America,Southeast Asia and India. These have been brought to Macau, where they now play an important part in every kind of dish prepared. Local Chinese ingredients also play an equally important part. Examples of such seasonings include coconut milk,turmeric, and cinnamon.  Some popular dishes in Macau include Macanese chili shrimps, stir-fried curry crab and African chicken.