Culture and Religion

Three students (a red-haired male student in a white shirt, another male student with glasses and a female student in a blue dress) holding mandarin oranges during Lunar New Year celebrations.

Culture and Religion

The sizeable international student community at the College led to the formation of a number of student organisations based on nationality, ethnicity and religion. These societies gathered to celebrate significant events for their community, cook and eat their traditional cuisines, watch screenings of favourite films and more. This could give members a sense of belonging and familiarity while living in a foreign country, as well as an opportunity to meet people of similar backgrounds.

Equally importantly, these societies were open to all, enabling them to share their cultures, beliefs and traditions with the rest of the Yale-NUS community. In this way, students could learn about the cultures of their classmates and show the community’s support for diversity and inclusion.

YNDUS

The South Asian Society at Yale-NUS (YNDUS) aimed to promote knowledge and understanding of the culture and socio-political issues of the region. Through helping to organise festival celebrations like Deepavali and Holi, sharing food and drink, art, music and film, they exposed the Yale-NUS community to the multicultural traditions of South Asia.

A group of students having fun during Diwali celebrations.

A YNDUS poster for Holi with a male student posing with 4 additional colourful arms behind.

A YNDUS (Desi Society) poster with a photograph of three male students, one pouring chai in a cup pyramid.

A YNDUS movie screening event poster with three male students posing with sunglasses in a funny way.

A black YNDUS poster with a black-and-white photograph of a little girl.

Deepavali

Celebrations for Deepavali, the Hindu festival of lights, were held annually on campus, with food, music, dancing, sparklers and traditional Indian costumes. Students could also have their skin decorated with the temporary body art known as mehendi.

Holi

YNDUS also organised celebrations for the Hindu festival of Holi, known as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.

Welcome Chai

Yale-NUS societies often held welcome teas to introduce themselves to the community. The YNDUS version was a Welcome Chai, where Masala chai—a tea made with milk, sugar and herbs and spices—was served.

Culture

YNDUS also shared South Asian culture, including Bollywood movies and the region’s most popular sport, cricket, with the community.

Socio-Political Issues

On a more serious note, the society invited outside speakers to the College to give some insights into issues affecting South Asia.

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Japan Society

The Japan Society promoted cultural diversity through sharing Japanese culture such as food, film, sport and current events.

YNSEAS

The Yale-NUS Southeast Asian Society (YNSEAS) promoted the understanding of Southeast Asian issues and trends, ranging from culture, history and politics to technology and science.

A male and a female student in black and red traditional Thai outfits with a plate of fruits and flowers in their hands.

Yellow-blue tinted picture of a mango sticky rice for late night snacks poster.

A poster for a Kecak event, with a photograph of a Southeast Asian community celebration.

An event poster for a topic of Malaysia and Indonesia.

A black poster for a panel discussion about inequality.

The Southeast Asian Society helped organise a workshop and celebration for Loy Krathong, the Thai festival of lights, at Saga Buttery during the November 2018 full moon. Participants made decorated baskets from banana leaf and flowers, which were floated on the shallow pool in Saga Courtyard, releasing their regrets and negative emotions as they do so.

The society also introduced the community to Southeast Asian drinks and snacks.

They hosted events to share the region’s culture, such as kecak—a Balinese dance based on the story of the Ramayana—with a guest speaker to explain more about Balinese music, dance and culture.

Their screening of the Rio 2016 Olympics Badminton Finals between Malaysia and Indonesia gave the community an insight into the sport’s popularity in the region, as well as the fierce rivalry between the two countries.

The society also hosted events that examined the region’s socio-political issues, such as inequality and terrorism.

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European Horizons

European Horizons is a policy incubator organisation founded at Yale University in 2015 with the aim of fostering ‘a stronger transatlantic bond and a more united Europe’. The Yale-NUS chapter organised talks and lectures, as well as social events to raise knowledge and understanding of European culture and politics.

Three female students holding pancakes at the Cendana Buttery.

They also held a Mardi Gras party at Cendana Buttery in February 2020, where students cooked and ate pancakes together. (Mardi Gras, also known as Shrove Tuesday or Pancake Day, is traditionally when fatty foods are eaten before the start of the Lent fasting season.)

Yale-NUS
European Society

The European Society encouraged the Yale-NUS community to learn about and share in European culture and politics.

A female student posing behind the European Society booth with an European Union flag at the back. There are flags, a French press and bread on the table.

A poster of European Society with a colourful image of Angela Merkel on the left on a blue background.

YAAAS

An African, African-American, Afro-Carribean Society welcome tea poster with an orange map of the African continent on a yellow background.

The Yale-NUS African, African-American & Afro-Caribbean Society (YAAAS) welcomed all who were interested in raising cultural awareness and increasing discussions on Afro issues. They later changed their name to The Yale-NUS Afro Society.

A group of students getting African food from a big table filled with pots in Elm courtyard.

The society’s popular African Cookouts in Elm Courtyard were open for all to taste a wide variety of African cuisines.

A female student doing barbecue during Jerk Festival celebrations in the Elm courtyard.

The Jamaican Jerk Festival raised awareness of Jamaican culture through music, good company and Jamaican food.

Hispanic Students Association

The Hispanic Students Association of Yale-NUS College was an umbrella organisation for the Latino and Hispanic community, representing the voice of Hispanic culture, rights and issues at the College. They shared the diverse Hispanic cultures with the wider College community.

An article about a Hispanic Student Association event with a photograph of a wrap.

A poster for Hispanic society event weekly schedule, illustration of a woman with traditional Spanish clothing and a fan in her hands on a yellow and blue background.

A female student in a pink shirt posing next to a poster for Hispanic society.

A female student speaking during a Hispanic Students event.

As part of the 2015 Welcome Home Food Fair, the society presented two Latin-American dishes—a Guatemalan beef stew called hilachas, and Mexican tortillas—to share Hispanic food culture with the community.

The society co-hosted a series of events at the College in March and April 2015, based on the Feria de Abril annual fair held in Seville, Spain. Events included a movie night, a cooking workshop, a talk by the Spanish Ambassador and a Latin dance fiesta.

In October 2015, the society hosted an Ambassadors Talk in the Tan Chin Tuan Lecture Theatre, with the ambassadors of Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and Chile.

The ambassadors discussed the domestic and foreign policies of their countries, with particular reference to the question of how their domestic politics affected their foreign policy interests in Southeast Asia and Singapore.

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Society of Latinx

The Society of Latinx (SOL) supported the College’s Latinx community and promoted and celebrated Latin American cultures, peoples and languages. All students, Latinx or non-Latin, were welcome to get involved in SOL’s events which included a Latin American food showcase and a Latin dance workshop where students could learn the Cumbia and Bachata dances.

The society also published El Solecito, a magazine of essays, poems and art pieces that won the Kingfisher Awards Publication of the Year for 2021.

Yale-NUS Global China Connection

The Yale-NUS Global China Connection was a chapter of the Global China Connection, a worldwide non-profit student organisation. The society aimed to strengthen connections with China through international networking and appreciation of Chinese culture.

In addition to organising events on campus, the society also published the magazine China Insights.

Read China Insights Collection

Yale-NUS
Christian Fellowship

As an inter-denominational group, the Yale-NUS Christian Fellowship welcomed all Christians as well as anyone who wanted to find out more about the Christian faith. The society held a Love Radically session in January 2015.

A Christian Fellowship booth in the Students Activities Fair, several posters and colourful post-its on the table.

A red poster with a white title “Love Radically.

Ubi Caritas

The College’s Catholic society was named after the hymn Ubi Caritas. They held regular formation sessions and cell groups, as well as music concerts and religious ceremonies.

An Easter event poster with a desert in the background.

A poster for an Inaugural Mass, red candles on a white background.

A Holy Week event poster on a white background.

A weekly schedule for “Holy Week,” yellow, green and blue tabs on white background.

'Oasis' was an Easter concert of religious songs held in April 2015.

Ubi Caritas held its first Mass in 2015, a night for worship that was open to all students.

For 2015’s Holy Week, Ubi Caritas joined the Christian Fellowship to compile a list of church services that students could attend with the societies’ members.

In 2016, they again produced a list of church services, but also added prayer sessions, talks and concerts.

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Muslim Students Association and Critical Muslims Collective

The Muslim Students Association (MSA) created a supportive environment for Muslim students, while also providing an opportunity for the Yale-NUS community to learn about Islam. The MSA welcomed all students, regardless of their religious knowledge or determination.

The Critical Muslims Collective (CMC) was an identity collective for students affiliated with the Islamic faith, its practices and adjacent cultures. They offered a space to explore this affiliation in a critical, non-orthodox setting.

The Muslim Students Association and Critical Muslims Collective worked closely together, especially in the lead up to and during Ramadan 2021 in which they sought to create very inclusive spaces of observance and celebration among the diverse Muslim community at Yale-NUS. Ramadan 2021 was particularly hard as COVID-19 restrictions meant that many could not access mosques for communal prayers and the timing also meant that international students were not spending Ramadan at home with families when they might have in previous years. The MSA and CMC took a large role in community building efforts during this time.

Jew Crew

A welcome tea poster for the Jewish society, blue David’s star on white background.

The Jew Crew consisted of students (non-Jews included) interested in promoting knowledge and awareness of Jewish culture and heritage.

In 2015, the Jew Crew and the YNDUS came together to celebrate the Muslim holiday Eid ul-Adha (known as Hari Raya Haji in Singapore) and the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.

A poster for a celebration of Eid ul-Adha and Rosh Hashanah. Blue and yellow Judaism and Islam symbols on white background.

Celebrations

With Yale-NUS students originating from all over the world, there were many different cultural and religious events to celebrate. The whole community was invited to take part and learn about new cultures and faiths.

A top view of painted easter eggs, one of them reads “Yale-NUS”.

In 2013, an Easter egg hunt was organised at East Coast Park.

A male and a female student posing with Easter eggs in their hands in the courtyard.

Lunar New Year—also known as Chinese New Year—is an important holiday in Singapore, due to many Singaporeans being of Chinese descent.

A top view of multiple groups of people doing lo hei around two big tables at Cafe Agora.

In addition to the local students, and others of Chinese descent, all other students were invited to join the celebrations and learn about Chinese culture and history.

A photo of people eating in the dining hall while there is a Chinese movie projected onto the screen.

A group of students and faculty is doing Lo Hei in the dining hall.

Tan Tai Yong talking to two male students, all of them in red t-shirts.

A red table filled with snacks and food with a vase of Lunar New Year decorated flowers in front.

Four male students are singing on stage.

Three people dressed up in traditional Mexican outfits.

A poster for “Malaysia Day” event, with a colourful Kuala Lumpur skyline illustration.

Christmas

Christmas 2014 was celebrated in the College’s first home, RC4, with students and staff joining in acapella singing and dancing.

Day of the Dead

This Mexican festival was celebrated at the College in November 2017 with the building of an altar decorated with flowers and skeletons, and laden with food as offerings for the deceased. Students also dressed in traditional Mexican costumes.

Malaysia Day

In 2019, the College’s Malaysian students collaborated with their neighbours at the College of Alice and Peter Tan to celebrate their nation’s founding on 16 September 1963.

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