Macau culture
Macau has a rather unique history having been a Portuguese territory within china for almost five hundred years. As a result of this unique history the country also has a rather unique culture. This culture is largely based on a mixing of the two cultures that have influenced the area and today is one of the main tourist draws for the city. That being said it is expected that the Portuguese influence will decline in the future as they are no longer involved in running the city.
The culture of Macau is rather unique since it is largely made up of a combination of Chinese and Portuguese, something that you are not going to find anywhere else in the world. The city itself is made up of a population that is mostly Chinese and this has always been the case. Obviously they brought with them many of the traditions of Chinese culture that you would find anywhere else in the country. However for almost five centuries the area has been influenced by the Portuguese who have not only had a fairly sizable population in the city but largely had political control. As a result they made a major effort to bring their culture to Macau and get the local citizens to adopt it.
Nowhere is the combination of influences on the culture of Macau more obvious than when it comes to religion. The traditional religions of China like Taoism and Buddhism are the major religions but there is also a very sizable Catholic community as well. More importantly you will see a far larger number of Catholic churches and art than the population would suggest that there should be as a result of the fact that the Portuguese who controlled the city for so many years were predominantly Catholic. As a result holidays and celebrations normally celebrate several different religions.
Other areas that you will notice are a combination of both Chinese and Portuguese are the language in which both are official languages in the city. That being said there are not very many people who still speak Portuguese, you will actually find more English speakers. The food is also largely a combination of Chinese and Portuguese. That being said Portuguese food is widely influenced by that of Africa and South America as a result of the colonies they had there so the food is very much influenced by the whole world.
Since Macau has been returned to China the government has made an effort to increase the Chinese influence on the culture, or more precisely to reduce the Portuguese influence. Nevertheless this has not been a hugely successful project. In large part this is because of the special status that Macau has which gives them a certain level of autonomy. Probably more important is that the city relies heavily on tourism for its economic strength and has made a concerted effort to retain the unique culture as a tourist draw.