Peranakan culture is unique

I wrote this for a test; rather than leave it in the abyss that is my junk, I'll let y'all read this brief intro to Peranakan culture.

Peranakan is a Malay term meaning locally born, and it was first used to distinguish the local-born Chinese from those born in China. When southern Chinese merchants first arrived in Southeast Asia from as early as the 14th century, little did they know that they would settle and develop a unique Peranakan culture in the region.

Over the course of their presence in Malacca, and later to the other British Straits Settlements in Penang and Singapore, the Peranakan Chinese adapted to the local environment in a way that did not result in a loss of identity, but enriched their Chinese heritage. This is keenly reflected in their language. Instead of the Chinese language, the Peranakans speak a Malay dialect peppered with Chinese Hokkien words.

Peranakan customs are also patently Chinese in both structure and spirit. For example, the Peranakan wedding is initiated by a matchmaker, who is reimbursed usually with the front leg of a pig, an angpow (red packet containing money) and a huge pair of red candles. The Peranakans even continued observing some aspects of the wedding and funeral that were so traditional the Chinese had forgone.

It is in the material culture and lifestyle of the Peranakans that show more of Hindu-Malay influence. The nonyas (women) wore kebaya, a type of blouse, over a batik sarong and adopted the Southeast Asian custom of chewing betal nut. Peranakan cuisine is hot and spicy, and takes many hours to prepare.

The beadwork and embroidery (see photo) practised by the nonyas is a particular aspect that distinguishes Peranakan culture. Traditionally, young nonyas spent most of their time at home learning domestic arts from their elders. Not surprisingly, this intricate craft became the measure by which the young nonya was judged to be suitable as a bridal candidate. Pieces made for the bridal trousseau provided an opportunity for showcasing the bride’s artistic talent through her work on display for the groom’s friends and relatives on the eve of the wedding.

Indeed, Peranakan culture speaks for many generations of Peranakan Chinese who adopted a hybrid of cultural elements and made it their own.


Image source: http://oceanskies79.blogspot.com/2008/05/nonya-beadwork-embroidery.html

References:

Peranakan Museum : A-Z guide (Singapore : Asian Civilisations Museum for the Peranakan Museum, 2008).

Peranakan heritage : National Museum of Singapore (Singapore : Friends of the National Museum, 1988).

And you coming back to me is against all odds...

Dan said to me the other day, "What's so special about your blog? Posting youtube videos anyone can do!"

Yet she visits my blog. I'm flattered. :p

Lately there hasn't been anything that inspired me enough to write about. Not the Death Cab for Cutie concert. Not my enjoyable part-time work at the museum. Not my dreadful job hunt either. Not even the string of runs over the next few months - I imagine will be torturous - that I let Colin persuade me into joining.

If I haven't raved on about it already, the Chicago Public Radio show This American Life is da bomb! It has some of the best stories I've ever heard and not to mention, the soundtrack for the show is beautifully done, drawing ever so carefully from the world of music from classic to pop to punk in order to create the right moods for the stories. Phil Collin's Against All Odds is in the 'Breaking Up' episode, how apt!

Now there's something that got me a teeny wee bit inspired. It is a wet and grey Saturday morning, so I gave myself half an hour to try my hand at a little story myself. I only managed a paragraph and I doubt I'll finish it any time soon.

A few days back, a small package arrived from New York and sat on my desk. My father collects the mail everyday and leaves them in my room when I’m not around. Mostly bills and credit card promos and junk in general. Amid all the clutter the big black envelope immediately caught my attention. Then it struck me immediately why she asked for my address that day.

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It was at the unforgettable summer camp I met Cris. It did not take very long for us to get together…

Chinese retro pop night

Over three thousand Chinese pop - Singapore xinyao pop to be exact - enthusiasts turned up for this huge outdoor singalong at the Creative Tech atrium last Saturday. My attendance was a serendipity. Faye gave me the ticket that belonged to her unlucky friend who was down with a bad stomach. I was the last candidate she considered handing over the ticket to.
"You're too young to like these songs. They're from a different era," she said.
She was wrong about the constitution of the audience; it cut across generations. The 40-plus uncle sitting beside me was, for that matter, singing hoarse his throat to the fare of xinyao songs, SBC serial drama theme songs and notably Liang Wenfu's songs.
So this is what a singalong is, I thought. A sea of karaoke aficionados singing along to a live band basically playing the minus-one track. Lyrics to the songs were even flashed on a giant screen for the clueless. Truly an eye-opener. I might have been swept over by nostalgia by some of the songs if not for some of the grating moments though. I wished the guest stars, who included Mavis Hee and that dude from DreamzFM, did more singing!
I guess the other History Boys (and JianHua) would have enjoyed the event way more than I do. They have already been singing some of those oldies during our K sessions.