BABA NYONYA

Baba Nyonya Heritage

 

      

Chinese resident which is called 'Baba Nyonya' was an origin's royal of the family who substitue Malay traditions in their daily life. It takes up to 400 years along the journey through their recognizeable sailor names 'Laksamana Cheng Ho'. He came to Malacca and created a specialty and authentic life style in Malaysia especially in Malacca. Intermarriage between early chinese settlers and local people resulted to the culture of Baba-Nyonya.The Nyonya Baba were partially assimilated into the Malay culture, especially in food, dress and language used, while retaining some of the Chinese traditions and culture, like religion, name, folk medicine and festival celebrations, thereby creating a new kind of mixed culture of their country of origin with local, among those, like “Nyonya cuisine “ has developed the spices of Malay cuisine, examples are curry recipe cooking, Inchi Kabin, Chicken Kapitan, fried or cry chicken & sea foods, with local spicy & spicery. Wearring the Baju Kebaya. Most of the Peranakan are not Muslim, but have retained the ancestral worship tradition of the Chinese, especially of their wedding ceremony is largely based upon the Chinese tradition. 

Baba Byonya (Peranakan, the term used popularly for descendants of early Chinese immigrants to the Nusantara region, including both the British Straits Settlements of Singapore, Malacca and Penang, and the Dutch controlled island of Java among other areas, who have partially adopted Malay customs in an effort to be assimilated into the local communities. The word of Peranakan, is also used commonly to describe Indonesia Chinese. In both BM & Bahasa Indonesia, Peranakan” means descendant. Baba refer to the male descendants and Nyonya the female. Most Peranakanare of Hokkein ancestry, although a fair denomination of them are of the Teocheww or Cantonese descent. The language of the Peranakan, Baba Malay (Bahasa Melayu Baba), is a dialect of the Malay Language which contains many Hokkein works. The Nyonya Baba were partially assimilated into the Malay culture, especially in food, dress and language used, while retaining some of the Chinese traditions and culture, like religion, name, folk medicine and festival celebrations, thereby creating a new kind of mixed culture of their country of origin with local, among those, like “Nyonya cuisine “ has developed the spices of Malay cuisine, examples are curry recipe cooking, Inchi Kabin, Chicken Kapitan, fried or cry chicken & sea foods, with local spicy & spicery. Wearring the Baju Kebaya. Most of the Peranakan are not Muslim, but have retained the ancestral worship tradition of the Chinese, especially of their wedding ceremony is largely based upon the Chinese tradition.

               

Nyonya Kebaya 

 

             

Nyonya Kebaya  is a unique traditional ethnic clothes worn by the Straits Settlement Chinese ladies who are known as nyonyas. The Baba and Nyonya, even though originally are ethnic Chinese, adopt the way of dressing, some cultural practices and also local food in their daily lives. The main difference of nyonya kebaya from other kebayas is that, the material used for the top is sheer. The material can be gauze cotton, voile or georgette. Since the top is made out of translucent material, it is necessary to wear an inner cotton camisole which is called "anak baju".The top is embroidered with beautiful motifs with extra emphasize at the collar, the sleeves and the hem of the jacket. The motifs are usually hand-made. As with other craft, machine-made embroidery would not look as good as the hand-made ones. As for the sarong, batik from Java is used. Locally known as "batik Jawa", there are several cuts to choose from. The more shapely ladies would love to show off their lovely legs with a sarong with a slit in front. The slit would only show as they walk.

"Now you see it, now you don't" is supposed to be so seductive that jealous husbands would not allow their women to be seen wearing these costumes outside the house. A more modest version does not have slits, but instead adorned with pleats at the seams in front so that the movement is not hampered much.   There are two basic styles of nyonya kebaya. The one with long jacket (known as kebaya labuh) and also another with the short jacket (kebaya pendek). Kebaya labuh is usually worn by elderly ladies. The cut is straight, and the length comes down to the knees, sometimes almost to the calves. The material is still sheer, and anak baju is also needed. A set of brooches (usually a set of three) are used to secure the front of the jacket. A chiffon embroidered handkerchief is cleverly tucked at the collar completes the look. Kebaya pendek is much preferred by the younger nyonyas. The cut hugs the figure and the length of the jacket only reaches the hips. This costume shows off the shape of the women beautifully.

Other accessories required to be worn together with these kebayas are slippers embroidered with beads known as nyonya slippers. These slippers are also handmade, and therefore not practical for daily use. They are delicate and obviously not suitable for rough walking. A beaded purse can also be part of the attire. It is also customary for the nyonyas to wear their hair in a certain style while wearing the kebaya. A simple neat bun adorned with flowers are usually the case. The choice is usually fresh fragrant local flowers. Now, the kebaya becomes designer items. The hip youngsters wear them with jeans. The price of hand-made nyonya kebaya can easily reach hundreds, even thousands of dollars. This depends on the quality of the workmanship. Naturally handmade embroidery, being more intricate, will fetch a very high price. Only very few people can make these patterns beautifully. Apprentices train since young to master this art form. Every woman feels elegant when they wear this traditional costume. The kebayas are normally worn for special occasions only. During Hari Raya also, kebaya nyonya is the costume of choice by many trendy Muslim ladies. They are worn with shawls and high heels, complete with chunky costume jewellery and matching brooches. A matching sarong or pareo will complete the look effortlessly.

Peranakan Porcelain

 (Nyonya Porcelain)  

Peranakan porcelain was exported from China as a result of a specialized market in South East Asia, mainly in Malaysia and Singapore.

Peranakan or Baba Nyonya are terms for a subgroup of the Straits Chinese and their unique culture. They are descendants of early Chinese emigrants who settled on both sides of the Malacca straits as early as the 15th and 16th centuries. That is, mainly in the areas of present-day Singapore, Malacca and Penang. These early settlers often took Malay or Indonesian brides and as a result their culture and objects were influenced by the local Malay culture, creating a very distinct local Chinese flavor.

  

 

           


               These Nyonya wares represent one of the most colorful porcelain wares made in China. The Straits Chinese porcelain is generally brighter colored than any other export porcelain made in China. The base color is often a bright yellow, green, pink, etc.In the local porcelain design the phoenix and peony have a prominent position in porcelain decorations. Also, the phoenix appears often is larger on Nyonya porcelain than on porcelain used in China. A word of caution if you are offered Peranakan or Nyonya porcelain. Some of this is not porcelain made specifically for the Straits Chinese. Some are regular porcelain, the same made for domestic use in China. They assumedly were also shipped at the same time, and are now on sale as "Straits" Chinese porcelain.