Peranakan @ Baba Nyonya: 2

Assalamualaikum and hi awesome people ;)
so let us continue on the Peranakans. Previous entry was on the history right? so in this entry we wanna focus on the dressing of the Baba Nyonya.
whenever we talks about Baba and Nyonya, one thing that will come out is their dressing which is '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.

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.

(the old picture of nyonya in kebaya pendek)

(modern kebaya pendek)

(kebaya labuh)
credit tohttp://www.penangheritagecity.com/nyonya-kebaya.html

So that's all for now guys. We'll updare more soon. Keep coming folks! ;)
XOXO

Peranakan @ Baba Nyonya: 1

Assalamualaikum. Hi and welcome back to the Three Musketeers' blog: cultural weekly project. :)
Last entry we shared on Saudi Arabia aite? but in this entry we are not sharing on the same topic, as the post title is about Peranakan or known as Baba Nyonya. Enjoy reading and learning guys.. :)


"Peranakan", "Baba-Nyonya" and "Straits-born Chinese" (named after the Straits of Malacca/Straits Settlement under the British rule of Malaya) are terms used for the descendants of the early Chinese immigrants to the Nusantara region who inter-married with local folks. This region includes the British Straits Settlements of Malacca, Penang and Singapore and the Dutch-controlled island of Java.
The birth of Malaysia's & Singapore's unique Peranakan or BabaNyonya heritage dates back to the early 15th century when Melaka was ruled by a Malay sultanate kingdom in which during that time, it was also a prosperous and strategic trading port for herbs and spices. As a trading port for the region, Melaka had enjoyed very strong relations with the kingdom of China.
The word "Peranakan" is also commonly used to describe Indonesian Chinese. In both Malaysia and Indonesia local languages, "Peranakan” means descendant. "Baba" refers to the male descendants and "Nyonya" the female.
Because the early Peranakans inter-married with the local Malay population, most early Peranakans are tan in skin color, albeit in this modern day and age where the ancestry bloodline for many have been diluted, it may not necessary be so anymore.

Well, in the early 15th century, close relations with the kingdom of China was established during the reign of Parameswara (the founder of Melaka way before Malaya -now Malaysia- was formed). Great tributes were given during the visit by China's Admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He) to Malacca. In return for such tributes, a princess of China called "Puteri Hang Li Po" ("Puteri" means Princess) was presented as a 'gift' to the ruling Sultan of Malacca, Sultan Mansur Shah circa 1459 AD (who was Parameswara prior to his throning) to forge closer trading ties. The Princess and her entourage of servants then settled in Bukit Cina (means "Chinese Hill") in Malacca. With the Princess having married the Sultan and later her entourage also followed suit by marrying local Malay folks, thus eventually emerged the beginning of this centuries-old culture called "Peranakan" or "Baba-Nyonya".

In addition, records also show that following the successful union of China and Malacca through the marriage of Sultan Mansur Shah and Princess Hang Li Po, more Chinese male and female immigrants had come to Malacca, leading to more inter-marriages and the continued development of this unique Peranakan heritage.


By the middle of the 20th century, most Peranakans were English educated as a result of British colonisation of Malaya (which included Singapore at that time). They filled jobs in civil service as they had embraced English culture and education openly. The interaction with the British also resulted in some Peranakans converting to Christianity, thereby they became influential under the British colonisation. The Peranakan communities were also known as the King's Chinese due to their perceived loyalty to the British Crown. The culture and heritage then developed further and flourished to Penang and Singapore as Malacca Peranakans were transferred to fill administrative and civil jobs at these places. At that time, Malacca, Penang and Singapore had been formed the British Straits Settlements.

old pic of Straits Settlements

(credits to http://nyonyapendekmelaka.blogspot.my/2009/07/peranakan-its-historical-beginning-and.html)
We'll update more on Peranakans in the other entry. see yaaaa!! :)

Saudi Arabia part 1

Assalamualaikum and welcome back. :)
let us start with the history of Saudi Arabia.


Saudi Arabs grew out of the larger group of nomadic inhabitants of the Arabian peninsula, who were known as “Arab.” The prophet Muhammad briefly unified the Arabs of the Arabian peninsula at the beginning of the Islamic religion in the 7th Century, but this unity was short-lived as the newly established Arab empire migrated north into Iraq, where the Abbasid Caliphate was established. The term “Arab” is now largely a cultural/linguistic designation, embracing various national, regional, and religious groups in several different countries.

The inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula lacked a common cultural and ethnic identity until the 18th Century when Abd al-Wahhab and Muhammad Ibn Saud sought to unify the peninsula based on their shared religious-political philosophy. Al-Wahhab was a religious scholar who objected to what he called deviations from strict Islamic teachings and practices. Al-Wahhab advocated a return to the original Islam as practiced at the time of the prophet Muhammad in the 7th Century. Al-Wahhab reinforced the notion that the Saudi Arab identity is closely tied to the early events of Islam, which occurred on Saudi territory in the Hijaz in the 8th Century A.D.


FACTS AND STATISTICS OF SAUDI ARABIA

Official name: Al-Mamlakah al-ʿArabiyyah al-Suʿūdiyyah (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
Form of government: Monarchy
Head of state and government: King: Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Capital: Riyadh
Official language: Arabic
Official religion: Islam
Monetary unit: Saudi riyal (SR)
Population: (2014 est.) 30,955,000
Total area (sq mi): 830,000
Total area (sq km): 2,149,690
Urban-rural population Urban: (2012) 82.5%
Rural: (2012) 17.5%
Life expectancy at birth: Male- (2011) 73 years
Female- (2011) 75.2 years

Literacy (percentage of population age 15 and over literate): Male- (2008) 89.5%
Female- (2008) 80.2%

GNI per capita (U.S.$): (2013) 26,200

(the picture of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud)

King Salman bin Abdulaziz acceded to the throne after the death of King Abdullah on January 23, 2015. He was designated Crown Prince, and appointed Deputy Prime Minister, by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz on June 18, 2012, upon the death of Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz. As Crown Prince, King Salman also serves as Minister of Defense.

King Salman was born in Riyadh on Dec. 31, 1935, and received his education at the Prince’s School in Riyadh. He served as Deputy Governor of Riyadh from March 1954 to April 1955, and Governor of Riyadh from April 1955 to December 1960 and again from February 1963 to Nov. 5, 2011, when he was appointed Minister of Defense.

Since 1956, King Salman has chaired various humanitarian and service committees that provide relief from natural and man-made disasters. For his humanitarian services, he has been awarded many medals and decorations, including awards from Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Morocco, Palestine, the Philippines, Senegal, the United Nations, Yemen, and the King Abdulaziz Medal - First Class.

He is a recipient of several honorary degrees and academic awards, including an honorary doctorate from the Islamic University of Madinah, the King Salman academic award, and the Kant Medal by the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities in appreciation of his contributions to the field of science.

Maps of Saudi Arabia
We'll continue on this topic in the next entry. Till next time guys. :)
xoxo

Get to know others.

Assalamualaikum people. hyeee.. :) We're sorry for the late of posting information on this blog. busy girls, you know.. hehe :P so before we start on posting about what we need to share with u guys, let us see these flags first.

any of u know about this flag? yes? no? who mentioned Saudi? YES!! this is Saudi Arabia's flag. so clever ;) hikss
Description on Saudi's flag :
The flag of Saudi Arabia was officially adopted in 1973.
Saudi Arabia's flag uses green to honor the country's puritanical Muslim Wahabi sect, and also because green is widely believed to be the prophet Muhammad's favorite color. The white, centered script, the shahada, is the Muslim Statement of Faith, "There is no God but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God". The sword represents Abd-al-Aziz.

(taken from http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/countrys/mideast/saudiarb.htm )
We have three topics which are Saudi Arabia country as out main topic, Myanmar as topic under race and the third is Baba Nyonya ethnic. So now we know about the flag of Saudi Arabia country. Let us see the second flag.

Any idea which flag is this? this flag belongs to Myanmar or also known as Burma.

Myanmar Flag - Introduction Myanmar flag has three equal horizontal stripes of yellow (top), green, and red; centered on the green band is a large white five-pointed star that partially overlaps onto the adjacent colored stripes; the design revives the triband colors used by Burma from 1943-45, during the Japanese occupation.

The history on this flag: Republic of the Union of Myanmar officially unveiled the current flag at 3pm on 21 October 2010 to replace the former flag in use since 1974. (The old flag, introduced by the socialist government of Ne Win in 1974, has a red field with a blue rectangle in the left corner bearing a cog wheel and a rice plant encircled by 14 stars representing the country's seven regions and seven states).

The old flags were lowered by government officials who were born on a Tuesday, while the new flags were raised by officials born on a Wednesday. The date and peculiar timing suggested the influence numerology. The date was 21 -- 2 plus 1 equals 3 -- the time was 3:00 and the year was 2010, whose digits add up to three. Added together they equal nine, an auspicious number in Myanmar. (In the 1980s, the nation had bank notes in denominations of 45 and 90 kyats, because each of those two numbers add up to nine!) The new flag was introduced as part of the changes to national symbols that were laid out in the 2008 Constitution pushed by the military junta.

(taken from http://myanmarflag.facts.co/myanmarflagof/myanmarflag.php )


Long history aitee :)
So next let us see the next topic which is about Baba Nyonya community or known as 'Peranakans'. But for this third topic wont have any specific flag, as they are one of the race that may stay in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, specifically in Melaka and Penang.

(the photo of Baba Nyonya woman)

So that's all for all guys. See u in our next post. bubyee... :)