The Peranakan Museum

Ever since Michelle Tan and Ben Lim took me to the Katong area, I have been very interested in the Straits Chinese.  Until I visited the Peranakan Museum, I believed that Straits Chinese was synonomous with Peranakans, but I learned otherwise.  At the museum, I learned that Peranakans was the term used to identify traders who traveled from other countries to trade with Singapore, and ended up marrying local Singapore women.  Many of the traders were from China, but many were also from India, and many other Asian countries.  That is why Singapore and the Singaporeans are so multicultural.  The United States isn't the only melting pot culture!

In Singapore's early days, when it was discovered as a trade destination, sailors would travel with the trade winds.  That meant that once they reached Singapore, they had to remain for 6 months, waiting for the trade winds to take them in the opposite direction.  6 months would give them plenty of time to meet and fall in love with the local women.  Many of the sailors stayed in Singapore to start their families, bringing their cultures and traditions with them.

A docent gave us a tour of the museum.  She spent much time explaining the wedding customs.  A Peranakan wedding would last for 12 days.  There were many traditional gifts that were given to the family of the bride, and the family of the groom.  The headpiece of the bride was actually made of a large number of hairpins, (I believe it was 144!), that had auspicious decorations on them.  The bridal robes were made of silk, and heavily embroidered.  It is so hot in Singapore that I can't imagine wearing anything made of silk, much less a long sleeved, heavily embroidered robe that falls to the floor!  In deference to that, the bridal party wore undergarments made of bamboo.  That helped to cool the wearer, keep the garments from clinging, and protect the delicate fabric from perspiration marks.  Wedding garb was meant to be passed from generation to generation.

I was especially tickled by one wedding custom.  Males were always highly regarded in the Singaporean culture.  The wedding couple would choose a boy who came from a family of many boys to roll on their nuptial bed before they consummated their marriage, in the hope that the couple would produce many male offspring.  When I related this fact to Michelle and Ben, the parents of 3 boys, they said that it is still that way today.  At an upcoming wedding of some friends, their 3 boys will be asked to roll on the bed and put like one little drop of pee in the corners of the bed in the hopes that the couple will have lots of boys!

One exhibit was dedicated to the "Nonya Porcelain".  This is beautiful china that belonged to the woman of the house.  Much

A beautiful kebiyah with embroidered dragons.

A beaded scarf.

Beaded slippers.

Gold Peacock belt.

Peacock belt with beaded footstools.

Nonya Porcelain.

Close-up of Nonya Porcelain.

A different color Nonya Porcelain.

Kebayas and sarongs..

...from different cultures...

...and eras.

The pottery smashing chute.

of the china was primarily pink in color.  This surprised me; that such a male oriented society would eat from pink "Nonya Porcelain".  The docent said that even though they were the wife's dishes, she had to make sure that all males ate first, and women could only eat after the men and children had eaten.  I wouldn't last long in that society!

There was one modern exhibit that was featured at the time of my visit.  Potters had made clay vessels, and patrons could buy the pots, and throw them down a large chute to smash them.   The members of my tour were cringing as we heard the breaking pots.  It was so hard to come to terms with art being smashed!  I don't know that I could pay for a pot and break it.