If only these walls could talk… They would describe the scenes they witnessed across more than a century. They might recall the times when the master of the house received guests in the formal reception hall as curious children peeped through tiny holes within the beautifully carved wooden screens to see who had come to visit their father.
The walls might reminisce of the days when kebaya-clad women bustled in the spacious kitchen darting from stove to pantry to table, like a flurry of colourful brushstrokes across a canvas, the aroma of spices and herbs lingering in the air. The walls would have eavesdropped on the staff gossip, smiled upon the kids playing at the indoor courtyard or yearned to join in the merry family gatherings. Ah, those were the days.
The sudden arrival of a couple of tourists interrupts my reverie, reminding me that I need to locate the museum’s manager, Lee Yuen Thien, with whom I have an appointment today. The silence and stillness of the building and its opulent interior return. Once again I’m standing in a museum that used to be a home for four generations of a Peranakan Chinese family from the late 19th century onwards. Till today, the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock in central Melaka is still run by the Chan family.
BLENDING IN
It’s not always possible to distinguish a Straits-born Chinese (as they’re also known) from other Chinese communities, since they practically share the same ethnicity and ancestral roots. But the Peranakan Chinese are mainly characterised by their unique cultural blend of Chinese and Malay elements. The arrival of traders from China to the Malay Peninsular dates back some 400 to 500 years ago and over time, they adopted local customs. Some also very likely took on local wives or concubines.
“As far as I know, my whole ancestry are Babas and Nyonyas,” begins Malacca-born and bred Lee Yuen Thien, the museum’s manager when I finally managed to locate him in the inner sanctum of the building. I’d asked him about his heritage and happened to comment that he doesn’t resemble a typical Chinese person.
Continuing, he elaborates: “Along the way I believe we may have carried Malay blood… probably a long time ago.” In the past, the Straits-born Chinese had always identified themselves as Baba, he explains, but today the community and their culture are better known as Baba Nyonya, with the word Baba itself being an honorific referring to the male while Nyonya is for a female.
Lee’s family has been here for at least five generations. He believes his forefathers mingled with the locals, not with the primary intention of establishing families here but because in the past, they had to wait months for a change of winds to help their ships return home. “So while here, the Chinese made full use of their time doing business. Some even decided to make Southeast Asia their second home. That sparked the beginning of the Baba Nyonya culture which evolved throughout time,” explains the Baba history buff who has conducted much research into his ancestry.
Over the years, Malay words weaved into their speech leading to a Baba patois, local culinary influences crept into their kitchens and the Chinese ladies embraced the traditional kebaya. Nowadays though, you’ll be hard-pressed to find Nyonyas decked in this stunning colourful attire. The only place in Malacca where I’ve delighted in seeing local women wearing the kebaya is at the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum, courtesy of the staff.
LESSONS FROM GRANDMA
Clad in modern slacks and an urban print shirt, the 32-year-old manager steers me to his workspace tucked in a corner of the museum, where he proceeds to elaborate on the Peranakan Chinese way of life. Many lessons were taught by his grandmothers, with whom he spent much time. As far as Lee recalls, they wore sarongs and kebayas almost every day, and growing up with Nyonyas at home, helped to shape his perception of their culture and community.
Recalls Lee: “They’d say things like, “when we do things, make sure to do it well” or give your best. That’s what being Peranakan is about, being prim and proper, everything must be dainty and well-presented. Also, it’s important to be well-behaved.”
The eldest of two boys, Lee immediately recalls a discipline method that seems as effective as a rotan. “I remember my paternal grandma had this hairpin. She had a hairbun at the back with hairpins. If I or my brother misbehaved, she would pull one out - CHUK!”
His sound effect accompanies a hand swoosh from the back of the head and a poking gesture, triggering a loud guffaw from both of us. The visual re-enactment is lightning quick but enough for me to imagine the boys flinching and rubbing their pin-pricked skin.
This instrument of discipline was most likely the cucuk sanggul, a hair accessory that also helped to keep a lady’s chignon bun in place, with some pins even measuring as long as 14cm. Never underestimate a Nyonya grandmother, I muse aloud.
Lee’s parents were less traditional than his grandmothers but they too ensured the children were raised to be well-mannered and humble. Before retirement, his father was a FELDA officer while mum worked in the poultry business. The good manners that they passed down to the younger generation included addressing all the elders at the table before having a meal.
Lee also recalls that “…whenever we have guests at home, there’s usually a fixed number of chairs at the dining table. I was so used to eating first.” He continues: “But my mother would go … (he makes a mock shriek) “not before our guests!” So, elders and guests should eat first.”
FESTIVE TRADITIONS
Like any Chinese household prior to the Lunar New Year, preparations by Baba Nyonya families involve spring-cleaning and sourcing for or making festive snacks. The week before [the New Year] would be the most intense week, recalls Lee, as it’s the period where they’d carry out the tradition of sending off the deities to heaven. That would be the official start of preparations, prompting as well the cleaning of the altar, polishing the brassware and the urns.
As the Baba Nyonyas were known for keenly observing ancestral rites, their Chinese New Year tended to focus greatly on worship. “On the eve itself, we will have a grand worshipping of our ancestors in the house because we have ancestry tablets kept in the house.”
On the eve of New Year, family members would gather for that all important reunion meal, which would comprise a spread unique to the Peranakan Chinese. In Lee’s family, his mother or aunties would serve up traditional dishes such as itik tim, a duck and salted vegetable soup, fish maw soup, spring rolls, acar (spicy pickled vegetables) and itik sio, which is braised duck with tamarind and coriander. There would be other varieties of meat (except beef), seafood and vegetables, making up at least eight to 12 dishes.
That same day, an intriguing rice tradition would begin. Lee explains that before the reunion Dinner, a pot of rice would be cooked. Once cooked, the rice would be scooped into a bowl and subsequently taken and placed at the main altar (among other food offerings) to welcome the new year.
This rice, which they call nasi sambot taon, represents an abundance of food and prosperity. It would be decorated with spring onion (symbolising growth) and a sprig of the ixora flower (symbolising abundance and fortune). On the fourth day of Chinese New Year, the ‘Kitchen’ deity is believed to descend, marking the time to examine the mould that would have formed on the rice.
“If it’s orange-y, it will be a prosperous year. If it’s dark in colour, we have to be careful of something inauspicious.” Highly curious, I ask him if the rice really does change colour. “Yeah, yeah! Every year!” Lee exclaims spiritedly. “Normally it will be orange, I believe because of the weather. But there are certain years when the weather is cooler, then it would not be that orange!” This tradition is even carried out at the museum, whereby on the fourth day of Chinese New Year, fascinated visitors would flock to observe the bowl of rice.
The first day of New Year begins very early for Lee’s family. They usually wake up at 5am to welcome the first sunshine followed by worship and prayers, before the proceeding for the traditional tea ceremony called sohjah, where the family conveys filial piety. “We kneel down before the elders, beginning with the oldest, then wish her long life, good health, good year ahead before moving onto the other family members.”
STRENGTHENING IDENTITY
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A new custom appears to be emerging, especially during festive meals. Thanks to the ever-growing social media phenomenon, the younger generation of Baba Nyonyas these days are displaying more interest in their culture, igniting a resurgence - or so believes Lee, who serves as Secretary for the Peranakan Baba Nyonya Association of Malaysia and also authored a thesis on the 21st century social identity of the Peranakan community for his Masters in Sociolinguistics.
“Everybody wants to be known as Baba Nyonya to a certain extent. They’d want to dress in kebaya. Also, I’ve noticed that my cousins, nephews and nieces, when they come home, would insist on snapping pictures of the food first before we have our meals, saying proudly, “This is Peranakan food!” And there I am thinking we’ve been eating this for years ah!” shares Lee, chuckling in amusement.
Pausing to reflect, he eventually adds: “I realised that this is the younger generation’s interpretation of our culture. They don’t really have the spirit in them that much but it’s a good start because they appreciate the food, attire, and perhaps our rituals to a certain extent.”
Lee believes that the best way to create interest and instil greater awareness about the Peranakan culture is through food. Expression earnest, he points out: “No matter if you’re rich or poor, young or old, you still need to eat. So food culture is the easiest to touch a person.”
As a modern day Baba, Lee makes a passionate cultural ambassador, striving to integrate age-old customs in a rapidly-evolving 21st century environment. If we want Malaysia to remain truly multi-cultural and beautifully diverse, it’s also necessary to preserve the less mainstream, more unique cultures. Many walls in Malacca have stood the test of time. Let’s hope the Peranakan culture and traditions do too.
The Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Melaka