Nyonya sarong kebaya and peranakan pantun
By C S Wan
Photos courtesy of Lisa Lim
Update with more photos and video
Sarong
kebaya and pantun ( Malay poetry ) are synonymous with the traditional peranakan
culture.
In
the old days, it was common to see the nyonya in their sarong kebaya, however,
today the nyonya signature attire has been reserved mainly for special
occasions.
The
older generation of peranakan were also adept at berpantun and would often
exchange extemporaneous pantun (berbalas pantun) when they performed the ronggeng or dondang sayang
and even their everyday conversations would sometimes be interspersed
with pantun.
Recently,
my niece, Lisa with her sis and cousins, elegantly attired in their beautiful sarong kebaya, posed for a photo at the Ramada Plaza which she posted on Facebook .
She also penned a pantun to accompany the photo of the bevy of Melaka nyonya beauties. The pantun generated a lively exchange of pantun among our family members. I am glad and proud that they have all shown keen interest in preserving their peranakan cultural heritage.
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| Nyonya manis |
She also penned a pantun to accompany the photo of the bevy of Melaka nyonya beauties. The pantun generated a lively exchange of pantun among our family members. I am glad and proud that they have all shown keen interest in preserving their peranakan cultural heritage.
With
Lisa and the others kind permission, I have posted photos of my nieces in their
sarong kebaya and a selection of pantun penned by the nyonya and baba.
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| A bevy of Melaka nyonya beauties |
A selection of pantun penned by the nyonya and baba
Lisa Lim: Tinggi tinggi pokok pinang
Tinggi lagi pokok kelapa
Cantik cantik anak Pulau Pinang
Cantik lagi nyonya Melaka
Joon Wan: Anak bermain di tengah bendang
Lari-lari jatuh terluka
Sarong kebaya memang cantik dipandang
Apalagi dipakai nyonya Melaka
Fiona Lim: Sorong papan, tarik papan
Buah keranji dalam perahu
Anak-anak nyonya, cantik menawan
Apatah lagi, pada tahun baru
Xhen Song: Budak budak main bunga api
Orang tua main judi
Pakai kebaya setahun sekali
Bila mo gayakan lagi
Fiona Lim: Satu, dua kucing berlari'
Manakan sama si kucing belang
Kita boleh gayakan kebaya lagi
Tunggu aje Lenny kahwin sekarang
Lenny Wan: Dua tiga kucing berlari
Kucing belang bermain tali
Duit kahwin penat gua cari
Tapi habis dikaut si Leslie
Les Kwong: Sepupu Lisa asyik suka perli
Kenapa si laki belum cuti lagi
Kalo Lenny mau duit kahwin lagi
Jom mari main judi lagi
Joon Wan: Dua tiga kucing berlari
Salah-salah lompat masuk perigi
Si Leslie ajak main judi
Boleh dia keruk duit kita lagi
Photos taken on 20th December 2014
The nyonyas in their sarong kebaya at Jean's and Lenny's wedding dinner at the Philea Resort, Melaka.
Photos taken on 20th December 2014
The nyonyas in their sarong kebaya at Jean's and Lenny's wedding dinner at the Philea Resort, Melaka.
Photos taken on 23rd July 2016
A bevy of peranakan beauties with their beautiful sarong kebaya at Justin's and Sheila's wedding luncheon held at the Ramada Plaza, Melaka.
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| The little nyonyas |
Nyonya pakai kebaya by Dolly Tupez on Youtube
Sarung kebaya cantik menawan
ReplyDeleteApalagi dipakai nyonya sendiri
Duit tu bukan jadi soalan
Lenny mo kahwin semua pun jadi!
Anak Cina pergi ke pekan,
ReplyDeleteCari kawan sambil makan-makan,
Sungguh anggun barisan jelitawan,
Nyonya Melaka memang tiada bandingan.
Baba men pun boleh tahan,
I know cos I married one!
He may not be a "Wan"
but he can be very "menawan" :-)
Baba memang s'kali menawan,
ReplyDeleteBudi baik pun mesti dipuji,
Lenny kahwin, kebaya dah tayangkan,
Baba dan Nyonya turut janji.
Hi there, the singer in the video posted is my grandfather, he is popularly known as Doli Tupaz. Thanks for sharing his music. Joyce Tupaz
ReplyDeleteHi Joyce, thanks for sharing the interesting info. May I know where you are residing now? Hope you can share more info about your grandpa and his music.
ReplyDeleteSure. I'm Singaporean but am now residing in KL as my husband is working here. My whole family is in SG and I can ask my dad for more info. My grandpa was a famous for his branyo music. He was Eurasian, Portuguese and Filipino mix, he married a Eurasian, British Portuguese.My mum is Peranakan Teochew. She used a red kebaya like the one above for my wedding :) About my grandpa's music, correspond via email? Sorry if this is a double post, I had replied this morning but I don't see my reply now, so Im writing again.
DeleteHi Joyce, thanks for sharing the info about your grandpa . You can email me at
ReplyDeletewanchweeseng@yahoo.com.sg
I'm in the midst of writing hence can I borrow and quote this pantun above ... TQ
ReplyDeleteTinggi tinggi pokok pinang
Tinggi lagi pokok kelapa
Cantik cantik anak Pulau Pinang
Cantik lagi nyonya Melaka
Hi Baba Soo, you are most welcome to use the pantun. Wish you happy writing.
Delete