By Rina De Silva
Strict religious and family practices, rich cuisine, fine garments and merry songs were once part of the lives of the Babas and Nyonyas. Now, much of their culture is only seen in books and museums. The older generation wants this rich heritage to live on, but many of the young people are moving away from the old ways.
Fading customs of Straits Chinese
Malaca: When he was a young man, Chan Kim Lay would clasp his hands and bow down to the floor to pay respects to his parents and grandparents on their birthdays and at Chinese New Year. But Chan is 82 years old and this custom is rarely seen today, much to his regret. Many young Straits Chinese have not even heard of this practice. "Who bows nowadays? The youngsters shake hands and say ‘Happy Birthday, dad‘. The world has changed," sighs Chan. Things were different in his time. Those were the days of week-long wedding ceremonies; special cutlery reserved for funerals and birthdays; and richly embroidered ceremonial costumes kept especially for important family functions. In Chan‘s younger days, the Babas and Nyonyas spoke a unique dialect of their own — a mixture of Malay and mostly Hokkien. When he looked for a bride, his family insisted that she be a Nyonya to preserve the culture they were so fiercely proud of. But Chan is old, and the young Straits Chinese don‘t have the time — and often lack the inclination — to practise the traditions he holds so dear. Some of the customs are maintained, like eating with their hands, but being pragmatic people, they have adapted many to suit today‘s world, says Datuk Seri Khoo Keat Siew, president of the state Chinese Association in Penang. "When they‘re with their own community, they speak their unique colloquial Malay, sometimes getting stares from Chinese people," he said. "But many of our customs are time-consuming and they have been simplified to suit today‘s more hectic lifestyle. "The younger generation are exposed to Western culture and have no qualms about adopting social values that go against the grain of their family traditions and customs." Thirty-year-old Russell Teo, a Malacca Baba, says in his parents‘ day, it would have been taboo to wear black at New Year‘s or to a wedding or birthday celebration. "But nowadays, young people think it‘s cool to wear black," he said, because they see it on foreign television programmes. "It‘s hard to practice our culture because we live in an environment where we are expected to conform," he said. The Straits Chinese are gradually losing their identity, as education and jobs take the young people away from their small closely-knit community. Outside, they are generally mistaken for Chinese. And Baba Nyonya children learn "proper" Malay at school so they don‘t use much of the Straits Chinese dialect that they learn at home. But their knowledge does help them score well in Bahasa Malaysia papers at school, Teo quips. He says a full traditional Straits Chinese wedding would be too long and expensive now, so many customs have been done away with. Even the long narrow houses in Jalan Hang Jebat (Jonker Walk) and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (Heeren Street), taken over from the Dutch in the early 19th century, are no longer the nucleus of Straits Chinese family life in Malacca. The homes have now become shops, restaurants and tourist attractions. Seeing the writing on the wall in the 1980s, Chan decided to preserve the home of his youth in Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock as a Baba Nyonya heritage museum, following the example of the castles he visited during a trip to the United Kingdom. It is his way of sharing his culture with the world and reminding the Baba Nyonya youth of their rich culture. Teo‘s ancestral home along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock is now the Hotel Puri. "Many young Malaysians may have tasted Baba Nyonya food and kuih, and even worn the sarong kebaya, but they have no idea how the culture evolved," said Khoo. "Perhaps our schools should teach the history of the Straits Chinese and their unique culture. The challenge to the present community is to preserve the culture so that it can stand the test of time."
‘It is like having the best rojak in town‘
Malacca: The differences go deeper than the 55 years that separate Tracy Poh and her grandmother Seet Swee Mem, and they are visible at first sight. At 80 years old, Seet still wears the traditional sarong and blouse at home that she wore in her youth. Poh, 25, walks around in shorts and a T-shirt "Nowadays, everything is modern. Even the way they talk is different," says Seet, shaking her head. Staying out after 10pm was unthinkable in a Straits Chinese household, and so was sporting a crew cut during her youth, she smiles. A niece of the late Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Seet took pride in occasions like weddings, birthdays and Chinese New Year. She wore special outfits, and the traditional dishes were eaten with cutlery reserved for the occasion. Even the house had special decorations for each occasion. Today, the Straits Chinese community has by and large been assimilated into the mainstream Chinese community. Officially, they are not regarded as a distinct community apart from the Chinese. Many of the young people find it difficult to maintain their traditions. Even the rich coconut milk of their unique cuisine has been replaced with powdered milk for a healthier alternative. And, according to Poh, a traditional wedding would be far too expensive costing over RM100,000. Just to rent the costumes would cost RM500 for a few hours. But despite the lack of practice, many young Baba Nyonyas are intrigued by the old culture. Law student Natalie Chong, 21, says the shapely, transparent baju kebaya and sarong she wears for weddings and at New Year‘s make her feel "very ladylike, like I have to behave myself". But she doesn‘t reserve it for special occasions as her mother or grandmother may have done. She combines her kebaya with a pair of jeans and wears it to class. Like many Nyonya, Chong cannot speak Chinese. "Sometimes people scold me or make fun of me when I tell them I can‘t speak Chinese. It just shows that they don‘t understand our culture," she says. But 40-year-old Thomas Tan, who works for a bank in Malacca, has learned Mandarin to improve his career prospects "I really had no choice," he says. Chong‘s mother, Irene Cheak, says it‘s hard to get young people today to practise the culture because of the influences from outside. "Even I hardly cook Baba Nyonya food any more. It‘s more like fusion food," she says. "It‘s sad the younger generation are not retaining the Baba Nyonya culture, which is a very beautiful one. It is like having the best rojak in town, all the good ingredients blended together," says Tan.
How the Baba community is different from Malaysian Chinese
Language: Penang Babas speak Hokkien and English whereas Malacca and Singapore Babas speak a colloquial Baba Malay dialect containing a number of Chinese loaned words. They are more fluent in Malay and English than Chinese.
Food and eating patterns: The Baba cuisine is influenced by the Malay culture and is more spicy, containing ketumbar, cinnamon stick, star anise, serai, kunyit and belacan. At home, most Babas use their hands to eat.
Clothes: In the past, women wore a sarong with kebaya top baju panjang or kebaya similar to the Malays. The baju kebaya is transparent and displays motifs such as flowers, birds, goldfish and peacock. The more intricate the pattern the more expensive. It can cost anything between RM600 and RM1,000.
Footwear: Beaded slippers where the beads are fine and polished.
Entertainment: Older Babas prefer listening to keroncong and Asli music and Western music to Chinese songs.
Family names: The early Babas were Hokkien Chinese who migrated from southern China. Their common surnames include Khoo, Tan, Lim, Cheah and Neo.
Conversation habits: Like to use cheeky names to mean the opposite for example, Si Bulat to mean thin people, Si Buruk to mean a beautiful person, Si Hitam to mean a white person.
Education: In the past, most went to missionary and convent schools where they became proficient in English. There were few government schools at that time.
Family Greeting: Different ways of calling their uncles and aunts depending on which parent‘s side. Eg. Father‘s side: Father‘s oldest sister is known as Mak Koh and youngest known as Koh Chik. Mother‘s side: Mother‘s oldest sister is known as tua e and youngest sister is known as e chik.
Source: www.nst.com.my
