Fascinating Peranakan practises By Shanti Gunaratnam,
Pictures by Nik Rosli Ishak
THE humble angku, that sticky red nonya kuih with a yellow, green pea paste filling, holds a message for the recipients.
Kuih angku is one item presented to friends and families to announce the birth of a baby. One
look at the shape of the angku and any Peranakan could immediately tell if the giver had just had a baby boy or girl. For a daughter, there would be peach-shaped angku while the birth of a son was celebrated with two round angku the size of tennis balls.
Today, kuih angku, together with other nonya cakes such as onde-onde and pulut tai-tai (steamed coloured glutinous rice and kaya) are offered by other communities too during celebrations and festivities.
In the old days, the Peranakan – Straits-born Chinese – announced the arrival of the latest addition to the family with gifts of nasi kunyit (turmeric rice), chicken curry, red coloured eggs and kuih angku. This was usually done when the baby reaches the full moon.
When a daughter reached marriageable age, Peranakan families would announce this by holding a tok panjang (long table) party, inviting the women in the community who would come dressed in their best kebaya and jewellery. The table would be laid with the best chinaware and the womenfolk of the family would spend hours cooking delicious nonya dishes to serve the guests. The daughter in question would be on her best behaviour throughout the party so as to impress the invited guests. After all, these guests were the ones who would arrange for marriages to their own sons, nephews or, if they had none of suitable age, act as go-between for families looking for daughters-in-law.
In the old days, marriages were often arrangements to unify business interests or to keep the wealth within the clan.
The Peranakan wedding itself is a fusion of both Chinese and Malay customs and practices.
Source : The New Straits Times - Travel Times
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