Chinese culture
Malaysian
Chinese is the second largest community in Malaysia. Malaysia and China have
political ties and trade since centuries ago. During the Malacca Sultanate age,
China has served as the protector of Malacca from the threat of Siam. Chinese society
has customs or taboos that are quite unique. Their daily lives are affected by
the environment and caused them depends on luck. In many aspects, fortune-tellers
have a big role as consultant in birth, marriage and death. Customs and taboos
are practiced varies according to certain ethnics in Chinese society.
Traditional
clothes
Food
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| Chinese traditional costumes |
Chinese traditional costume is usually worn during festival like Chinese New Year and special occasions especially during wedding ceremony. Their costume is particularly in red colour because it symbolise good luck.
Cheongsam
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| Modern cheongsam |
Chinese women wear cheongsam or also known as Qipao. Cheongsam
is a body hugging dress with high collar, buttons near the shoulder, diagonally
closed with small clips or toggles, slits up the sides of the thighs. It is
often made up of shimmering silk, embroidered satin or other sensual fabrics. Several general motives are applicable to cheongsam such as flowers, birds and dragons. The motives have specific meanings. The
cheongsam is regularly used during Chinese New Year and other formal occasions.
Samfu
Samfu mean "shirt and
pants" in the Cantonese dialect. It is a daily costume for Chinese women
other than 'cheong sam'. It is favored by middle-aged women who work at the
farm, mine or at home. Samfu is made up from
thin fabric that has no designed or delicate flower’s pattern.
Samfu is also worn by Chinese
origin men but has some differences with samfu worn by Chinese women. This
dress consists of a loose shirt and split at the front and high collar and worn
with loose pants like baju Melayu pants.
These clothes are usually made of soft fabrics such as silk. This traditional
clothing is rarely worn by men of Chinese origin in Malaysia.
Food
Hainan
Chicken Rice
Hainanese chicken rice is adapted recipe from early Chinese
immigrants. This is a very popular and simple lunch dish made up of steamed
fragrant rice and served with roasted or steam-cooked chicken and light or dark
soy sauce. A special ginger-chili sauce complements this dish.
Asam Laksa
Laksa is popular spicy noodle soup from the Peranakan culture. Asam laksa is a sour, fish-based soup. Tamarind (asam jawa) is commonly used to give the stock its sour flavor. With some Thai influence, this noodle dish is made with tamarind fish soup served with sliced fresh cucumber and pineapple salad. It is then flavored with a black thick paste made from fermented prawns (shrimp paste).
Wantan Mee
This is a lunch delight made with egg noodles. The noodles are served with barbeque pork, prawns and dumplings. The slices of char siu are added to the dishes. The noodles are being served dry and dressed with oyster sauce.
Claypot Rice
This is a hearty dish of rice cooked in claypots with a combination of thick soya sauce, roast pork, Chinese sausages and mushrooms. It is typically served with Chinese sausages and vegetables. Firstly, the rice is cooked in the claypot and cooked ingredients like cubed chicken and Chinese sausages are added in later on. Traditionally, the cooking is done using charcoal stove.
Yong Tau Foo
Tofu stuffed with fish mousse. Tau Foo means tofu or soy bean cakes in Chinese dialects. This delicacy dish is mainly made with fish paste. Deep fried tofu cakes and vegetables - whole red chillies, brinjals and zucchini are stuffed with a fish mousse or cake, then steamed or boiled until cooked. It is served with a dipping sauce.
Asam Laksa
Laksa is popular spicy noodle soup from the Peranakan culture. Asam laksa is a sour, fish-based soup. Tamarind (asam jawa) is commonly used to give the stock its sour flavor. With some Thai influence, this noodle dish is made with tamarind fish soup served with sliced fresh cucumber and pineapple salad. It is then flavored with a black thick paste made from fermented prawns (shrimp paste).
Wantan Mee
This is a lunch delight made with egg noodles. The noodles are served with barbeque pork, prawns and dumplings. The slices of char siu are added to the dishes. The noodles are being served dry and dressed with oyster sauce.
Claypot Rice
This is a hearty dish of rice cooked in claypots with a combination of thick soya sauce, roast pork, Chinese sausages and mushrooms. It is typically served with Chinese sausages and vegetables. Firstly, the rice is cooked in the claypot and cooked ingredients like cubed chicken and Chinese sausages are added in later on. Traditionally, the cooking is done using charcoal stove.
Yong Tau Foo
Tofu stuffed with fish mousse. Tau Foo means tofu or soy bean cakes in Chinese dialects. This delicacy dish is mainly made with fish paste. Deep fried tofu cakes and vegetables - whole red chillies, brinjals and zucchini are stuffed with a fish mousse or cake, then steamed or boiled until cooked. It is served with a dipping sauce.
Festivals
Chinese New Year is celebrated
on the first day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. This is the most important
annual festival for the Chinese community. Each year is named after one of the
12 animals according to the Chinese Zodiac. Houses are cleaned and decorated to
prepare for the big day. Family members from far come back for gathering. New Year
cards are exchanged between friends and relatives. It begins with a reunion
dinner which is traditional for every member of the family to attend. It is
held on the eve of the New Year. It is an abuzz festival with the clang of
cymbals accompanying lion dances and the thunder of fire crackles filling the
air during that festival. Red paper showing Chinese characters of prosperity
and wealth are pasted either in front or inside the house. Ang-Pow or red
packet containing money is given out to children and elderly. Open house and
visiting relatives and friends with various ethnic races is practiced. Along the
Chinese New Year celebration, most of shopping complex and grand hotel
celebrate the occasion by holding lion dances and special Chinese programs to
entertain the guests and clients. The New Year last for fifteen days which the
concentration is on the first three days. The celebration ends with the Chap Goh
Mei on the fifteenth day.
In Hokkien, Chap Goh Mei means “15th
night” which symbolizes the end of the Chinese New Year. Chap Goh Mei is
celebrated by eating grand meals with family and relatives. At the temples,
devotees performing prayers, asking the God of Prosperity to bless them with
wealth and success in the coming years. It is celebrated with prayers and
offerings to mark the end of the Chinese New Year. Houses are brightly decorated
with the red lanterns for the last day of celebration. Legend has seemed young
unmarried woman throwing tangerines into the sea hoping to find a good husband.
It is also known as Valentine’s Day in the Chinese version.
Moon cake festival
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| Moon cake. |
It is also known as mid-autumn festival which falls on the 15th day in the 8th month
according to the Chinese Lunar Calendar. This is historical festival rather
than a religious one. It remarks the successful rebellion of China against
Mongol in 14th century. The legend has indicated that the
secretabout a plot against the Mongolians was hidden inside the moon cake. After
that, the moon cake was distributed widely. Lanterns were used at night as
signals from mountain and hilltop. Nowadays, this festival is celebrated with
moon cake and latern hanging on the tree. The lanterns and moon cake are
appealing many children and adults. There are lantern procession and
competition during this festival.
Wedding custom
In
Chinese legend, the fatherly God-in-the-moonlight ties a red string around the
ankles of the man and woman who are supposed to be husband and wife someday. Hence,
no matter how far apart they are, they still eventually get married. The distance
does not separate them. There are several steps before a man and a woman become wife and husband.
Proposal & Betrothal
In
Chinese culture, wedding is considered as joining of two families. Thus, once
the bride and groom decide to get married, both families will get involved.
During
betrothal day, “grand gift” is presented by the groom’s family to the bride’s
family. “Grand gift” is a set of
elaborate gifts that should come in even numbers, meaning “good things double”.
This is a formal occasion where the two families officially acknowledge the
marriage and give their blessing. The proposal gifts often include token money
wrapped in red envelope and item such as ted, double happiness cake, pair of
male and female poultry, sweetmeats and sugar, wine and tobacco. The token
money is usually $99 or $999 as the number nine represents “forever” in Chinese
culture. An important part is tea because the two families wish the new couple
to have as many descendants as the tea leaves. The total items of gifts should
be in even number.
The
bride’s family will distribute the “double happiness cakes” along with wedding
invitations. At this moment, the two families pick an auspicious date as the
Betrothal Day. This is a formal meeting between the parents of the perspective
bride and groom. The groom’s family presents various proposal gifts which is
also known as “Grand Gifts” that represents fertility and prosperity in Chinese
culture. Hence, the both are considered officially engaged.
Pre-Wedding Ritual
After
betrothal ceremony, both families will make an announcement to the relatives
and friends by sending out “Double Happiness Cake” along with invitations. The bride’s
family prepares dowry and give a list of the dowries to the groom’s family. The
groom’s family performs “setting bridal bed” ritual. The groom’s family
decorates the bridal house for wedding, while the bride’s family prepares
household accessories, mostly bedding and dining necessities, for the new home.
Wedding Day Ceremony
On
the wedding day, two families perform “hair dressing” and “capping” ritual for
the bride and groom respectively. Then the groom sets out the bride’s home, and
he will inevitably be blocked at her door by her friends, and the bridesmaids
will play door game with the groom and his attendants. The bride and groom will
then leave her home and proceed to meet the groom’s parents for Tea Ceremony. The
wedding date ceremony ends with a feast which features elaborate Chinese
wedding food.
Wedding Night Ritual
The
night of the wedding, the bridal room will light dragon and phoenix candle to drive away the evil spirit. The newlyweds
will drink wine from two cups tied together with a red string, arms crossed
from each other. This is the formal wedding vow in Chinese culture. Then the
bride will be offered dumplings that boiled half-raw. The pronunciation of “raw”
is the same as giving birth to children, an indication of family prosperity.
Capping Ritual for the Groom
"Capping" ritual for the groom is performed at the
groom's home, where father of the groom place a hat decorated with cypress
leaves on the groom's head.
The groom will bring the bridal sedan chair, an equivalent of a limousine nowadays, and a group of relatives and friends to go to fetch the bride.
The groom will bring the bridal sedan chair, an equivalent of a limousine nowadays, and a group of relatives and friends to go to fetch the bride.
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| Chinese wedding dowry set |
Bride's dowry is mainly interior
ornaments or daily necessities. Of course, wealthy parents always have the
option of throwing in some real estate or couple of servant girls.
1. 24-carat
gold jewelries;
2. 1 pair of chopsticks to indicate "fast son";
3. 2 bowls tied up with red string which is called "sons and grandsons
bowls";
4. Toilet kettle;
5. Bed spread and pillows and quilt embroidered with dragon-phoenix
design;
6. scissors and ruler; wallet and belt,
7. sliced candy;
8. tea sets including tea pot, tea cups and tea tray;
9. clothe wrapped together with cypress leaves,
10. lotus seeds,
11. lucky money (Li
Shi),
12. dried fruit such as
dragon eyes
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| Chinese wedding custom. |
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