What Does It Mean to be a Peranakan?

Was just surfing through some websites on the Peranakan culture, e,g Peranakan Association, Gunung Sayang. Suddenly this thought struck me - what does it mean to be a peranakan? It is unique fusion of the Chinese and Malay culture resulting in a colourful and vibrant group known as the peranakans. The peranakan's distinctive culture is evident in various aspects such as language, dressing, history, heritage and even food.


I consider myself a peranakan only by virtue of birth (because my dad is a peranakan).Why do i say that? Firstly, I did not grow up in a traditional peranakan household; my paternal grandparents passed away when i was very young. Moreover my family is quite "modern" and we do not really stick to the peranakan traditions. Also my dad hardly speaks to us in Malay; we converse mainly in English. Thus I can't speak (though i can understand a fair bit of the patois) the language at all.

My interest in the culture was aroused when i was browsing through the shelves of the NLB's Singapore section . I came across this book called "Baba Revisited" (if i din remember the title wrongly). It was my introductory book to the peranakan culture (coz my dad was busy at work and he seldom talks to us about our heritage). From then on, my interest was piqued and i did a little bit of research on the peranakans.

I would say that the peranakans have a very unique and colourful heritage but the sad thing is that the culture is slowly dying off. Younger generations like me are gradually losing touch with our heritage and peranakan identity. Hopefully with TV productions such as "Sayang Sayang" and the upcoming "Little Nyonya", we and the public can get known or be reacquainted with the culture....