Here are few interesting facts you probably did not know about the Peranakan/Baba Nyonya culture:
1. Peranakan family practices endogamy
In the past, Peranakan only married Peranakan family, mostly is to do with wealth. The term ‘endogamy’ is used to describe this situation, it is the practice of marrying within their social group and rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage.
2. It was not rare to find three generations living together.
During the zenith of Peranakan culture, it was not uncommon to find three generations living together under the same roof as one big extended family.
3. They did not speak fluently in Malay or Mandarin language.
In the past, Baba Nyonya do not speak fluently in Malay language or Mandarin language. Because they are the fusion of two different cultures, they formed their own dialect to communicate with each other. Which is known as ‘Baba Malay’.
4. They tended to look down on the Chinese.
In the past, sending children to Mandarin primary schools was something that would not have taken place because the Peranakans tended to look down on the Chinese. They would call the normal Chinese ‘cina girl’, it’s a derogate term. It comes from the higher status that they have due to close relation with the British colonial in the past. They referred the Chinese that came during the 1920s to the 1930s as “xin keh”, which means newcomers in Hokkien.
5. The Peranakan community is not just formed by the mixed marriage of Chinese and Malay exclusively.
People known the Peranakan community as a group of people formed by the mixed marriage of Malay and Chinese exclusively. The fact is that the community also includes the mix marriage between Chinese and other ethnic like Thai, Burmese, Indian and Indonesian. In Malaysia, there are Jawi Peranakan of Penang, Arab descendants of Kedah, Peranakan Chinese of Kelantan, Baba Nyonya of Melaka, Peranakan Hindu of Melaka (Chitty Melaka), Eurasian-Portuguese of Melaka (Kristang).
However, our country does not recognize cultural similarities and differences within Peranakan groups. Rather, both groups are classified according to British classification systems, which is categorized in Malay, Chinese, Indian, or other.
6. They are not Muslims
Baba Nyonya are not Muslims. In the past, it was possible for Chinese to marry Malays without conversion to Islam, but in present day Malaysia, this is hardly possible. Islam is so linked to Malay ethnicity that the Baba Chinese, whether Baba or non-Baba, regard it as being un-Chinese to embrace Islam,
They adhere to ancestral Chinese religion and rituals. They worship their ancestors and pray to Chinese deities. They celebrate Chinese Festivals following the lunar calendar. Ancestral prayer and festivals are very important to them, that is why they still practice them now until now.
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