My 6 Hour of Personal Reflections and the places I went to. I visited the Peranakan Museum at 39 Armenian Street. (I will post up about the pictures which I have taken later; I will answer all your questions first cher, as to not mix up the places and your questions later on in my post)
(Thank you for your understanding)
1. My Expectations - Why did I choose to participate in this activity?
My Answer is: I choose to participate because I find it very meaningful and
enriching to oneself and help to build up one characther.
- What got me started/ How did I get started?
My Answer is: My exploration side, I get started by checking it up online
and then actually go and explore and checkout the place by
myself.
- What did I hope to learn or achieve from doing it?
My Answer is: I hope to learn more about Singapore Heritage and Culture.
I hope to achieve a more cultural me after visiting the
museum.
2. Highlights & Challenges - What I enjoyed most about the activity and why?
My Answer is: I enjoyed most when the tour guide introduce a
new culture to me. Why is that so?
Because learning new things makes one learn.
- What did I learn from it?
My Answer is: I learn many new cultural things from another
ethic group different from us chinese.
- What challenges did I encounter? And how were these overcome?
My Answer is: I encounter my fear of entering the funeral side
there at the Peranakan museum got feature death
but I dare not walk inside to see it but in thee end
I pray to God to gave me strength and at last I
walked inside to see what it is really like.
(Didn't took the photo as it is quite rude to take
dead people photos)
3. Looking back at the experience - What mattered most and why?
My Answer is: What matter most is that I get to learn
new things and overcome my fear.
- What do the failures/ successes mean?
My Answer is: Failure to me is something that when you fall
instead of learning from your mistakes you
sink deeper into the hole by not picking
yourself up.
Success to me is something that when I felt
that I have contributed back to the society
in some ways and make an impact on others
life like change their way of thinking from
negativeness to positiveness that to me is
accomplishment.
- What life lessons have I learnt?
My Answer is: I learn that life is not a bed of roses, there are
times of up's and down's but most
importantly one must know how to stay
strong and instead of weeping about it think
of a good solution to how to overcome the
problems at hand.
- How will this experience affect my future?
My Answer is: It will help me to think creatively on how to
overcome my problems in life instead of
thinking I can't do it.
- Have I become a better/ stronger person? In what ways?
My Answer is: I learn to be a stronger person instead of
running away from the obstacles in my life
I face them bravely now and think of a good
solution to counter-attack the problem.
Let's Begin Shall We?
About the Peranakan Museum and its galleries.
Southeast Asia has been a crossroads for trade since ancient times. Prevailing winds brought traders from distant lands to Southeast Asia. Some of these traders put down roots and married local women. Their descendants are the ancestors of Peranakans.
Gallery One---Who Am I?
In the Malay-speaking parts of Southeast Asia, the term 'Peranakan' means "child of" or "born of" and is used to refer to people of mixed ethnic origins. While the focus of the Peranakan Museum is on the Peranakan Chinese who form the biggest number of Peranakans in Southeast Asia, there are other communities of Peranakans such as the Jawi Peranakan (Indian Muslim) and the Chitty Melaka (Indian).
Gallery Two-Five---Wedding
The significance of 12-day Peranakan wedding.
Gallery Six---Nonya
(When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother, what will I be?)
Nonyas were trained for married life from a young age. They were expected to devote long hours to perfect the art of beadwork and embroidery.
Gallery Seven---Religion
(The Realm of Gods and Ancestors)
Traditionally Peranakans embraced a mixture of Daoism, Buddhism, ancestral worship and folk beliefs. The supernatural realm was a world populated by gods, ancestors and spirits, both good and evil. Peranakans sought to gain favour and pacify these spiritual forces with rites and offerings.
Gallery Eight---Public Life
(Making a difference)
Enter the world of commerce, politics and social affairs. Many Peranakans had active public lives. Babas who were prominent public figures include Singapore pioneer Tan Kim Seng and former Cabinet Minister Lim Kim San.
Gallery Nine---Food and Feasting
(Food Glorious Food!!!)
The heart of a Peranakan Home, the kitchen and see it come alive in the hands of the Peranakans women.
Gallery Ten---Conversations
(Back to the future)
We revisit the meaning of the term 'Peranakan' Members of the community and what the future holds for the modern-day Peranakan.
And now after briefly describing the Galleries let's get a move on to the pictures which I have taken and how I am gonna describe the meanings behind it.
First Picture....
So sorry but in order to see the pics clearly pls look from the bottom to the top, as it is in quite a diarrange manner. Apologies.
A Peranakan Restuarant which I found on the way out further down the left side of the street. Should go try to experience what Peranakan food is about. Psst....Babi Boteh, Goreng Tofu is not bad.
A altar which the Peranakans pray to on special occasions.
The tablet of their ancestors, they are very filial to their ancestors. Guess who tablet this is? It belongs to the late founder of Gan Eng Seng School. The founder was a Peranakan too, imagine that.
This are the God's they pray to every morning when they wake up. Quite similar to our chinese temple God's isn't it?
Related to the picture below.
The New Testament Bible in Baba Language. I was very amazed to learn that the Peranakans also have the Bible written in their own Baba languages.
This is the ancestral table which they place their offerings to the deity.
And this is the Famous Tok Panjang Table where in only once a year every family members and relatives will gather around and enjoy a lavish meal.(This is the smaller version of the Tok Panjang, the actual table is actually 15ft long and it can sit around to 20 people)Psst....Know the show The Little Nyonya on the channel 8 show?
This is the kitchen where they work it. I was trying to get closer to it when the security guard warn me that there is a alarm there that will goes off if I go too close to it. Blah, what a spoiler. But imagine working in a hot and stuffy kitchen cooking for 20-30 something people, think I will faint in there hahaha, that goes to show that Peranakans have a High Tolerance of Heat.
Their Cultery.
This is a Kamcheng.
Kamchengs were used as serving containers for food, desserts and water. They varied in size from a few centimetres to a Whopping 40cm in diameter.
I heard that before the first night of marriage the bride would make Tang Yuan in Red&White to give to the groom family. It represents Purity and Everlasting Love.
The Kebayas worn by the Nyonya. They usually accessorize it with lots of gold, sliver and beads to symbolize wealth and status.
Here are a few exmaples of the accessories.
They love those accessories with Reddish-Gold Hue.
The Peranakans Chinese have always regarded items made of Silver as Status Symbols.
The Intricate designs on the vases.
The beaded shoes which they have to start learning from a young age. Once a women marries into a Peranakan family she need to know how to cook, sew, wash, clean and take care of the whole household members to then be called a Sucessful Peranakan women.
The front door of a Peranakan House.
The Bride and the Groom Wedding Costumes.
This is the Chin Thau Robe, it is to be kept till either one of the marriage couple die then he/she will put the robe on so they can find each other in the neither world.
The wedding ceremony takes place in the living hall. See that big circle mat on the floor? Once the Bride or Groom step into it they will no longer be considered a child anymore instead they will be an adult with a family to uphold and take care of.
The Accessories which they will wear. Look heavy isn't it? And yes it is heavy.
The wedding couple wadrobe.(Sorry got my reflection in the mirror)
The Bride Dressing Table, the night before her marriage.
A Batik Cloth which the early Peranakans made. It is actually quite big and long.
A Food Cover use by the early Peranakans.
Notice the dragons and phoneix on the cover? The Peranakans symbolize it as a good luck sign.
A huge family portrait of a Peranakan family. In those days where a women was consider Bless and Sucessful was when she has an abundance of childrens.
The sign outside at the Museum.
Arriving.
A altar which the Peranakans pray to on special occasions.
The tablet of their ancestors, they are very filial to their ancestors. Guess who tablet this is? It belongs to the late founder of Gan Eng Seng School. The founder was a Peranakan too, imagine that.
This are the God's they pray to every morning when they wake up. Quite similar to our chinese temple God's isn't it?
Related to the picture below.
The New Testament Bible in Baba Language. I was very amazed to learn that the Peranakans also have the Bible written in their own Baba languages.
This is the ancestral table which they place their offerings to the deity.
And this is the Famous Tok Panjang Table where in only once a year every family members and relatives will gather around and enjoy a lavish meal.(This is the smaller version of the Tok Panjang, the actual table is actually 15ft long and it can sit around to 20 people)Psst....Know the show The Little Nyonya on the channel 8 show?
This is the kitchen where they work it. I was trying to get closer to it when the security guard warn me that there is a alarm there that will goes off if I go too close to it. Blah, what a spoiler. But imagine working in a hot and stuffy kitchen cooking for 20-30 something people, think I will faint in there hahaha, that goes to show that Peranakans have a High Tolerance of Heat.
Their Cultery.
This is a Kamcheng.
The Kebayas worn by the Nyonya. They usually accessorize it with lots of gold, sliver and beads to symbolize wealth and status.
Here are a few exmaples of the accessories.
The Peranakans Chinese have always regarded items made of Silver as Status Symbols.
The Intricate designs on the vases.
The beaded shoes which they have to start learning from a young age. Once a women marries into a Peranakan family she need to know how to cook, sew, wash, clean and take care of the whole household members to then be called a Sucessful Peranakan women.
The front door of a Peranakan House.
The Bride and the Groom Wedding Costumes.
This is the Chin Thau Robe, it is to be kept till either one of the marriage couple die then he/she will put the robe on so they can find each other in the neither world.
The wedding ceremony takes place in the living hall. See that big circle mat on the floor? Once the Bride or Groom step into it they will no longer be considered a child anymore instead they will be an adult with a family to uphold and take care of.
The Accessories which they will wear. Look heavy isn't it? And yes it is heavy.
The wedding couple wadrobe.(Sorry got my reflection in the mirror)
The Bride Dressing Table, the night before her marriage.
A Batik Cloth which the early Peranakans made. It is actually quite big and long.
A Food Cover use by the early Peranakans.
A huge family portrait of a Peranakan family. In those days where a women was consider Bless and Sucessful was when she has an abundance of childrens.
The sign outside at the Museum.
Arriving.
