The Peranakan Chinese are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang, namely the British, Portuguese and Dutch colonial ports in the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian Archipelago, as well as Singapore. Peranakan culture, especially in the dominant Peranakan centres of Malacca, Singapore, Penang, Phuket and Tangerang, is characterized by its unique hybridization of ancient Chinese culture with the local cultures of the Nusantara region, the result of a centuries-long history of transculturation and interracial marriage.
In addition to its classical and modern literary form, Malay had various regional dialects established after the rise of the Srivijaya empire in Sumatra, Indonesia. Also, Malay spread through interethnic contact and trade across the south East Asia Archipelago as far as the Philippines. That contact resulted in a lingua franca that was called Bazaar Malay or low Malay and in Malay Melayu Pasar. It is generally believed that Bazaar Malay was a pidgin, influenced by contact among Malay, Hokkien, Portuguese, and Dutch traders.
Malacca City is the capital city of the Malaysian state of Malacca, in Melaka Tengah District. It is the oldest Malaysian city on the Straits of Malacca, having become a successful entrepôt in the era of the Malacca Sultanate. The present-day city was founded by Parameswara, a Sumatran prince who escaped to the Malay Peninsula when Srivijaya fell to the Majapahit. Following the establishment of the Malacca Sultanate, the city drew the attention of traders from the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia, as well as the Portuguese, who intended to dominate the trade route in Asia. After Malacca was conquered by Portugal, the city became an area of conflict when the sultanates of Aceh and Johor attempted to take control from the Portuguese.
Hinduism is the fourth-largest religion in Malaysia. About 1.97 million Malaysian residents are Hindus, according to 2020 Census of Malaysia. This is up from 1.78 million in 2010.
The Culture of Malaysia draws on the varied cultures of the different people of Malaysia. The first people to live in the area were indigenous tribes that still remain; they were followed by the Malays, who moved there from mainland Asia in ancient times. Chinese and Indian cultural influences made their mark when trade began with those countries, and increased with immigration to Malaysia. Other cultures that heavily influenced that of Malaysia include Persian, Arabic and British. The many different ethnicities that currently exist in Malaysia have their own unique and distinctive cultural identities, with some crossover.
The Tamil diaspora refers to descendants of the Tamil speaking immigrants who emigrated from their native lands in the southern Indian subcontinent to other parts of the world. They are found primarily in Malaysia, Arab states of the Persian Gulf, South Africa, North America, Western Europe, and Singapore. It can be divided into two main diasporic clusters, due to geographical, historical and cultural reasons, as Indian Tamil diaspora and Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora.
Peranakan cuisine or Nyonya cuisine comes from the Peranakans, descendants of early Chinese migrants who settled in Penang, Malacca, Singapore and Indonesia, inter-marrying with local Malays. In Baba Malay, a female Peranakan is known as a nonya, and a male Peranakan is known as a baba. The cuisine combines Chinese, Malay, Javanese, South Indian, and other influences.
Hindu religion and culture in Singapore can be traced to the 7th century AD, when Temasek was a trading post of Hindu-Buddhist Srivijaya empire. A millennium later, a wave of immigrants from southern India were brought to Singapore, mostly as coolies and indentured labourers by the British East India Company and colonial British Empire. As with Malay peninsula, the British administration sought to stabilise a reliable labour force in its regional plantation and trading activities; it encouraged Hindus to bring family through the kangani system of migration, settle, build temples and segregated it into a community that later became Little India.
Baba Nyonya House Museum, also known as the Baba Nyonya Heritage Museum, is a museum in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia that showcases the local history of descendants of ethnic Chinese-Malays called Baba-Nyonya or Peranakan in the state. The museum was established in 1986 by Chan Kim Lay, the fourth generation of his family to reside in the large house built by his great-grandfather in 1896 in Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, a street also known as "Millionaire's Row" for its luxurious houses. The museum is known for its elaborate woodwork, furniture, and porcelain.
Sri Poyatha Moorthi Temple is the oldest existing/intact Hindu temple in Malaysia and one of the oldest functioning Hindu temples in Maritime Southeast Asia. Located in the state of Malacca, the temple is one of the few existing Chitty temples in Malaysia.
Malaysian Indians or Indo-Malaysians are Malaysian citizens of Indian or South Asian ancestry. Most are descendants of those who migrated from India to British Malaya from the mid-19th to the mid-20th centuries. Most Malaysian Indians are ethnic Tamils; smaller groups include the Malayalees, Telugus and Punjabis. Malaysian Indians form the fifth-largest community of Overseas Indians in the world. In Malaysia, they represent the third-largest group, constituting 7% of the Malaysian population, after the Bumiputera and the Chinese. They are usually referred to simply as "Indians" in English, Orang India in Malay, "Yin du ren" in Chinese.
Malacca, officially the Historic State of Malacca, is a state in Malaysia located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca. The state is bordered by Negeri Sembilan to the north and west and Johor to the south. The exclave of Tanjung Tuan also borders Negeri Sembilan to the north. Its capital is Malacca City, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 7 July 2008.
Bhogi is the first day of the four-day Pongal festival. It falls on last day of Agrahāyaṇa or Mārgaśīrṣa month of Hindu Solar Calendar, which is 13 January by the Gregorian calendar. It is the day before Makar Sankranti, celebrated widely in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra.
The Chitty Museum is a museum about the minority Chitty community, which is located within the Chitty Village area in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It is housed in a traditional Chitty house which has been renovated by PERZIM.
The Jonker Walk is the Chinatown area in Malacca City in the state of Malacca, Malaysia located along Jonker Street. It starts from across Malacca River near the Stadthuys, with the street in the area filled with historical houses along its left and right sides dating back to 17th century, many of which are shops selling antiques, textiles, foods, handicrafts and souvenirs such as keychains and shirts. The area turns into a night market every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the evening from 6 p.m. until 12 midnight, with its street blocked for traffic.
Penangite Indians, also known as Chulias, are Malaysian Indians that live primarily in the state of Penang, Malaysia. Most are the descendants from those who migrated from India during the British colonisation of Malaya. However, historical sources prove that the ancient Indians arrived in Penang during the Chola dynasty. Penangite Indians forms a large percentage of the state's professional community such as business, law and medicine as well as politics, it can be proven by the appointment of Dr. P. Ramasamy as deputy chief minister of Penang. It made him the first Malaysian of Indian origin to hold the post of deputy chief minister in any state of Malaysia. In addition, first Tamil Vernacular School in Malaysia was established in Penang.
The History and Ethnography Museum is a museum in Malacca City, Malacca, Malaysia. It is located inside the Stadthuys building, built during the Dutch Malacca administration period in 1650. The historical section of the museum displays the history of Malacca from its establishment in 1400 until 1957, the year Malaya gained independence, while the ethnography section of the museum portrays the lifestyle and culture of various communities and sub-communities of Malacca including the Malays, the Chinese, the Indians, the Portuguese, the Baba and Nyonya, the Chetti and Chitty communities. Other exhibits include items used in traditional wedding ceremonies, kitchen utensils, musical instruments and collections of ancient porcelain ware, weapons, stamps and ancient currencies.
Xiang Lin Si Temple is a Chinese temple located opposite of Cheng Hoon Teng Temple in Jalan Tokong, Malacca City. This double-storey temple follows the Buddhist branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism.
The Malay Chetty creole language is a Malay-based creole spoken by the Chetties, a distinctive group of Tamil people found mainly in Malacca in Malaysia and Singapore, who have adopted Chinese and Malay cultural practices whilst also retaining their Hindu heritage.
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