Food: There were many Malay food sold at Kampong Glam. We went to this stall at 18 Kandahar Street which sold Malay food such as Nasi Padang, Nasi Goreng and more. We chatted with one of the waiters there and got to know from him that Nasi Padang is steamed rice with a variety of other pre-cooked dishes like beef rendang, gulai or vegetables. It originated from Padang city. We also learnt that some Malay dishes are influenced by the Chinese and uses soy sauce! The waiter told us that this is due to the fact that Malacca was a trading centre which attracted many traders of other countries and cultures. As a result, the Malay culture was influenced by them. We also had a taste of traditional Malay kueh like Ondeh Ondeh and Putri Salat. They were sweet, savory and really nice to eat! We also got to know that Muslims can only eat Halal food, which means food that complies with the religious ritual and observance of the Islamic Sharia Law. Halal food is not simply no pork or lard, but also about how the food was cleansed and prepared. We must take note of this when preparing food for Muslim friends.
Fashion: There were many shops specialised in selling textiles, carpets and traditional Malay clothing in Kampong Glam, especially in the busy Arab Street, which is one of the few streets there that has retained its original name from the 1800s! Malay traditional clothes are namely Baju Melayu for men, while there are two types of traditional clothes for women, the Baju Kurung and Baju Kebaya. We noticed that the traditional clothes are typically colourful and patterned, and traditional clothes for women tend to be flowery. The shopkeepers told us that the difference between the Baju Kurung and Baju Kebaya is that the Baju Kurung is a straight-cut dress, while the Baju Kebaya consists of a blouse with a skirt, with a separation down the middle of the blouse. We also found out that the Baju Kebaya is a mixture of the Indonesian and Malay cultures, which was a surprising fact! Materials used to make the traditional clothes are silk and cotton. We were also told that the Baju Melayu is made up of a shirt, pants, and samping, which is wrapped around the middle of the body, from the stomach to the knee, and has traditional patterns on it. The shirt has 3 pockets, 2 at the bottom of the shirt, and 1 breast pocket.
Folklore: At the mosque, we found out from the guide that the mosque was actually facing the Mecca in Arabia, a black box which muslims pray to. If one walks into any mosque, one can see that there are no god or deity statues to pray to, and that the space that they pray at has no benches but is instead empty. This is because they believe that there is only one god, which is Allah, and making statues comes from their own idol worshipping, which is the greatest sin one can commit. Since they pray by getting on their knees and bowing, there are no need for benches. Mosques also follow the architecture structure of the region's temple or church, and since they have no statutes or benches, they make use of geometry to decorate the inside of a plain mosque.This shows that they are very open with architecture and very creative in their design. When praying, Muslim men stand feet to feet and shoulder to shoulder, representing that all Muslims are family and also show brotherhood. The women, pray on the second level instead of the first, to allow them to feel comfortable as they may be uncomfortable standing next to men not related to them. This shows that women rights are elevated in the mosque. If you look closely, there is a black ring at the top of the mosque made of glass bottles. These bottles were contributed by the poor because they could not afford to donate money like the rest of the Muslims for the building of this mosque. This shows that everyone is included but not left out despite having different backgrounds, which is very respectable. Before praying, one has to perform ablution to cleanse themselves before praying. Muslims also wear white when praying as they believe it represents purity.
Festivals:Lailatulqudar is a festival celebrated to show the night when the Quran was composed. This festival is very significant as it shows the muslims’ belief of how the Quran was verbally revealed by God to Muhammad. Muslims regard the Quran as the most important miracle of prophethood and the culmination of a series of divine messages that started. The Quran was very important as it shows the beliefs and pillars of Islam like how they need to wash the parts of their body parts seven times with soil if a dog licked it and how their food must be cooked by experienced cooks who can meet the halal standard to prevent them from falling sick. This is quite new to us as we Chinese do not have something like the Quran. It is interesting to know that the Muslims have such rules to adhere to. Now, we can better understand why our Muslim friends do things in certain ways.
These are the dishes you can have with steamed rice in Nasi Padang. Nasi Padang is a type of Malay food, very commonly eaten among the Malays. This forms part of their culture.
This is Batik which has intricate designs of spirals and flowers. They are commonly worn by the Malays as part of their traditional costumes. It is a strong source of identity for them, and is part of their culture.
This is Baju Kebaya, a traditional Malay costume for the women, sold at one of the shops along Arab Street. Malay females have traditionally worn this for many years. This traditional costume forms part of their culture.
This is the Masjid Sultan, a mosque built for the Muslim population to do their prayers. This is important to their Islamic religion, and is part of their culture.
This is the main prayer hall of the Masjid Sultan, which is used for services like the 5 daily prayers. This is part of the Muslims’ religious practises, and is considered part of their culture.
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