Baba Nyonya of Malaysia

About the Baba Nyonyas

Baba Nyonya is a term used to describe Straits Chinese, that is to say, Chinese people born and/or living in the Straits Settlements of Malacca, Penang and Singapore. The degree by which they are practicing or have partically or fully adopted Malay culture into their way of life is a matter that has to be studied region by region, and in some cases, household by household.

While the term "Baba Nyonya" is used exclusively to describe the Chinese, the term "Peranakan" may denote other groups of Straits-born people including the Hindu Peranakans who are also called Chitty, the Indian Muslim Peranakans called Jawi Pekan or Jawi Peranakan or Peranakan Kling, and the Eurasian Peranakans, called Kristang. The word Baba Nyonya is a compound of two words, "Baba" referring to the Straits-born male, and "Nyonya" referring to the Straits-born female. The word Baba itself is said to have originated from Hindustani speakers whereas Nyonya has its origin in Javanese to mean Madam. In both the case with Baba and Nyonya, they were words used to call these Straits Chinese, until eventually it became common vernacular.

The majority of the Baba Nyonyas are of

Hokkien ancestry. In Malacca, they speak Baba Malay, which is the Malay language with Hokkien loan words. In Penang, the reverse is observed, where the Straits Chinese speak Hokkien, with Malay loan words. In either case, it reflects the degree of evolution of the early Hokkien immigrants in Malaysia. Those in Malacca, having arrived earlier - say from the 15th century - shows a higher degree of integration than those in Penang, who arrived in the late 18th century.

Why did they adopt local culture and language at all? It is said that many of the Peranakans are the product of Chinese men who took local brides. They were Chinese men from the working class, who did not have the means to get a Chinese wife from their homeland. The brides may be Malay women of the peninsula or those from Sumatra - it is also said that the British helped in importing Batak women to be brides for the single Chinese men. As a result, their offsprings display a mix of Chinese and Malay cultural traits.

There is also the Peranakan who did not intermarry with the local Malay population. Rather they imported brides from China, and sent their daughters back to China to find husbands. These are likely to be traders who were well off and had the means to execute such arrangements. Nonetheless they still adopted local cultural and way of life.

While the Baba Nyonyas adopted the Malay language, whether in syntext (in the case of Malacca) or in loan words (in the case of Penang and Singapore), they retain their religious beliefs. The majority are Taoist with a small minority professing to be Christians. The Taoists subscribe to ancestral worship as well as the worship of Taoist deities. However, in terms of clothing, and particularly among the Nyonyas, there is a strong Malay influence. The attire of the Nyonya includes the baju panjang (long dress), batik sarung (wrap-around batik sarong), baju pendek (short dress), kasut manik (beaded slippers) and kerongsang (brooch).

The Baba Nyonya form the moneyed, upper-middle class in 19th century Malaya. They occupy a position between the British administrators and the Chinese newcomers. The Baba males are often given English education, enabling them to speak impeccable English. They are also likely to be dressed in Western suits. The Babas are free to engage in commerce while their womenfolk remained cloistered at home.

Malaysia Hotel Room Price Checker

Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?

The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!

Find a hotel

New York City
Bangkok
Amsterdam

Guests:

Rooms:

Great Travel Deals Wego.com

Flight Checker

Flying somewhere? Say you're going to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Penang or Kuching to Singapore, which airline gives you the best rate for the date and time of your trip? Instead of visiting each airline website one by one, use our Flight Checker on the right to find out.

Just enter you trip details: where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.

Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.

Return to Exploring Malaysia homepage

My message introducing God to all the world: THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO TIM

Exploring Malaysia is researched and written by Timothy Tye. Content and articles in Exploring Malaysia are provided in goodwill and are believed to be correct at time of writing. While every reasonable care is taken to check and verify the information shared, Exploring Malaysia disclaims responsibility for its use. All pages may be printed out for your own personal, non-commercial use. Photographs appearing in Exploring Malaysia are available according to the licensing terms specified in its caption. Photographs not credited to a third party belong to Timothy Tye and may not be reused in any form unless you are first given permission. Write in to inquire if interested. Third party photographs are governed by their respective licenses.

Contact Tim at the following email address: