Explore a different destination Kristang People of Malaysia

About the Kristang

Kristang is the term used to describe Eurasians of mixed Portuguese and Malaccan descent. This is the product of the intermarriage between the Portuguese and the locals. The marriage involved the Malays women of
  • Malacca, as well as to the Chinese, Indians and other locals.

    During the 16th and 17th century, when Portuguese was in control of Malacca, and there was a concerted effort among the Portuguese administrators to encourage such unions, between the Portuguese men - usually soldiers and sailors - and the native women. The purpose is to create a people that follow the Roman Catholic faith and loyal to the Portuguese crown. Among the Malays, the offspring of such unions are called Serani, which mean followers of Jesus of Nazarene. By 1604, there were 200 such mixed marriages recorded.

    The Portuguese Creoles call themselves Kristang, meaning Christians, from the Portuguese word cristão. Until recent times, the Kristang were fishermen living along the coast. As with other Roman Catholic communities, they celebrate the feast days of their saints. For the Kristang in Malacca, an annual 6-day celebration begins on 24 June with the Fiesta San Juang, or Feast of St John, and culminates with Fiesta San Pedro, or Feast of St. Peter, which honours St Peter, the patron saint of fishermen, on 29 June.

    In Malacca, the Portuguese settlement was established in 1933 to gather together the otherwise dispersed Kristang community with the goal of preserving their culture. For decades, it was a simple village by the shore. At the turn of the new millennium, the village lost its traditional sea frontage, cutting many Kristang fishermen from their livelihood. This has resulted in many Kristang being forced to uproot themselves from the settlement to find greener pastures elsewhere. The inscription of Malacca as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has given the Portuguese settlement a much needed boost, as the settlement has become a tourist attraction, renewing calls for its preservation.


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