Betty's Kebaya
I met Betty at a coffee shop
in Singapore’s Thomson neighbourhood where she was living. She hails from a
Eurasian family, the smallest ethnicity in this cosmopolitan city-state. Her
Portuguese ancestor married a Chinese lady and they stayed in Singapore ever
after...
Once Betty invited me for
New Year’s Eve to celebrate with her close knit family. With our chopsticks we
tossed the traditional salad from its huge bowl into the air as high as we
could. The winner would have good luck for the year to come. Later on we exchanged
presents in little bright red parcels and played cards. Behind the façade of
their sky scrapers and glitzy malls Singaporeans are traditionalists and love
to spend time with the family clinging to their customs in a speedily changing
environment.
When
I unwrapped my present I was thrilled. I found a beautiful kebaya which had
belonged to Betty’s mother. In the olden days Singaporean Eurasians and
Peranakans of mixed Malay-Chinese parentage, the so-called Nyonyas, wore the
elegant kebaya blouse to a matching sarong. The kebayas differed in coulour but
the cut was always the same and the rims were embroidered. A large silver
brooch would replace the buttons. A matching embroidered top was de rigueur as
no decent Singaporean lady would show too much of her décolté.
When
I unwrapped my present I was thrilled. I found a beautiful kebaya which had
belonged to Betty’s mother. In the olden days Singaporean Eurasians and
Peranakans of mixed Malay-Chinese parentage, the so-called Nyonyas, wore the
elegant kebaya blouse to a matching sarong. The kebayas differed in coulour but
the cut was always the same and the rims were embroidered. A large silver
brooch would replace the buttons. A matching embroidered top was de rigueur as
no decent Singaporean lady would show too much of her décolté.
Singapore celebrated this heritage in a Sarong Kebaya exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum in 2011 still to be experienced on You Tube.
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