The Culture: Peranakan

The Peranakans can be found mainly in the Southeast Asian region, for example Indonesia, India, Malaysia and Singapore. It is a culture that encounters the old ancient Malay, Chinese and European influences, to form a cohesive and united Peranakan identity. The term 'Peranakan' means "child of" or "born of" and is used to refer to people of mixed ethnic origins.

We will be introducing the Peranakan Museum which portrays the Peranakan culture. There are a total of 10 galleries inside, each displaying a different aspect of their culture.

Gallery 1 "Origins", introducing the history of Peranakans across different parts of Southeast Asia. Although there are other communities of Peranakans such as Jawi Peranakan (Indian Muslim) and the Chitty Melaka (Indian), the museum focuses on the Peranakan Chinese which forms the majority in the community.


Gallery 2-5 "Wedding", shows you the unique wedding rituals which last for a total of 12 days. Find out how rituals are carried out and beliefs from the information provided. You will also get to see all the items involved such as costumes, jewellery, exchange of gifts, and the layout of the couple's new room.


Gallery 6 "Nyonya". This gallery shows how a Nyonya is being trained for her married life from a young age. Learning the art of beadwork and embroidery, spending many hours mastering the skills. Their skills are constantly compared with other nonyas by their elders. They believe that without these skills, they would not be able to find a good family to get married into. Beautiful beadwork and embroidery are on display for you to enjoy.


Gallery 7 "Religion". The gallery shows the different religions in the Peranakan community. Rites taken place and offerings during occasions such as death, mourning and ancestral worship are being displayed.


Gallery 8 "Public Life". Get to know the prominent figures in the Peranakan community in Singapore who made an impact on the society.

Gallery 9 "Food and Feasting". In this gallery, you will see the unique porcelain wares used by the Peranakans, in their everyday lives and during special occasions. You will get to understand their dining customs, and see how the dining table is laid out.

Gallery 10 "Conversations". Videos of members of the public talking about how they feel about the culture are shown.

The Peranakan Museum is a must visit for everyone, including Singaporeans. It's a place where everyone will get to understand and feel the culture in depth. Not only will you get to see the artifacts that were once used by the peranakans, you will also get to touch some of them. Both the young and old would enjoy the experience in each gallery, giving you a clear understanding and feel of the culture.

Young people these days may not even realize they are born from a peranakan family, thus leading to a culture loss. Thanks to the local drama “The Little Nyonya”, which was a story revolving around the peranakan families in the 1940s in Malacca (it was aired in December last year through channel 8), more and more people were getting interested in the culture. With this, we may now see a “comeback” of the peranakan culture in Singapore.

After visitng the Peranakan Museum, it was as though the drama "The Little Nyonya" came to life. What we think that was the most interesting about the Museum was Gallery 2-5 (Wedding). It was indeed spectacular as such weddings cannot be seen commonly in a modern society like Singapore. What we think is that, the peranakan culture is actually fading away in the current society, with not many traditional peranakans still keeping the culture in modern Singaporean homes anymore.

However, a visit to this museum has allowed us to refresh the culture and lifestyles of the Peranakans.

To find out more about the Peranakan culture, visit the museum and experience it for yourself!

Peranakan Museum
39 Armenian Street
Singapore 179941
Tel: 65-6332 7591, 65-6332 2982, 65-6332 3275
Fax: 65-6883 0732
Email: nhb_pm_vs@nhb.gov.sg

Operating Hours:
Monday: 1pm to 7pm
Tuesday to Sunday: 9.30am – 7pm (to 9 pm on Fridays)

Admissions Charges:
http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/visitus/admissioncharges.asp
Guided Tours:
http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/visitus/guidedtours.asp
Directions for getting there:
http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/visitus/gettingthere.asp

For more information,visit the official website at http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg/