★ The Peranakan Museum!
Thursday, December 4
Today I will be telling everyone about the heritage and culture of the Peranakan Museum! I think very little people in Singapore are aware that there is actually a Peranakan Museum in Singapore that showcases their unique heritage and culture. If you aren't sure about the Peranakan culture, let me give you some interesting information and facts first! Peranakans are the descendants of the very early Chinese immigrants to the Nusantara region, including both the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java among other places, who have partially adopted Malay customs in an effort to be assimilated into the local communities. In short, they are used to describe Indonesian Chinese! Peranakan males are called Babas while Peranakan females are called Nyonyas. Sounds interesting right?
Peranakans originally came from Malacca but came down to Singapore gradually after the years. Now, let me tell you what the Peranakan Museum is all about! The museum houses the world’s finest and m
ost comprehensive collection of Peranakan artifacts that you can hardly find now! The Peranakan Museum presents a Southeast Asian-wide view of Peranakan culture. Its rich material legacy and heritage are enhanced by state-of-the-art display technology, coupled with educational interactives for the young. This Museum not only caters to adults but has facilities to make it more interesting for youths and children too! Young and old will be fascinated by this unique culture too.
There are several galleries in the Museum. What makes it interesting is that the galleries have different themes for visitors to explore! Some of the themes are origins of the Peranakan culture, how the Peranakans conduct their weddings, the religion of Peranakans, Nyonyas and the public life of Peranakans! Sounds interesting isn't it? I was most captivated by the wedding gallery! It is really different from Chinese or Western customs. The wedding is an elaborate twelve day affair that is lavish and magnificent! You can also learn more about the wedding rituals that the Peranakans conduct during the wedding such as the exchanging of gifts between families. I was also interested in the food and feasting gallery where you get to see their dining customs and cuisine. The exhibits are enough to make my mouth water! You also can get to see the porcelain food ware used by the Peranakans which are really exquisite and unique. One more interesting part of the Museum is that there are special exhibition galleries that change their themes every few months. The Peranakan Museum is located at 39 Armenian Street. You can either take a train down to City hall MRT station and walk 10 mins there or take these buses: 7, 14, 16, 36, 97, 124, 131, 147, 162, 166, 174, 501 Express, 511 Express, 77, 167, 171, 190, 700, 700A and 857
The Museum is opened from 1pm to 7pm on Mondays and 9.30am to 7pm on Tuesdays to Saturday (till 9pm on Fridays) Tickets to the Museum is priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizen. There are also guided tours if you need them available in Chinese, English and Japanese. Do visit the Museum as it showcases this very unique culture! You can benefit alot from learning more about this new heritage and culture. I have learnt more about this culture too! I'm sure you will be captivated when you enter this Peranakan world.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I give the Peranakan Musuem FOUR out of five stars! I feel that the place really is great to learn more about something that is unqiue and different, the Peranakan culture! Currently on Television, it is airing a serial drama about Peranakans and watching the show reminds me of the Museum! The culture is really very special and intriging. I strongly recommend you to visit this place now!
Posted by: J
oanPhoto Credits:
http://www.peranakanmuseum.sg
4:11 PM
