I had been wanting to visit our veri own Peranakan Museum for some time, especially after my Malacca trip in May. Cos i saw someone commented online that Singapore's Peranakan Museum is wat u would really call a museum, versus the Baba Nonya Museum I visited in Malacca. During the previous Museum Night Festival, I only managed to cover the Art Museums... Since there's an open house today for the HeritageFestival, time to get my butt out of my armchair & do some photography!
Less than 15mins bus ride & prior google the location (situated at Armenian Street), it's a short walk from SMU's Accountancy Faculty... It's next to The Substation, occupying a historic Tao Nan Sch building (why i noe? cos i read the history wrote up in the 1st gallery!) haha! I'm not a history person & hated to be bogged down by memorising the dates of historical events... There r a total of 10 Galleries in this 3 storey museum... When i stepped into the 1st gallery on the ground floor, I took some time to read the billboard listing down the significant historical events tracing the roots of the Peranakan... I learnt that there r basically 2 types, there's the Chinese-Malay & the Indian-Malay... wif the mixed parentage & fusing of two cultures, lead to the Baba & Nonya.
Proceeding to Level 2, this is the most intriguing section, wif 4 galleries depicting the elaborate 12-days wedding rituals...I like how the museum has interactive stuff scattered around the galleries, from touch-screen kiosks wif headphones, to small corners wif displays encouraging visitors to 'touch & feel' the items, plus embossing tools for kids to emboss Peranakan motifs on paper. Of course, the description at the respective displays were veri informative. Best of all, No-Flash photography is allowed! haha! (thou it's free today, but the norm fee of $6 is pretty reasonable too!)
This is used to bear jewelleries during the wedding. Thou such metal ones are veri rare.
A typical main hall in a peranakan house.
Warning: the 2 portraits r animated every hour or so!
(I was unaware of this till my dad told me he got a shock, when suddenly hear voices, haha!)
I came across one display which really intrigued me & made me ponder for a second... According to their traditional customs, the married couple have to consume their marriage within 12 days. On the 11th nite, a white handkerchief would be placed on the marital bed to test if the woman is a virgin bride! Next morn, a woman (forget the special term) would collect the handkerchief & carefully fold it (hiding the bloodstain) & place it onto a tray. Then, the most senior woman in e family would be invited to inspect it, sometime is the mother-in-law (but usually would decline to inspect)...upon confirming the virgin status, then the bride is officially accepted, else can be 'rejected'! I couldn't help to wonder if such ritual is practised in current day, how many gals would pass the test, haahaa! (no pun intended)
Chinese New Year clothes for little gal
As I wander to the gallery depicting religion, the area was a bit creepy ... why leh? cos some chanting & wailing noise were being played over the audio system & a signage warned that the scene would be disturbing... Remember now is Seventh Month? No other living souls around the gallery except me! After abit of hesitation, i stepped in & saw a coffin there! WAH! it's gd there's a warning sign earlier! (my dad also commented he had same creepy experience when he visited the next day!)
Subsequently, I enjoy the gallery on level 3, displaying the kitchenware...cos i like the exquisite Kam Cheng's designs & bright colours. Mind u, these r very expensive containers for food or water etc... In a nutshell, I find that i learnt something today & I'm impressed wif the standard of our museum...kudos to the National Heritage Board! I tink shld i have overseas visitors, i would be able to explain abit more on this!
I was lucky to spot the perfomers when i exited
It's extremely cloudy these days, rare to see such nice clouds against the blue skies!
Nice lamps outside Substation..edited wif cross-processing effects ^_^
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