Appreciation To Malay Culture

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Appreciation To Malay Culture
Malay Costume and Clothing
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• Modest clothing for women is a head covering
  called a 'hijab'.
• Clothing should not attract attention or be worn
  to show off.
• Clothing must cover the entire body only the
  hands and face may remain visible.
• The material must not be so thin that one can see
  through it.
• Clothing must hang loose so that the shape of the
  body is not shown off.

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• The woman's clothing must not resemble the man's
  clothing, nor should the man's clothing resemble
  the woman's.
• Women shouldn't artificially lengthen their hair
  with wigs or weaves, nor have tattoos.
• A Muslim should not wear clothing to look like a
  non-Muslim.
• Men's robes or shirts should extend down from
  halfway below the shin but over the ankles, but
  not so long as to trail behind on the ground.
  While praying in a mosque, clothing should be
  plain and not be distracting.
• A man's hair might be criticized if it was
  shoulder-length or longer.

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• Baju KurungThe Malay traditional costume for
  women is called the baju kurung. It comprises a
  loose tunic, the baju, worn over a long skirt or
  the sarung.

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The revival can be credited to Vicki Dutton who
was a top Malay model (in Singapore), a dress
designer and beautician. While still in convent
school in Kedah, Vicki had the ingenious idea of
stitching up the Malay Sarong and putting a zip
in it. The design of the kebaya Vicky probably
took from the Indonesian baju Bandung. This has
been described as a "baju with a sort of frontal
covering which comes to a few inches above the
waist, added to the kebaya". But wheras the
women from Sumatrahad worn their baju Bandung
with an eight-inch wide and ten-foot long sash
tightly wound round the waist, Vicky, by putting
in zip and modern style waistband, had dispensed
with both Indonesian sash and Peranakan silver
belt.
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THE ORIGIN OF THE SARONG
To the people of South East Asia, the sarong has
been the main item of clothing, both for men and
women. Where as in the West, men wore trousers
while women wore skirts. In South East Asia, both
men and women wore the sarong. Indeed, for the
islander male in the hot tropics, the sarongs has
been up till today, the only thing they wore! How
or where did it all began? According to Duarte
Barbosa, a Portuguese writer, the Malay man of
Malacca wore only a sarong for everyday pursuits
at the beginning of the 15th century. It was a
home spun garment- spun from banana or pineapple
fibre and coloured with vegetable dyes--reaching
from the waist tot he calf or ankle, with its end
unsewn. It was a garment that had endless
practical uses. Besides being worn as everyday
apparel, it could be pulled up to cover the whole
of the body when retiring to bed, or used as a
bathing cloth (adult Malays do not bathe naked in
rural areas). It was also used as a cradle, a
litter or a carrying bag. It also served as a
shroud. Can you think of any other garment that
serves
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WEARING THE SARONG            Traditionally the
Malay and the Baba men have worn it without a
belt. They step into the loose cloth which has
been stitched down the length. Then they pulled
the voluminous garment up to their waist. The
surplus material is usually folded inwards, from
each side of the stomach creating a single pleat
down the side of the body. The, the double folds
of the extra width are rolled neatly and tightly
down to sit securely at the waist, forming a
natural waistband. Women fold their sarongs
differently from men and they would usually wear
a silver-lined belt.
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• Immortalised by Singapore Airlines stewardesses,
  the sarong kebaya was the rage of the 1960s. It
  accentuates the woman's figures and assets.

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• Among the muslimat, another mandatory piece of
  clothing is the scarf called either the tudung or
  selendang

• Jubah Though not really Malay in origin, the
  jubah is a loose robe that hides the figure. .

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• It is a loose shirt worn over a sarung or a pair
  of trousers.
• The more elaborate ones will also don a kain
  samping- a piece of brocade (songket) tied around
  the waist, and trousers to match the shirt.
• To complete their ensemble, a headdress called a
  songkok is worn.
• This is normally made of velvet. Headdresses are
  encouraged during prayers, and the songkok has
  become an indispensible part of the Malay man's
  costume.

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