TRADITIONAL CLOTHES

MALAY TRADITIONAL COSTUMES

HISTORY OF MALAY TRADITIONAL COSTUMES

Adoption of Islam

(covered their bodies)

BAJU KURUNG

Baju kurung = loose clothing (up to the knee and paired with a long skirt pleated edge)

(1) Fits and conforms the Islamic requirement to enclose the entire body, exposing only the face and hands, and that clothes should not be tight and body hugging as to show the outlines of the wearer’s body.

(2) Matched with traditional fabrics such as songket or batik.

(3) Appropriate clothes to wear for formal and ceremonies occasions or everyday dealings.

(4) Very comfortable to wear in the hot and humid weather of the equatorial climate

(5) Fat or pregnant ladies will look smart and elegant in the Baju Kurung.

BAJU KEBAYA

Baju Kebaya = traditional blouse dress clothing (originates from Indonesia)

(1) To wear for most of the occasions except for prayer.

(2) Made from sheer material such as thin cotton, silk, or semi-transparent nylon , with brocade of colourful floral pattern embroidery.

(3) Worn with a sarong or batik kain panjang, or other traditional woven garment.

(4) Knee-length or longer with arm side longer and wider.

(5) The body part follows the body shape & the front part with the central opening of the blouse fastened by a central brooch (kerongsang)

(6) No buttons down the front.

(7) The blouse is semi-transparent and worn over the torso wrap or kemben.

(8) The skirt or kain is an unstitched fabric wrap around 3m long.

HISTORY OF BAJU KURUNG

The Malaysian state of Johor in 200 years ago is said to be the origin of the Baju Kurung. HRH Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor was credited as the designer of the Baju Kurung Teluk Belanga style in 1866. It was said that Sultan Abu Bakar fashioned and popularized the attire to reminisce and leave a legacy following the change of the Johor state capital from Teluk Belanga which is located in Singapore island, to Johor Bahru (new name for Bandar Tanjung Puteri). This Baju Kurung Teluk Belanga for women was popular during the Sultan’s reign as he regularly wore this style, and made it the official attire of the Johor Malays. There are also views that the loose fitting Baju Kurung had been in existence and had been worn by Malay ladies since the times of the Malacca Empire in the 15th Century.

HISTORY OF BAJU KEBAYA

IThe word 'kebaya' is derived from the Arabic word “habaya” which means clothing and introduced by the Portuguese when they landed in Southeast Asia. Kebaya is defined as types of clothing (tops / blouse) the first Indonesian women used during the period of the 15th century or 16th Masihi.

BAJU MELAYU

Baju Melayu is a Malay male attire and can be classified into two types, which are Baju Teluk Belanga and Baju Cekak Musang. These shirts are usually worn for attending weddings, feasts and also to perform the Friday prayer. Moreover, it is very suitable to be worn on festive celebration and also formal occasions. At regular events such as feasts and Friday Prayers, baju melayu are worn with a sarong or woven silk. Baju Melayu is a loose tunic worn over trousers. The trousers are long and to be worn up to the ankles. It is often coupled with the addition of cloth, samping wrapped around the waist. Baju Melayu application look more radiant when coupled with addition or songket or samping. It can adds the extra elegance to the costume.

BAJU MELAYU TELUK BELANGA

The Teluk Belanga style

(1) No collar

(2) Neckline is stitched in the style known as "tulang belut" ("eel's spines or bones").

(3) Only one button or a "kancing" (threaded hook) that is used to strap the shirt at the neck. (signifies the only One God or Allah worshipped by the Muslim)

(4)Originated from Teluk Belanga

BAJU MELAYU CEKAK MUSANG

The Cekak Musang style

(1) Standing collar with holes for five buttons (the ethical significance and tradition, for the fact that Malays follow the Islamic faith or are Muslims.)

(2) Three pockets - two at the bottom & one at the upper left breast.

(3) Opened at the front from the neck up to the middle of the chest.

(4) The 5 buttons = 5 pillars of Islam.

Shahada–belief in One God and that Mohamed (peace be upon him)is the Messenger of God.
Salat, the obligatory prayers to be performed 5 times a day.
Zakat, the giving of wealth or charity to those in need.
Fasting, from first light until sundown during the month of Ramadan, and
Pilgrimage to Mecca, for those financially and physically able.

THE ROYALTY COLOUR

The colors of the Baju Melayu costume also have significance especially when attending formal royalty occasions. There are certain colors which must not be worn during such ceremonies such as yellow. For instance, the Royals can wear whatever color they like, but yellow or tinges of yellow are usual. Others are not allowed to wear such colors during formal occasions. And there are protocols and guidelines given for such occasions. Please noted that the Baju Melayu is not just merely a dress or costume, but when wearing it, certain traditional practices and ethics should be followed (knowingly or unknowingly) by the Malays.

TUDUNG

Tudong (“tudung” in Malay) means “cover”. The tudong is a garment used to cover the head of a woman. It is worn in accordance to Islam's hijab. Wearing tudung is the command of Allah to every Muslim woman. Once a woman convert to Islam then it is obligatory for her to cover up themselves by wearing the tudong. The tudong usually covers the hair, ears, neck while leaving only the face exposed. It is part of the standard dress code for office work, school uniforms and formal occasions for the Malays Muslim.

1.Putting Place a bandana on first. This helps to keep your headscarf in place.

2.Fold the headscarf as you have been shown how to. Place it on your head.

3.Make one part up to your waist, and one part to your belly.

4.Bring the long part up over the short part and wrap it around your head.

5.Pull the short part. This will tighten it as firmly as you like.

6.Pin the wrapped section in place.

7.Leave the shorter part loose. This is used for coverage; pin in place as needed (optional).on a hijab

HOW TO WEAR TUDONG

SONGKOK

Songkok is a type of traditional cap worn by the Malays men. It is widely worn in Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines and southern Thailand, mostly among Muslim males. It has the shape of a truncated cone, usually made of black or embroidered felt, cotton or velvet. For the Malays, songkok became official accessories for attending formal occasions such as wedding ceremonies, feast, Friday prayer, religion ceremony and also during the Hari Raya Puasa and Hari Raya Qurban.

Malaysian Batik is textile art on the fabrics for clothing. It’s commonly used in Malaysia, especially on the east coast of Malaysia (Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang). The Malaysian batik is also famous for its geometrical designs, such as spirals. The most popular motifs are leaves and flowers. The process of batik making in Malaysia is also quite different from those of Indonesian Javanese batik, the pattern is larger and simpler, it seldom rely heavily on brush painting method to apply colours on fabrics. The colours also tend to be lighter and more vibrant than deep coloured Javanese batik. The word "batik" originates from the Jawa word “amba”, which means writing and “titik” means point.

COSTUMES FOR DIFFERENT OCCASIONS

In Malay wedding, both the bride and bridegroom will wear a wedding couple suites. The male (bridegrrom) will be wearing Baju Melayu with songket while the female (bride) will be wearing baju kurung or dress decorated with glitter satin and lace.

During Hari Raya celebration, Baju melayu and baju kurung are the main traditional attire to be worn by the Malay race. Malay mens will wear Baju Melayu together with songkok and songket at the waist, while women will usually wear baju kurung or baju kebaya together with tudong or selendang.