KUPASONLINE.COM — The Malay community is a component of the Malaysian nation. Each group has its culture, customs, and rules. One of them is the Malay culture in Malaysia. The Malay community in Malaysia is actually mostly the same as the Malay community living in Indonesia and other regions.
There are Malay communities in Malaysia who are their own groups such as in Sabah, Sarawak or Kelantan. However, based on the regulations of the Malaysian state there are separate limitations regarding Malayness in that country. Malay culture is one of the various cultures on this earth.
This culture has been passed down from generation to generation by the community. Malay culture is also one of the pillars supporting culture in Malaysia. Malaysian culture also thrives and is thick in the midst of Malaysian and Indonesian society. Among ordinary people, the Malay people are always associated with citizens from Malaysia. In fact, the Malay family is one of the original Indonesian ethnic groups spread across various islands, especially Sumatra.
Cultural Roots
Malays are indigenous people who use the Malay language, are Muslim, and carry out Malay traditions and customs. Indigenous people in Malaysia are descendants of tribes in Indonesia such as Aceh, Minangkabau, Bugis or Mandailingi. They speak Malay.
They are considered as Malays, apart from Malay Anak Jati (Malay Peninsula) who come from the Malay Land itself. Even though they are not native, they marry Malays and embrace Islam, they will be accepted as Malays. Malaysia and Indonesia have the same cultural roots. This proved the lands of the peninsula were once united. Then the Johor kingdom was centered in Bintan, Islands, Riau. Malays are easy to find in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Singapore.
Malay language
In everyday communication, we use a language. Since the 7th century, Malay was the language of instruction in trade and religious activities. The Malay language also grows and is modified according to the characteristics of its place of origin. This Malay language develops according to certain regional Malay families and has become the national language in Malaysia.
Not only in Malaysia, Malay is also widely spoken in various countries such as Indonesia, Singapore, Southern Myanmar, Southern Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Timor Leste, Sri Lanka, Papua New Guinea, Cambodia, and even to South Africa.
Beliefs and Religion
The arrival of Islam in 13 AD brought dynamic changes and developments in the life of the Malay people. The Malays also chose to embrace Islam as their belief. The changes that occurred in the Malays included language, customs, arts, beliefs, intellectuals, politics and various other aspects of life, including the economy.
Art
Each culture has a variety of distinctive arts from various branches of art. This Malay ethnic art has indeed undergone a change. Still using traditional music played by the Malay community. This Malay music is usually also presented together with typical Malay dances. The lyrics contain poetry and a certain moral message. The Malay dance in Malaysia is the Johor Zapin. This dance is also known in Indonesia, especially in the Malay community.
For Malays, the arts are divided into two, namely developmental arts in the form of singing, dancing, performances such as makyong, hadrah, and others. Then there is the visible art which consists of carving, decorative woven, woven, carpentry and others.
Traditional Clothing
The traditional clothes of the Malays are called baju kuning, although each region or country has slight differences. The characteristic of the baju kuning is that it is designed with a loose fit. In addition, there are no buttons attached to the brackets so that it is similar to wearing a T-shirt. The shirt brackets are also made without a collar and each end is crocheted. Some parts are decorated with gold embroidery.
This dress is generally used for big events, such as the malay ceremony of women in the royal realm. The bracketed shirt is matched with songket cloth as a scabbard. There are also various accessories or gold jewelry. Considering that the majority of Malay people embrace Islam, many women who wear clothes in brackets match them with the headscarf. Now, the baju kuning is widely worn by ordinary people to attend weddings and engagements, even without fancy accessories.
The brackets are worn by both men and women. In Malaysia, the baju kuning for men is known as “baju Melayu”. There are several types of baju kuning in Malaysia. There are several sections such as clothes, fabrics, trousers and accessories for men.
Malay Traditional House
The traditional house of the Malay tribe used to be made of solid wood.
Decorated with traditional ornaments. There are various types of traditional houses in Malaysia. The reason is, there are also many immigrants in Malaysia. However, the matter of traditional Malay houses found in Malaysia is not much different from the buildings of the Malay tribe in Indonesia(*)
