Title
Tunic
Year/Period
Early 20th century
Region
Penang
Dimension
Object size: 110 x 143.5 cm
Accession No.
2008-00151
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr and Mrs Khaw Teik Kooi
Peranakan wedding garments usually consist of a plain silk tunic like this piece, worn with a songket sarong and Peranakan wedding jewellery. Songket, a textile patterned with gold or silver threads, was favoured by the Peranakan Chinese because of its association with royalty. Peranakan brides were considered ‘queen for a day’ following the Malay tradition. The songket mainly came from Palembang, Sumatra or the northern part of the Malay Peninsula. In Penang, a special outfit like this was worn by the Peranakan bride on the final day of the twelve-day Peranakan wedding. It was on this day, the bride was formally accepted into the family by the bridegroom’s parents.
