The many colours of love

Phuket’s Old Town will once again be ablaze with colour on June 18 and 19 as its Peranakan descendants gather for the annual mass Phuket Baba wedding festival. For visitors, the event offers a rare chance of celebrating a generations-old tradition and capturing photos of the happy couples against the backdrop of Sino-Portuguese mansions decked out in red, green, blue, pink, yellow and white. 

Known as Baba and Yaya in Phuket, the Peranakan are the descendants of Chinese immigrants who settled around the Malay Peninsula from Malaysia to Singapore to Thailand’s South in the late 15th and 16th-century. The Baba and Yaya were traditionally the offspring of Chinese men and local woman. 

The authentic Peranakan wedding can last up to 12 days and is usually carried out according to Chinese tradition in the bride’s house. The ceremony in Phuket, which is arranged every year by the Peranakan descendants themselves with help from the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), will last for two days. The aim is to bring back the pride of Peranakan culture once so dominant on the island as well as to promote Phuket as a wedding destination. 

“Today, the Peranakan wedding ceremony is very rare if indeed it is held at all. The nuptials of the last couple to marry in traditional Peranakan style probably took place 40 years ago,” says Jarin Neeranatwarodom, who has traced the Peranakan wedding to the early 20th century, when there was a Peranakan community in Phuket. 

“We’re delighted to be reinventing such a rare and colourful wedding ceremony.”

You don’t even have to be a Peranakan descendant to marry in Peranakan style. All you need is the person who wants to marry you and you can leave the rest to the City of Phuket.

Part of a tourism campaign designed to turn Phuket into a preferred honeymoon and wedding destination, the annual Peranakan Wedding Ceremony has been arranged for the past five years and has drawn couples from all over the world to tie the knot in the Peranakan way. 

The Peranakan are Straits Chinese people who speak Chinese at home and follow Confucianism, but dress and eat more like their Malay mothers. They came to Phuket back in the 19th century where they made their fortunes in the tin mines. They also traded with the Westerners from whom they inherited a love of jazz and other music.

The Sino-Portuguese shophouses and heritage mansions in Phuket’s Old Town are living proof of the Peranakan’s lavish lifestyle and it is one of these in which the weddings are celebrated. 

Yaya, the Peranakan women, arrive at the luxury mansion wearing vibrant batik sarongs known as Baju Panjang, and beaded slippers. The Baba or men show up in Baju Lokchuan, long sleeved silk jackets with a Chinese collar.

And as at weddings everywhere, the centre of interest is the bride – or in this case, brides – who, with tiaras perched on their heads, prepares for the biggest day in their lives in the Peranakan bridal suite. The tiaras, with tiny flowers made of gold, are said to serve as a “sensor” to evaluate the bride’s excitement, as she waits for her groom at her house.

“In the old days Peranakan marriages were arranged by their families and the matchmaker,” says Jarin. “One can only imagine how the bride felt, as she had never met her groom. The tiara kept shaking, as her heart beat faster and faster.”

The finale is a celebration of colour and fanfare, with the four newly wedded couples leading a procession through the Old Town.

The parade, which takes place on Sunday afternoon, travels along Thalang Road, home to many of these grand Sino-Portuguese dwellings, as the newlyweds are showered with flower petals.

 

YOU DON’T HAVE TO SAY “I DO”

WHERE TO STAY:

THE LITTLE NYONYA HOTEL (www.LittleNyonyaHotel.com), a charming boutique hotel, is owned and run by a Thai-Peranakan family in Phuket. The Sino-Portuguese design evokes memories of the old days and the Two Grandmas restaurant serves both Western and Thai food as well as home-made Nyonya cuisine under the supervision of Ama Tu, an experienced Nyonya cook.

MEMORY AT ON-ON HOTEL in Phuket Old Town was originally established in 1923. Leonardo DiCaprio “slept” here while making “The Beach” in 2000. It has a laid-back attitude, with a stylish bar and colonial charm, drawing young travellers in search of a cheap bed and rich history.

 

WHERE TO EAT

RAYA Housed in one of the old Sino-Portuguese mansions, Raya restaurant is truly in the heart of Phuket Old Town. The chef offers authentic Peranakan cuisine, which blends the Chinese way of cooking with the spices and herbs of Malay Peninsula. Try the slow cooked pork belly (Moo Hong). Book a table at (076) 218 155.

ONE CHUN CAFE & RESTAURANT, a stone’s throw from Raya restaurant and a younger “edition” of the Peranakan eatery, serves traditional Phuket and Peranakan dishes. Both restaurants are run by the same family with Raya favoured by older folk and One Chun by the younger crowd.