Baju Melayu

Before the last school holidays,I have to make a few pairs of baju Melayu in order to attend a few weddings last month and this month.Now is the period when my peers (those in the 50's) are having "kenduri kahwin" for their sons and daughters.My turn may come in not too distant future.

I have noticed a lot of 'pembaziran' while  attending wedding functions at hotels,coummunity halls,mosques and individual house.I don't  see the reason why we need to spend so much money and effort .Some have gone over board and even borrowed money.Moderation is the word! As a father,I prefer to give the money(if I have) to my son to pay for a deposit for his new home than wasted  paying for unnecessary events. The cost of a wedding function at a hotel is nothing less RM100,000!IMHO, it is still 'pembaziran' even though the person can afford to pay for it.

Coming back to the topic( I got diverted for a while),I observed that Malays in a few states really make an effort to wear their 'baju Melayu' when they go to Friday prayers.My son also has to wear 'baju Melayu' when he goes to school on Friday.I think I should emulate this culture of 'pakaian beradat dan beradab' especially on Fridays.

Comments

[Auntie Yan]

Assalamualaikum Tn. Haji,

I agree with you on this pembaziran during the wedding...always the excuse is 'once in a life time'

Last week, I happened to watch 'NONA' aired by TV3,every Sunday,2.00pm. There is this weeding which had been held so levish and so very grand!...I can't image how much money spent for such a glamours occation.I guess the wedding ended for a few days and a few nights...like the one belong to the royal family.....The ceremony was held in their house and hotel. The pengantin was brought to the hotel in a special glass carriage....something like the one that carried Prince Charles & Diana on their historical wedding.....
Oh!...no wonder the wedding was so very very grand..because it was the wedding of the son & daughter of Datuk Hamdi and the car tycoon of Malaysai, Tan Sri S.A Nasimuddin....no wonder lahhhhhhh!!!!

p/s; so, when are you going to get menantu???

[atok]

During my univ days here, on Hari Raya(s) and Merdeka Day we used to spent the days in studio and around the campus in our baju melayu lengkap with songket and songkok; to the astonishment of others. A few asked why did we wear 'skirt'?

Once, a man sat behind me in a bus asked, "Is that part of your hair?", pointing to the errr, apa org panggil eh, the kedut2 part on the songkok tu?

Last week I attended a formal evening Merdeka function at our Embassy. I think almost all Msian guys who put on their baju melayu (lengkap) on that evening donned their black version. Why eh? I don't have a black one; ada white, blue, maroon, and light yellow. The last time I tailored my baju melayu was 9 years ago, and it still fits well :)

[Adib]

Yan,
My eldest is just about to graduate.He has got a girlfriend yet(that I know of).Most likely in one or two years time baru dapat menantu;-)

Atok,
Mine was five years.Need new ones due to increase in girth size.Personally,I don't like black.

[Orang Johor]

En Adib,

I stopped attending weddings at hotels when most of the time the event becomes a venue to show off wealth & status. It also has become a fashion gala among the ladies, showing off dresses made by famous designers

I just can't stand our society is becoming status concious. Gone are the days when the whole kampung population bergotong royong building balai, pelamin, cook and eat together happily utk meraikan pengantin dan keluarga.

Now, the guests can't even meet the pengantin if the wedding is held in hotel where the guest of honors are the sultans, ministers. I can't imagine the parents of the pengantin can't even sit beside the pengantin during makan beradab because the Super VVIP's are more important.

Takkan Melayu Hilang di Dunia tetapi adat Melayu & budaya Islam semakin dilupakan

[Orang Kelate]

Oh.. saya ingat Pak Adib tempah baju untuk raya...he he..for weddings ke, oh thats nice.

Oh, cakap pasal "baju Melayu", kebetulan saya ada buat entry berkaitan perbandingan pakaian Melayu Kelantan kini dengan 100 tahun yg lampau, do check my fotopage.

Yang pasti, dalam 100 tahun sahaja, begitu banyak kita telah bertukar kiblat ke Barat.

[Nani]

I'm a passing traveller searching for nice designed 'Baju Pengantin' for my daughter's wedding reception and can't help reading the comment posted here. I know the comment were made back in 2005 and now is March 2007...nothing much changed in the Malay Wedding ceremony since then and I personally can't change the attitude, but am trying my very best to monitor the cost from the invitation cards, list of guests, the receptions, table gifts...the list to be done is endless...

But let's look at the attitude of all parties involved in these ceremony...

The guests... While some came nicely adorned in traditional Baju Melayu/Kurung/Kebaya etc, but there are lady guests who came in pants and male guests came in round neck T-Shirts without tucking-in, as if they never planned to attend the wedding...The least, if they cant respect the tradition, respect the bridal's family who took pain to prepare the reception. It doesn't hurt at all to put on nice simple Baju Melayu/ Kebaya for ladies and simple long sleeve shirt for Male (if they do not want to wear Baju Melayu/ Songkok). I have seen Non-Malays who have more sense of dressing when coming to Malay Wedding than the Malays.

Then, the caterers...nowadays, almost all weddings are buffets. Gone were the days where 'Penanggah' group in the Kampung served you the food on the table. And have you ever noticed how the food in the Buffet trays diminished while the invitees were still streaming in hours before the ceremony ends.

I have asked a friend who had done two weddings of her daughters whether she had underestimated the no. of guests. She said, she said she had added 30% more than the no. just incase, but on the day of the wedding she was also quite worried when the caterer brought in the food...she wondered how the caterer justified the no. she had ordered. True enough, by 3.00pm they were hardly much of the dishes but there was still alot of the rice in the big 'periok'...she said obviously the caterer had short changed her on the dishes, how could the caterer.

That was not all, half an hr before the end of the day, they already packed-off the tables and chairs...how rude of them.

So, for her 3rd daughter, she got various suppliers of raw food, enganged her team of cooks, enganged a few of his son's school friends to serve, washed dishes and rent the tent, table chairs for longer period...(sound like the old times?) She said just like the good old days, little bit tired but she was very satisfied seeing all the guests were enjoying the food.

Well for my daughter's wedding, I am thinking of inviting few stall operators of different dishes (just like what they did for Hari Raya Open House)...Give my invitees coupon for food and drinks then I will pay my stall operators on the nos. of coupons presented to me. Untraditional?, well I am trying to be innovative...The idea is not new but I will improvise it to make it happening. Put the coupon in nice envelope and place it on each table. Give each table a few tulips indicating the dish that they want and wave to the stall operator; when the food is delivered, they exchange coupons...Still not that smooth but I will do a little bit of thinking tonite to make it works...and ofcourse my family (espy my daughter) would not agree.

[Adib]

Nani,
Thank you for sharing your wedding plan for your daughter.I have no experience to share but many things can go wrong on that day...so do some risk management of what may go wrong and be prepared to handle the situations.

[PGL]

Hello!
Very interesting comments above. and very funny too. well done to those who have done a good job in preserving our malay heritage "Baju Melayu", gotong royong etc. I always find malay men very handsome and "suitable" in the baju. living in the non malay society, I miss seeing men in baju during friday prayers and social events which has not been a norm except in Malaysia. However, my husband tries to wear the baju as often as he can, but we feel that it is out of context. oh well! I do not think the fashion police will arrest us!

[PGL]

Aslkm my fellow contributors and readers,

I need some advise. I have been given the honourable task of being in charged of my younger sister wedding, insyallah in Dec 07. Estimated guests 200 only. Programme as follows: 1400hrs - nikah, 1430hrs reception till 1700 hrs. budget S$2000. for those who have done such event do please give me tips. thanks a lot!

[Nazgul]

Mr Adib.
I'm very intrest about your comment about the suggestion of culture wearing Baju Melayu on Friday. Yet, I think it still not going farther because believe it or not, Baju Melayu mostly famous among us only (Malays).

Why not any parts or organizations promote our Baju Melayu to others races?

I don't believe that others races doesn't want to wear Baju Melayu because of their forbid to do that.

In addition, fashion designers especially need to take parts in promoting Baju Melayu e.g creating new design as long as the motive of Baju Melayu was not been vasnish!

Aren't you agree?

[Adib]

Nazgul,
I support your idea.

[web design]

i love baju melayu

[exhibit manufacturer]

baju melayu is tradisiaonal

[jozef nijboer]

i want to order baju melayu and a folding songkok. please let me know how i can do it.......terima kasih wasalaam

[Adib]

My fovourite tailor is Omar Ali-with one shop at wisma Yakin,KL and the other is Alamanda ,Putrajaya.

[Shasha]

Selamat Hari Raya aidil adha kepada semua pembaca. Semoga pengorbanan kita semua diterima oleh Allah swt. Amin....

[emily]

Although the wedding is the existence of the world since ancient
times the ceremony, but the bride wedding gown at the wedding
but not to 200 years of history. Wedding dress on the moon
should be the prototype of 1700 BC to 1550 BC, ancient Greek aristocratic dynasty of three generations of women Minnow
worn bare chest, sleeves to the elbow,chest,waist position by a thread in the breast below the lower dressed bell-shaped dress,the overall tight fitting clothing. Now the bride wore white gauze dress hem trailing ceremony was originally a Catholic service.

[Maternity Clothes]

i dont like baju melayu

[Juff Constable]

asallamo alaikom warahmatollahi wabarakatoho...i am a moro, i am planning to buy a pair of baju melayo for my wedding day. unfortunately i find it hard to look for a seller of baju melayo here in manila, philippines...please brothers, help me know where i could buy this beatiful dress...it is my honor to showcase my identity during this important day of my life...thank you

wassallam....

[Kopun Zalora]

Saya tak sangka yang boleh dari Msia juga setanding dgn blog dari luar. Tahniah blogger Msia.