Peranakan wedding as a representation of changes in Peranakan society

Abstract

The Straits Chinese or Chinese Peranakans are an ethnic group across Southeast Asia that are the descendants of Southern Chinese immigrants that emigrated to the region and intermarried and intermingled with local inhabitants of the land. The resulting descendants of these unions formed a unique ethnic group known as the Peranakans with their own cultural - one such tradition that has since remained is that of the traditional Peranakan wedding, held over a number of days with intricate customs and rituals that were meticulously planned. These events were very much a mixture of religious practice and spectacle, and served important social functions. However, as time passed they fell out of favour, and by the early 20th century, while some Peranakan weddings were still held, they were affected by the changing political situation of the Great Depression and World War II. In this research paper, I examine the Peranakan wedding in Singapore using before the 1930s as a base for the wedding, before examining the various external stimuli of the Great Depression and World War II, seeing how they may have affected the practice of the Peranakan wedding and changed it into a different form.