Wau

Tired of spinning with gasing? Hah, now lets us flying on the sky… let’s play wau! I used to play wau with my brothers when I was kid. I enjoyed it so much even though, my wau not fly too high… Kites, called waus, once played by farmers on leveled ground after post-harvesting season, now attracts people from all walks of life. The wau or giant kite flown in the East Coast have intricate patterns and come in all shapes and sizes. The most popular shape is the Wau Bulan or Moon Kites, so called because it resembles the crescentmoon. There is a major kite competition held annually in Kelantan which attracts participants from the region. Kite fighting is a popular sport and involves opponents attempting to bring down or cut the strings of their rivals’ kites. Glass powder is usedon the strings to provide the “cutting edge” and the rest involves skill in maneuvering the kite and use of wind power. So, let’s play wau!!!

Gasing

Lets main gasing! This time I want to share about main gasing… I was not used to main gasing before, but I used to watch my friends and my brothers played it. This was because; I did not know how to make it spinning. Main Gasing in Bahasa Melayu means spinning of tops. It is a popular traditional game among the villages in Malaysia especially in Kelantan and Malacca after the rice-harvest when several villagers challenge each other to a test of skill.This game of spinning tops is played by first drawing a circle on the floor to define the area within which the tops must be kept spinning. To spin the top, a string is tightly wound round the base. The player clasps the top in his hand, gripping the loose end of the string between the fingers, and throws the top into the circle. The force of the throw and the quick unloosening effect of the string make the top spin. The one whose top out spins the others within the circle wins the game. Gasing can be played individually or in teams of four. Gasing is also a traditional sport played by adults. The adult’s gasing tends to be bigger and can spin for a longer period than those played by the kids.So, how guys? Do you interested… so, lets main gasing!

Congkak

Hi guys… see you again. This time I want to share on one of the Malay’s traditional games which is congkak. I still remember, I used to play this game when I was at secondary school. But now, not have that opportunity anymore. I missed it so much… let me briefly tell you about congkak. Maybe some of you are not familiar with this game. Believe me, it is so fun playing this game! Pronounced as "congkak", this game is played by two participants on a wooden, boat-shaped board on which there are two rows of evenly-sized cups. These rows are called houses and each has a larger sized cup at the end called a storehouse. Cowry shells or seeds are used in the game. The players begin simultaneously by scooping seven of the seeds or shells from any cup and distributing them, one in each house, in an effort to reach their own storehouse. The game requires concentration and speed. When a player runs out of seeds, he can pick up one from the house he is on. If there is none in that spot and he is out of shells, he loses his turn and the next player starts the sequence. Congkak ends when one player loses all his houses to his opponent or concedes defeat. The loser has to carry the playing board on top of his head and walk around.Congkak is a version of Egyptian game called "Mancala". It is a very popular traditional game in Malaysia with slight variation to very Mancala. In Malaysia, the game board of congkak comes with many designs. An authentic one will be wood crafted with birdheads at both ends while some will be wood painted on top with local motifs. The choice of beads for the game will also vary. Sea shells are authentic to the game while most popular ones are glass marbles. So guys, now what? Sounds interesting right? Believe me, you guys better try play congkak, I can confidently say that you will enjoy it…

SONGKET...

Before, I have shared with you about batik and now, I want share about songket. Many people have the notion that songket is only meant for Malay wedding costumes. It is not so. Songket actually can be used for various kinds of fashion according to the taste of the designers. The songket cloth is a little heavier than batik. This is due to the weaving of gold threads that shape the patterns and designs of the basic cloth. Since the traditional method of weaving is done, it takes days for a high quality songket to be completed. That is why a songket costs more.

Most Malays have songket as part of their traditional dress. The songket is only worn on official functions or attending wedding ceremonies. But now songket material is used as decorations on the walls, also made into beautiful handbags and other products.

You can see how songket weaving is done when you visit Kelantan or Terengganu. These two states have become the centre of the songket cottage industry. They produce mostly for the local market.

Onde-Onde

Now I want to share about Malay traditional ‘kuih’ which is ‘onde-onde’ or some people called as ‘buah melaka’. This traditional onde-onde is green in colour with gula melaka filling. I really like onde-onde because it is yummy and easy to make. During ramadhan, I always help my mother make onde-onde and it has been compulsory ‘kuih’ for our family. The key points of good onde-onde are the nice fragrant of the pandan leaves and the thickness aroma of gula melaka. For me, more gula melaka yummier...but must be careful, the gula melaka fluid will dribble from the mouth when we nipped the glutinous ball. Usually, onde-onde is sold during the month of ramadhan but you also can get it at pasar malam at your house. Besides, you can always make it on your own. It is as easy as ABC.

Ingredients:

Some “pandan” juice (can be extracted from pounded “pandan” leaves)

100 gram of glutinous rice flour

A pinch of salt

Some pieces of “gula Melaka”

Some grated coconut

Method:

1. Sieve the rice flour

2. Add in the fresh “pandan” juice to give both the flavor and the green coloring

3. Add a pinch of salt and mix well into smooth dough

4. Pinch some of the dough and flatten in the palm

5. Put a piece of “gula Melaka” in the center and shape the dough into a ball

6. Continue doing step 5 with the rest of the dough

7. Boil some water in a pot

8. Drop a few dough balls into the boiling water

9. They will be float to the surface once cooked. Use a strainer to lift the cooked balls

10. Place the cooked balls onto a plate of grated coconut mixed with a little salt

11. Roll the green “onde-onde” balls in the coconut and are best served while still hot

BATIK...BATIK...BATIK...

I’m sure, majority of you know about batik and maybe some of you have one. Batik is very popular in Malaysia years ago until now. Batik costume is worn for official functions as well as for daily wear. Today, in our country, the government workers are compulsory to wear batik on every Thursday in order to support our batik industry.
Nowadays, batik has been refreshing according to the taste of the designers and also the wearer. The Malaysian batik is different from the Indonesian or Thai batik in design and motif. It has its own aesthetic taste which reflects the skills of the batik manufacturers as well as the artists. There are various kinds of batik you can buy like cotton, silk and others.
And very often, many batik fashion shows are held in posh hotels and shopping complexes. You will surprised to see the good quality of our batik products which have attracted the locals and foreigners alike.
The centre of the batik industry is in Kelantan. When visiting Kelantan, don’t forget to visit the batik workshop. Here you can see how batik cloth is produced and processed. You also can buy batik there with the cheapest price. So, do not forget to bring home some batiks for your use.

THE 'WAYANG KULIT'

Hi Guys! c u again. Now I want to share with you about the uniqueness of ‘The Shadow Play’ or in Malay we called as ‘Wayang Kulit’ which is popular at my state, Kelantan. Have you experience watch this kind of traditional drama? I’m sure most of you are not, right? I have ever watched ‘The Shadow Play’ only once in my life and it was when I was in form three. That was my valuable experience that I have because it is not easy to watch ‘The Shadow Play’ nowadays.
For your information, ‘Wayang Kulit’ is found in most but not all part of Southeast Asia. There are two forms of Malay shadow play, the Wayang Siam and Wayang Java, which despite their nomenclature (tatanama) are both Malay forms. Of the two, Wayang Siam is the more popular and Wayang Java is now almost extinct. Today, the Malay shadow play survives only in the northern state of Kelantan but in the nineteenth century it was extremely popular and performances were held in almost the state of the peninsula.
The puppeteer (dalang) is a skilled performer, who must act out all the part with each character given a distinct voice and personality. His versatility and manual dexterity as well as his memory have to be of the highest standard. An experienced puppeteer must also be able to assess his audience before the performance and attempt to choose a tale which will satisfy everyone.
The theatre (panggung) in which the performance is staged is a small structure constructed of timber and bamboo built about four feet off the ground. The screen (kelir) is made of white cotton and the shadow is cast on the screen by a lamp suspended from the roof of the theatre.
Then, the puppets are made from cow hide, goat skin and less often buffalo hide, although today the puppets portraying the minor characters are very often made from plastic or celluloid. The outline and features are traced on to the hide from an old figure chosen for the quality of its design and workmanship and then cut out. Once this has been completed the internal details of the puppet are carved out and the colours, which serve to distinguish characters whose silhouettes would otherwise be identical, are painted on.
That’s all about ‘The Shadow Play’ that I can share with you. Hope all of you get some ideas about this traditional Malay drama.