Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay PeninsulaSkeat, Walter William
Religion
Malay Magic: Being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay Peninsula
Skeat, Walter William
Magic -- Malay Peninsula; Malays (Asian people) -- Folklore; Malays (Asian people) -- Social life and customs
The smaller pillows are red (occasionally purple, ungu, or orange,
jingga), and are called the "embroidered pillows" (bantal bertekat,
or bantal p'rada). Occasionally a set of twelve small pillows is
used (when they are called bantal dua-b'las, or the Twelve Pillows),
but often there is only one of them to each "Big Pillow," the set
of twelve being said to be an innovation, probably introduced from
Malacca. Sometimes, however, when many small pillows are piled upon
each other, measures have to be taken to keep them from falling,
in which case the space between the piles is said to be filled up
with wool or cotton stuffing (penyelat), the front being covered with
embroidered cloth, the upper border of which is carried up diagonally
from the top of one pile to the top of the next.
As regards the permissible number of big pillows, according to a scale
in use at Klang, the common people are allowed three big pillows
(including the bantal tumpu); a wealthy man, four; and a Headman,
such as the 'Toh Kaya Kechil, five; a Raja being presumably allowed
one or two more. According to this scale it is only the big pillows
that are of importance, [611] and the people are allowed to use as
few or as many small ones as they like. The topmost small pillow,
however, is always triangular, and is called gunong-gunongan.
The mosquito-curtain (enclosing the couch on which the pillows rest)
of course varies in size according to the dimensions of the pelamin,
but may be roughly taken to be from 7 to 9 hasta [612] in length,
by 8 ft. in width, and 4 ft. to 5 ft. in height (reaching to the
ceiling-cloth). Its upper edges (kansor) are stiffened externally with
a square frame, consisting of four bamboo rods (galah k'lambu), and
it is decorated in front with a beautifully embroidered fringe called
"Bo-tree leaves" (daun budi). The front of this mosquito-curtain is
rolled up [613] to within 2 or 3 ft. of the top, instead of being drawn
aside as usual. At the back of the curtain is suspended, except in
the case of a Raja's wedding, a bamboo clothes-rod (buluh sangkutkan
kain). This rod terminates at each extremity in an ornamental piece
of scroll-work (sulor bayong) covered with scarlet cloth, which is
sometimes made to issue from a short stem of horn or ivory, and has
a wooden collar called dulang-dulang. This dulang-dulang, moreover,
is sometimes provided with small hollows ('mbat-'mbat) at the top,
two in front which are filled with rose-water or perfume (ayer mawar
or ayer wangi), and two at the back which are filled with flowers.
Above the clothes-rod, and between its suspending cords (tali
penggantong)--which, by the way, are also covered with scarlet
cloth--an inner fringe of "Bo-leaves" (daun budi dalam) is sometimes
added at the top of the curtain.
At the wedding of a Raja nothing else should be put inside the curtain,
but at an ordinary wedding a few small articles of typical marriage
furniture are usually added as follows:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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