Baba and Nyonya refers to the intermarriage of Chinese people from china with the native people from Peninsula Malaysia. This ethnic is also known as Peranakan. THE word “Peranakan” refers to a group of Chinese immigrants who are more acculturated than their later counterparts. However, not all acculturated Chinese people in Malaysia see themselves as Peranakan Cina or Baba Cina. Geographically, the Peranakans are scattered across what had been the Straits Settlements of Penang, Malacca and Singapore, and the north-east states of Kelantan and Terengganu.
The unifying features among these Chinese communities are the adoption of local Malay dialects into their daily language, the wearing of the sarong and kebaya and the incorporation of local herbs and spices in their cuisine. The Peranakans are, therefore, linguistically and culturally different from other Chinese sub-groups in Malaysia and these differences, some would argue, sets them apart as a separate race.
Participants during the festival
Their most popular celebration would be the Baba and Nyonya Festival where women will enter a contest while wearing their traditional clothe which is baju kebaya. They will be competing each other on who is the most beautiful among them. The concept of the festival is the same with Miss Universe.
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