Street mart marks first anniversary
By LOOI SUE-CHERN
AFTER one year, the Little Pe-nang Street Market is getting better at doing what it sets out to do – promoting unique local cultures, arts and products.
At its first anniversary celebration in July, the market highlighted the Malay and Nyonya cultures, dazzling the crowd of locals and tourists with live cultural performances and demonstrations.
Among the main attractions were the sirih (betel leaf) fold-ing, towel folding and bunga telur arrangement com-petitions organi-sed by the Little Penang Street Market together with Teluk Bahang assemblyman Siti Faridah Arshad and the South-West district Rumah Nur.
Themed Di Ambang Mer-deka, the competitions gave shoppers and visitors a closer look at cultural items normally seen in Malay weddings and how they were made from scratch.
Competition judges Nilam Ismail and Norimah Mohamad explained that folding sirih was a traditional Malay art that was usually done for engage- ment ceremonies where the rings are exchanged to bring happiness to the couples.
The bunga telur making contest saw participants transform hard-boiled eggs into beautiful mas- terpieces using recycled and recyclable materials. A partici- pant even used plastic mineral water bottles, nettings and other items to make artificial flowers for her decorated egg arrange- ment.
“Bunga telur is commonly used at Malay weddings and other big functions as parting gifts for guests. This is something interesting that we would like to show tourists. Bunga telur is a popular souvenir for tourists,” said Nilam.
The participants also turned dull-looking towels into beautiful artworks. With folds, twists and tugs here and there, the par- ticipants creatively transformed their towels into something else. One produced a pillow-like piece with a bow on top while another made a replica of the Taj Mahal, each adorned with laces and shimmering decorative materials.
Kumpulan Kompang Pusaka Anak Rebana from Balik Pulau performed classical Malay music with their traditional intru- ments.
Popular souvenir: A contestant giving her bunga telur arrangement a floral look. Taking cue from the music, youths from the Pertubuhan Seni Silat Pusaka Gayong Malaysia (Balik Pulau branch) delivered a wonderful show of Gendang Silat (Malay martial arts).
Silat and kompang troupe leader Anuwar Idris said events such as this allowed perfor- mers to introduce Malay martial arts and music to locals and tourists.
“It is important for young- sters to know that they play a part in preserving their heritage. I strongly encourage youths to take up the arts and participate in such activities to help promote the country’s cultures.
“The country is full of cul-tures.
“You can al-ready get so much of it just from Balik Pulau,” he said.
Gasing experts from Persatuan Ga-sing Kelantan, Kelan- tan, amazed the crowd with their big 4kg tops. They spun the gasings so skilfully that it was not as easy as it appeared to be when some of the visitors gave it a try.
Nyonyas from the Penang State Chinese Association also did their part to spread the festivi- ties. Dancing gracefully in their traditional kebaya, the women put on a beautiful cultural dance performance, and also showed off their colourful attires.
Locals and tourists alike spent hours at the market, soaking up all the festivities and cultures. Among them were ‘treasure hunters’ Greg Smith, Matt Benson, Frederick Thangaiah and Kael Laurent from Perth, Australia.
Calling themselves the G’day Treasure Hunters, the four were in George Town looking for all sorts of treasures in the local architectures, people, their stories and the interrelation- ships between them for their 30-minute five-episode documen-tary entitled ‘Five Days in George Town.’
“The Little Penang Street Mar-ket is very interesting. We enjoyed the Malay music. My children, Isaac, Otto and Enid really liked the dance and martial arts per-ormances,” said Smith, a 53-year-old urban planner.
Launched on July 30 last year, the Little Penang Street Market is a monthly arts and craft bazaar that also pro- vides a platform for perfor- ming arts and arts education. Endorsed by Tourism Penang and local businesses, the market now has over 90 stalls selling art, handmade crafts and food products.
Little Penang Street Market committee member Khoo Salma Nasution said that the street market, which has been under the Penang Arts Council since early this year, is currently looking for sponsors.
“We hope to find sponsors that can adopt our artists and vendors to help them bring up the standard of their pro- ducts. We also hope to match them with designers that can help them package, market and further develop their brands,” she said.
Interested sponsors can con- tact the Little Penang Street Market at 016-4883632 or e-mail littlepenang@gmail.com.
A Nasheed (Arabic: أناشيد; also spelt Nasyid in Malaysia) is an Islamic-oriented song. Traditionally, it is sung a cappella, accompanied only by a daff. This musical style is used because many Muslim scholars interpret Islam as prohibiting the use of musical instruments except for some basic percussion. Many people admire the purity and simplicity of the music.
