“THIS pokok bidara was the mark that told visitors that they had arrived at the Portuguese Settlement in the olden days,” says Martin Theseira as he points at the stone apple trees lining Jalan Day.
“The tree is as old, if not older, than the settlement,” he adds.
Sitting at the coastline of Ujong Pasir in historic Malacca, the 20-acre settlement was set in the 1930s by Jesuit missionaries — Rev Father A. M. Corado and Rev Father J. P. Francois.
The settlement’s original houses which were built along roads that bore the names of well known Portuguese figures such as Sequiera, Albuquerque, Texiera and Day are still in use today.
“This is what a typical home would look like — it only has a main hall, kitchen and a porch with sea-shell flooring and attap roof — built on are area measuring 12m by 24m,” he says, gesturing to a house which was restored by the Malacca Museums Corporation’s (Perzim).
Theseira says almost all of the original homes have since been rebuilt with more modern settings over the last 80 years.
The 60-year-old Portuguese descendant is leading a group of 20 cultural enthusiasts and local historians on a two-hour walking tour organised by Perzim conservation unit as a move to create better understanding on the community’s unique way of life.
One of the most interesting parts of the culture is the local Portuguese Creole language.
“Just walk along Texeira Road and you can still hear families conversing in the local Portuguese Creole language,” he says, “though it’s under threat despite effforts to preserve it.”
Theseira says many Malay words are borrowed from the local Portuguese Creole language such as “kereta” (car), “almari” (cupboard), “boneka” (doll) and “meja” (table).
Some of us are surprised to learn that Portuguese women back in the days wore their own-styled kebaya (Malay female blouse) known as kebaya kumpridu.
On cultural festivals, Theisera, who is a cultural performer who runs a cottage industry making belacan and acar, says the community celebrates several festivals apart from Christmas.
These include the water-splashing festival or intrudu held annually in March before the start of the Catholic fasting period of Lent.
“It’s a fun-filled event where everyone goes around dousing each other with water. It’s not just about splashing water at each other, it also marks the last time for merriment after Christmas celebration and also a time where those in the family who have grudges can make up,” he says.
He also says that Good Friday and Easter are also time for families to bond while Fiesta San Pedro is more to mark the blessing of fishing boats.
“It is a time for family and friends to return home and reconnect,” he says.
Summing up the walkabout, Theseira takes the opportunity to demonstrate the tradition of performing the Serani Teng Teng.
“It started back in the days when poor children here would form groups of two or three and perform in front of Chinese homes during Chinese New Year to collect ang pow. Each kid would carry either a triangle, ukelele or tambourine to entertain the Chinese and the Peranakan communities particularly in Ujong Pasir and Tanquerah,” he says, adding that he hopes to revive the tradition among the younger generations.
Meanwhile, participating tourist guide Shaukani Abbas says such tours should be documented for the public to understand the Portuguese people and their culture here.
“We have previously organised similar walkabout at Kampung Morten in collaboration with Perzim. We are looking at expanding such tours to other villages in the state,” he says.
Travel File
The Portuguese Settlement Cultural and Heritage guided walk is another community-based programme from the Malacca State Government.
Organised by Friends of Melaka Museums with the cooperation from Perbadanan Muzium Melaka (Perzim), the free walking tour is a great introduction for first-timers and the budget-conscious tourists to the settlement.
Led by official community guide Martin Theseira, the walk is held only on the third Saturday of the month. Tour starts at 5.30pm. Prior booking is required as the tour can only accommodate 20 guests at a time.
Call Perzim at 06-333 3333 ext 3700 or 06-2814226 / 06-2826526 (during office hours) or email admin@perzim.gov.my.