Portuguese Settlement, Malacca

The Portuguese Settlement is a Kristang community in Ujong Pasir, five km from Malacca, Malaysia.

The Kristang are a Malaysian ethnic group with mixed Portuguese and Malay or Indian ancestry, which arose during the Portuguese colonial period (16th to 17th century).

In 1933, 11 hectares of land at Malacca were purchased with the purpose of creating a heaven for scattered Kristang and their culture. The swampy land was cleared and 10 wooden houses with earth floors and attap roofs were built. Saint John's village, as that simple fishing village was originally known, soon attracted additional Kristang from all over Malaysia, and grew to become one of Malacca's main tourist attractions, improving the standard of living of its villagers.

Like many other Portuguese-speaking communities around the world, the Portuguese Settlement holds a yearly "June festival" that opens with "Festa San Juang" ("Feast of Saint John", June 24) and closes with "Festa San Pedro" ("Feast of Saint Peter", the fishermen's patron saint, June 29). This festival is attended by about 100,000 visitors from Malaysia and abroad. At the festival one can hear Kristang folk songs and watch dancers in colourful costumes perform to the rhythm of joget music. An important event in the festival is the blessing of the local fishermen's boats, specially decorated for the occasion, to assure good catch cite journal
title = Malaccan MCA leaders at the Portuguese Settlement
author = Ivy Tan
journal = The Guardian
volume = 3
date = June 2007
url = http://www.mca.org.my/Chinese/Guardian%20pdf/GUARDIAN%20june.pdf
publisher = Malaysian Chinese Association
pages = 14
unused_data = |accessdate 2007-09-27] .

References

See also

* Portuguese Malacca for the history of Malacca under Portuguese rule.

Links

* [http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/uploads/approved/adt-NUWS20060510.151501/public/08Chapter7.pdf Chapter 7 - The Luso-Asiatic Communities]
* [http://www.expatkl.com/getaway_melaka_01.html Malacca's Portuguese community : Rocking along the Sand's Edge]