It’s Ayam Masak Merah, not Roast Turkey, for Orang Asli at Christmas

Mariati, or Kak Yah, with her two children at their Gombak home.

GOMBAK: While Christmas is traditionally associated with pine trees decked in lights and baubles, the singing of Christmas carols and lavish dinners of roast turkey and fruitcake, the Orang Asli community in Malaysia have their own set of traditions they stick religiously to.

For them, a must-have at the dinner table is Lemang, glutinous rice and santan cooked in bamboo over a fire, and Ayam Masak Merah, a dish of spicy chicken cooked in herbs the Nusantara way.

“Lemang is a must for us, together with Ayam Masak Merah or Rendang,” said Mariati, who belongs to the Semai tribe in Gombak.

Preferring to be called Kak Yah, she explained that when it came to food, the Orang Asli were more like the Muslims rather than their Christian friends in the city who often observed Western traditions.

“The Orang Asli celebrate Christmas the same way Muslims celebrate Hari Raya. In the city, I know the main dish is always turkey,” she said, smiling.

Kak Yah noted that while their religious routines were the same as other Christians, the Orang Asli community tended to display their long history through food, clothes and friendship especially during the Christmas season.

“Every year, we hold performances in church. We make Orang Asli clothing and exchange gifts,” she said.

However, with kids being kids, she jokingly pointed out how the fashion sense of Orang Asli children these days did not differ much from those who lived in the city.

Another fascinating fact was how early the Christmas season began for the Orang Asli community.

According to Kak Yah, Christmas festivities typically began way ahead of Dec 25, with events arranged as early as in November.

She explained this was so because the Orang Asli communities from different villages and districts usually gathered for a carnival held at a chosen village, before returning to their respective homes to celebrate Christmas with their families.

This year, Kak Yah’s village in Batu 12, Gombak, played host to other Orang Asli communities from Rawang, Sungai Buloh, Kuang and Raub.

“We are so happy when we gather together. We hold concerts and exchange gifts,” she said, flashing a smile.

“Since we gathered in Raub last year, we are meeting in Batu 12 this year. This is a tradition I really love because we get to catch up with each other during the festivities.”

Unfortunately, Kak Yah is unable to share pictures of her community’s traditional Christmas spread this time around as she is returning to her husband’s village in Perak where there is no internet connectivity.

“When we celebrate Christmas, we really take the trouble to dress up nicely. Ordinary clothes, but interesting,” she said, adding that dressing-up however was not half as meaningful as the sense of camaraderie they felt when they gathered together at Christmas time.

Kak Yah also told FMT she was the only one in her biological family who celebrated Christmas, since she embraced Christianity only after marrying her husband.

Since her other family members are Muslims, she does not celebrate Christmas with them.

“Every year I celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri with my family in the village. They didn’t disown me. They respect my beliefs. I am 43 now, and they still accept me,” she added. -FMT