Rituals and customs of constructing the Malay house
The Malay house is a traditional dwelling that existed before technologies and modern influences evolved in this country. Most of the Malay houses in Malaysia are constructed by the indigenous ethnic Malay.
The typical Malay house has a roof built to suit the weather and environment in this country. Decorative elements are not taken lightly as the carry a large significance in the design of the Malay house.
Building rituals
One of the main custom that has to be carried out is the preservation of wooden materials used to construct the Malay house. This is done primarily to avoid the wooden materials from decaying due to the weather and termite problems.
These are the steps taken before a house is being built:
In Mr Ariffin's house, the meranti wood is mostly used. This house is built with the minimal use of metal, including nails. His grandfather cut holes and grooves to fit the meranti elements into one another for most parts of the house.
From his house design, we can see that it is a typical Malay house due to the fact that:
-It is built on stilts
-It has stairs
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-It is decorated in one way or another
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| -carving- |
Those designs are a norm in building the Malay house.
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| -view of Mr Ariffin's house- As you can see from the pictures, Mr Ariffin's house has a garden (or something close to that), and is surrounded by greens. He, in fact, planted some of the plants by himself. |
Environmental study & space planning of the Malay house
In his house, there is a kitchen, a bedroom,an outdoor bathroom/ toilet, a living area and a dining area.
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-Plan view of Mr Ariffin's house- |
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| -Axonometric drawing of Mr Ariffin's house- There are a few terminologies used for spaces of the Malay house, given according to its activities. |
Anjung is the space at the entrance of the house, which has stairs leading up to a covered porch. The host entertains unfamiliar visitors here.
Serumbi guntung is the space where the host entertains most guests.
Rumah ibu is the main area of the house, where most activities such as praying, sewing and feasting are held in this space.
Rumah dapur is the cooking area of the house, and it is located at the back.
Here's end of this blog post. We will have a Raya celebration with the folks of the kampung. Stay tuned for our fun experience of the celebration!
Exterior outlook of the house with beautiful decoration on the window.
The toilet which is separated from the house.
Living area on the left side.
Living area with the nice perfume bottles displayed on the shelf.
Living area on the right side.
Openings between the plane which provide air ventilation for the house.
View of the house kitchen.
Multi-purpose storage.
Few openings at the kitchen.
A place to prepare daily meals.
Almost all the furnitures made up of natural materials.
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-ENJOY-
^.^
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