Bawang Putih Bawang Merah
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Bawang Putih Bawang Merah is one of the more famous of old Malay folktales, passed down orally through the generations. Like most Malay folktales, the story is laden with lessons regarding familial values, patience in the face of adversity, and that ultimately good will be rewarded and the evil will be punished.
The story centers on a pair of half-sisters named Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah. Bawang Putih is the Malay name for garlic, while Bawang Merah is the Malay name for onion or shallot. This naming convention is in the same vein as the Western fairy tale sisters Snow White and Rose Red, although the previously mentioned Malay sisters do not get along as well. The use of these names for the female protagonist and her antagonist is symbolic of their physical similarity (both girls are beautiful) but have completely different personalities. Since the original folktale was passed on orally, different variations of the story exist. In most versions, Bawang Putih is the good and kind daughter, while Bawang Merah is the cruel and vindictive one.
[edit] The Story
The story takes place in a simple village household that, when the story starts, has five members. The head of this family has two wives, and each wife has their own daughter. Bawang Merah and her mother are jealous of the attention the father gives Bawang Putih and her mother. When the father dies, Bawang Merah and mother take charge of the household and bully Bawang Putih. Bawang Putih’s mother stands up for her daughter but she soon dies prematurely, in some versions due to sickness and in some versions due to the intentional malice of Bawang Merah's mother.
Her biological mother and father dead, the gentle and obedient Bawang Putih is left alone to be tormented by her cruel stepmother and half-sister. Though Bawang Putih suffers, she is patient and prays for comfort. One day when she is in the woods, she sees a pond in which a fish lives. The fish is able to speak, and tells her that it is her mother who has come back to comfort her. Bawang Putih is overjoyed to be able to speak with her mother again, and secretly visits the pond whenever she can.
One day Bawang Merah sees Bawang Putih sneaking off and secretly follows her to the pond, where she sees Bawang Putih talking to her mother. After Bawang Putih leaves, Bawang Merah lures the fish to the surface of the pond and catches it. Bawang Merah and her mother kill the fish, cook it and feed it to Bawang Putih without telling her where it came from. Once Bawang Putih has finished eating, her stepmother and stepsister reveal where they obtained the fish. Bawang Putih is overcome with nausea and remorse, much to the glee of the Bawang Merah.
Bawang Putih secretly gathers the fish bones and buries it in a small grave underneath a big tree. When she comes to visits the grave the next day, she is surprised to see that a beautiful swing has formed from one of the tree's branches. When Bawang Putih sits in the swing and sings an old lullaby her mother taught her, it magically swings back and forth.
Bawang Putih continues to visit the magic swing whenever she can. One day, when she is in the magic swing, a Prince who is hunting nearby hears her singing. He follows the sound of her voice and tries to approach Bawang Putih, but when she realises that she is not alone, she runs back to her home.
The Prince and his advisors visit the home of Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah. (In some versions this happens immediately after the Prince's first sighting of Bawang Putih, but in other versions it happens after a long search made by the Prince's advisors.) Bawang Merah's mother, seeing this opportunity, orders Bawang Putih to stay hidden in the kitchen. The Prince asks about the swing and the girl who sits in it. Bawang Merah's mother says that it is her beautiful and talented daughter Bawang Merah. Though the Prince agrees that Bawang Merah is beautiful, he asks her to show him how she sings in the magical swing.
Bawang Merah and mother reluctantly follow the Prince and his advisors back to the magic swing. Bawang Merah sits in the swing and attempts to sing so that it will move, but she cannot. The Prince starts to get angry and orders Bawang Merah's mother to tell the truth. Bawang Merah's mother is forced to confess that she has another daughter hidden in her house.
[edit] See also
[edit] Adaptations
Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, 1959 Malaysian live-action musical, starring Latifah Omar as a good Bawang Merah, Umi Kalthom as a bad Bawang Putih, and Mustapha Maarof as the Prince.
Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, 1986 Malaysian remake of the 1959 version.
Putih, 2001 Malaysian animated musical, starring the voices of Erra Fazira as Putih, Raja Azura as Merah and M. Nasir as Putera Aftus.
Bawang Putih Bawang Merah, 2006 Indonesian television serial starring Revalina S. Temat as a good Bawang Putih and Nia Ramadani as a bad Bawang Merah.
