Malaysian Arts and Crafts – Tepak Sirih, a Malaysian Tradition
From time immemorial, tepak sirih (betel leaf container) has traditionally found a place in almost all ceremonial institutions of the Malays, as well as in social gatherings. Today, it is also used as a decorative item and one of the various exotic Malay handicrafts.
According to a local folk story, during the Malacca Sultanate era, sometime in the 15th century AD. C., there was a big fight between the most illustrious Malay hero known as Hang Tuah and Hang Jebat, his childhood playmate. Hang Jebat has betrayed the late Sultan Mahmud, ruler of the Malacca Empire at the time. Hang Tuah has offered a betel leaf from a tepak sirih owned by the late sultan to Hang Jebat after they stopped for a while in their big fight before he finally killed Hang Jebat.
Generally, tepak sirih contains seven selected items only: betel nut, lime (kapur), extract from the leaves of the Gambier plant (play), tobacco, betel leaves and nutcrackers (kacip). All items except kacip they are kept in six different smaller containers known as cembul.
The betel leaves are arranged in a group of five to seven pieces folded together. All the ingredients are placed accordingly and are not made haphazardly. There are precise sections of the tepak sirih containing the ingredients. A complete set of tepak sirih it reflects Malay life as a whole and the value that the Malay community places on traditional customs (adab) and codes of conduct. For some, the folded leaves symbolize unity.
Tea tepak sirih with its elaborate carving it is a unique icon in Malay cultural history. The degree of elaborate designs and the material used dictated status in the ancient Malay hierarchy.
In Malay tradition, the act of offering and receiving tepak sirih complete with its ingredients has substantial significance to both the giver and the recipient. However, this is not all, since each one of the elements that intervene in the elaboration of the tepak sirih it has its own symbolic value. Tea sirih Due to its characteristic behavior in its natural environment, the leaf has been used as a symbol of respect for others. Lime (kapur) in its whiteness reflects the purity of the heart, a whiteness that conveys nobility and pure purpose that when disturbed or interfered with can become bitter like the taste of kapur itself. Tea play symbolizes the corpulence of the heart, while the betel nut, which comes from a tall, slender palm tree and whose flowers bloom in clusters, represents noble ancestry or heritage, as well as honesty and integrity. The last item that is sometimes included in a pound of betel is tobacco. This represents for the Malays sirih chewer, a willingness to make sacrifice.
From the earliest times, the offering of a sirih crux or placement of the complete tepak sirih set conveys implicit meaning from giver to receiver. Although the one who gives humbly presents himself to the one who receives, it is clear that such respect should not be interpreted as a degradation of the same person who gives to the one who receives. Other hidden meanings have also been given to various elements in the complete tepak sirih.
The betel leaf is also synonymous with Malay folk rituals. The way in which the blade is offered to people of different social classes varies and there are specific rules and customs that must be obeyed. At the public town meeting, the sheet is offered to the leader of a praying congregation (tok imam) first, followed by the healer (tok bomoh). Then comes the turn of the elders and followed by the others present.
For special occasions, very ornate. sirih vessels made of brass and covered with teak Embroidery is used. Within these tepak the ingredients are arranged in a precise order. Thesis tepak, when used, must be offered in a specific way, especially when the recipient is someone of the opposite sex. An error is likely to lead to misinterpretation. tepak sirih they continue to be used in ceremonial congregations such as weddings. Elaborate formations of betel leaves on trays carried on the heads of young maidens or old ladies (sirih junjung) mark ceremonial welcomes for dignitaries and perhaps one of the most important uses of sirih is in the betel leaf tree (pokok sirih) presented by the bride to her groom.
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