Did you expect a Part 2?
Well, the Settlement is too big to be covered in 1 post. So far, I talked about the sunset and the food, but I missed out the experience of the Settlement in Christmas, and here is it:
A Christmas tree spotted near one of the bungalows in the Settlement.
A short history about the Portuguese Settlement; apparently, the people who settled here are descendants of the Portuguese who came to Melaka in the 1600s and the locals. Hence, they have some European ancestry in them, and most of the people here are Catholics. Even the food has some Portuguese influence - that's why the best stuff here are baked - which is an European type of cooking! The Portuguese settlement is unusually festive during Christmas and some Saint Feasts celebration during June/July.
After the feast we have had near the sea, we took a walk along the houses in the Settlement.
The streets were all lighted up. These lights are actually outside the residences. I'm not sure whether it belongs to the private residences or they were set up by the government, but it's really nice to see all these lights - much more original and creative than Orchard Road.
Another example of a nicely-decorated house. I don't think the government subsidized this house's decorations. The lights were really well-hung. Most importantly, the residents welcomed visitors to walk around the streets to admire their lights. As you can see, their doors were opened. Most carried on with their usual lives.
Look at the level of detail of the decorations.. there's even a Nativity scene laid out. The house was wide open to welcome visitors to tour the decorations.
Although the main door was closed, the doors inside were opened to showcase the many different colours of lights.The residents were still busy decorating the house with more lights. You could see that there were a lot of visitors walking around to soak in the Christmas atmosphere at the Settlement. In fact, there was a slight traffic jam in the streets. We came early around 6.30 for dinner first.
Nothing artistic about this picture, I just wanted to show the two different trees in different colour lights, the care taken to line the lights along the outline of the roof.
Very lavishly decorated. You can make out a lot of details inside the house.
The whole row of houses were filled with lights. The atmosphere was really very festive with many tourists walking around. I took this picture because the lights and the balls reminded me of Mickey Mouse - copyright issues? ;)
How could I allow this post to end without food? As I walked along the main street, I spotted a stall selling barbecued food, simply tempting!
The potato chips looked delicious! One stick is equivalent of 1 potato. A rotating blade is used to slice it into thin pieces, after which it is fried - the end result is a flavour like potato chips. However, as it is sliced slightly thicker, the chips retain the texture and taste of potato. It's hard to describe, you have to try it somehow.
But as we were full from the feast, we did not try out the food.
Simply tempting!I wonder what kind of sauce was used...
Verdict, Christmas in Portuguese Settlement:
Definitely YAY. It's an unique experience on its own, to experience Christmas in its entirety in Malaysia. The festivities were spontaneous and and self-motivated, so the feeling of celebration is very real. The residents actually spend lots of time and money to decorate the houses and the surroundings. I don't really see how all the houses would benefit much from the lightings, so it must be pure self motivation. Imagine drawing tons of visitors to your houses - violating all privacy! So the residents are really welcoming and tolerant of visitors. The creativity and faith is also to be admired, proving that you don't need any world-class designers for a pleasant Christmas experience.
Come celebrate Christmas in the Portuguese Settlement, Melaka!
Well, the Settlement is too big to be covered in 1 post. So far, I talked about the sunset and the food, but I missed out the experience of the Settlement in Christmas, and here is it:
A Christmas tree spotted near one of the bungalows in the Settlement.
A short history about the Portuguese Settlement; apparently, the people who settled here are descendants of the Portuguese who came to Melaka in the 1600s and the locals. Hence, they have some European ancestry in them, and most of the people here are Catholics. Even the food has some Portuguese influence - that's why the best stuff here are baked - which is an European type of cooking! The Portuguese settlement is unusually festive during Christmas and some Saint Feasts celebration during June/July.
After the feast we have had near the sea, we took a walk along the houses in the Settlement.
The streets were all lighted up. These lights are actually outside the residences. I'm not sure whether it belongs to the private residences or they were set up by the government, but it's really nice to see all these lights - much more original and creative than Orchard Road.
Another example of a nicely-decorated house. I don't think the government subsidized this house's decorations. The lights were really well-hung. Most importantly, the residents welcomed visitors to walk around the streets to admire their lights. As you can see, their doors were opened. Most carried on with their usual lives.
Look at the level of detail of the decorations.. there's even a Nativity scene laid out. The house was wide open to welcome visitors to tour the decorations.
Although the main door was closed, the doors inside were opened to showcase the many different colours of lights.The residents were still busy decorating the house with more lights. You could see that there were a lot of visitors walking around to soak in the Christmas atmosphere at the Settlement. In fact, there was a slight traffic jam in the streets. We came early around 6.30 for dinner first.
Nothing artistic about this picture, I just wanted to show the two different trees in different colour lights, the care taken to line the lights along the outline of the roof.
Very lavishly decorated. You can make out a lot of details inside the house.
The whole row of houses were filled with lights. The atmosphere was really very festive with many tourists walking around. I took this picture because the lights and the balls reminded me of Mickey Mouse - copyright issues? ;)
How could I allow this post to end without food? As I walked along the main street, I spotted a stall selling barbecued food, simply tempting!
The potato chips looked delicious! One stick is equivalent of 1 potato. A rotating blade is used to slice it into thin pieces, after which it is fried - the end result is a flavour like potato chips. However, as it is sliced slightly thicker, the chips retain the texture and taste of potato. It's hard to describe, you have to try it somehow.
But as we were full from the feast, we did not try out the food.
Simply tempting!I wonder what kind of sauce was used...
Verdict, Christmas in Portuguese Settlement:
Definitely YAY. It's an unique experience on its own, to experience Christmas in its entirety in Malaysia. The festivities were spontaneous and and self-motivated, so the feeling of celebration is very real. The residents actually spend lots of time and money to decorate the houses and the surroundings. I don't really see how all the houses would benefit much from the lightings, so it must be pure self motivation. Imagine drawing tons of visitors to your houses - violating all privacy! So the residents are really welcoming and tolerant of visitors. The creativity and faith is also to be admired, proving that you don't need any world-class designers for a pleasant Christmas experience.
Come celebrate Christmas in the Portuguese Settlement, Melaka!
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