Two Nyonyas and two Bibiks

This photograph shows two older Bibiks sitting and two younger Nyonyas standing in a courtyard or garden setting with some potted plants. In Peranakan culture, the younger ladies are known as 'Nyonyas' while the more senior ladies are known as 'Bibiks'. The culture and dressing of the Chinese Peranakans is a fascinating melange of Chinese and Malay traditions.The two bibiks are wearing the baju panjang. The bespectacled nyonya standing to the left of the photograph wears the more modern baju with shorter sleeves.