Bawang merah dan bawang putih (Malaysian/Indonesian for Shallot(s) and Garlic) is a popular traditional Indonesian folklore from Riau involving two siblings with opposite characters (one good and one bad), and an unjust step mother. The folktale has similar themes and moral to the European folktale Cinderella.
The story centers on a pair of step sisters named Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah. Bawang Putih is the Malay and/or Indonesian word for garlic, while Bawang Merah is the Malay and/or Indonesian word for onion or shallot. This naming convention is in the same vein as the Western fairy tale sisters of Snow-White and Rose-Red although the previous 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, while in the 1959 black and white Malaysian movie, it is the other way around.[1] There are several version about the story of Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih, one involving a magic pumpkin and the other involved a magical fish. Curiously the second version is very similar to the Sundanese folktale of Leungli the magical fish.
The origin of the story is obscure and unclear, some suggest that it was a Riau Sumatran Indonesian folktale, while some hold that it was originated from Yogyakarta in Java.[2] Nevertheless, despite its unclear origin, the story is a popular children's folktale in Indonesia
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- ^ "Bawang Merah dan Bawang Putih" (in Indonesian). Cerita Rakyat Nusantara. Retrieved 9 July 2012.