Bawang Merah Bawang Putih

Bawang merah dan bawang putih (Malay/Indonesian for Shallots and Garlic) is a popular traditional folklore originated from Nusantara (Indonesian archipelago), about two siblings with opposite characters; one good and one bad, and an unjust step mother. The folklore has the same theme and moral as the European folktale Cinderella.

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 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 some 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 Malay movie, it is the other way around, the shallot being waterly bringing tears to the eyes and garlic being pungent. 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 Sundanese folktale of Leungli the magical fish.

The origin of the story is obscure and unclear, some suggest that it was a Riau Sumatran Malay folktale that later transmitted into Malay Peninsula, while some holds that it was originated from Yogyakarta in Java. Nevertheless, despite its unclear origin, the story is a popular children folktale in both Indonesia and Malaysia.

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