Pasar malam

"Pasar Malam" translates to "Night Market" in English. The term is derived from the Malay language, where "pasar" means "market" and "malam" means "night."

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Bezoekers op de Pasar Malam te Batavia TMnr 60022441.jpg, period 1900–1940]]

In the Indonesian archipelago, markets are traditionally held on different days with locations rotating among participating villages. This traditional economic custom is known as Hari Pasaran (lit. "market days") in Javanese. After being further developed, the market was established more permanently like it is today. The night market is regarded as the continuation of this non-permanent market culture. Night markets are usually held during special occasions or festivals, such as Sekaten festival in Java, or held on Ramadhan nights, approximately a week before Lebaran.

Among traditional night markets, one of the earliest and biggest was the annual Lunar New Year night market in Batavia, the capital of the Dutch East Indies.{{cite news |year=1928 | first1=Tjamboek | last1=Berdoeri | title=Pasar Malem – Djaman Dahoeloe Batavia/Djakarta}}{{cite news |last1=Tempo |first1=Koran |title=Pada Sebuah Pesta Rakyat – Metro – koran.tempo.co |url=https://koran.tempo.co/read/metro/263678/pada-sebuah-pesta-rakyat? |access-date=30 May 2020 |work=Tempo |date=6 February 2012 |language=id}} Held three days before the Lunar New Year, this night market began in the late 1820s as an initiative of Tan Eng Goan, the 1st Majoor der Chineezen of Batavia, and became a prototype for similar night markets.

After the discovery of electricity and lightbulbs, night markets were held more frequently in colonial Dutch East Indies in the early 20th century. The most notable one is Pasar Gambir, a night market fair held in 1906 and yearly from 1921 until the outbreak of World War II in 1942, in the Koningsplein, Batavia, Dutch East Indies (now Merdeka Square, Jakarta, Indonesia) to celebrate the birthday of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. It has become the predecessor of the annual Jakarta Fair and Den Haag's Tong Tong Fair which are a night market and festival held for several weeks.{{Cite web |title=Jakarta Fair Dari Masa Ke Masa |url=https://kabarbumn.com/berita/2054/jakarta-fair-dari-masa-ke-masa |date=14 June 2022|access-date=2023-04-17 |website=kabarbumn.com |language=id}}

File:Bianglala.jpg at Pasar Malam in Pamekasan, East Java]]

In Java, especially in the Javanese royal cities Yogyakarta and Surakarta, the grand week-long pasar malam is usually held annually during the Sekaten festival to celebrate Mawlid, or the birthday of Muhammad.{{Cite web |last=Wicaksono |first=Pribadi |date=2022-09-18 |title=Pasar Malam ala Sekaten Yogyakarta Digelar, Daya Tariknya Bukan Hanya Wahana dan Kuliner |url=https://travel.tempo.co/read/1635484/pasar-malam-ala-sekaten-yogyakarta-digelar-daya-tariknya-bukan-hanya-wahana-dan-kuliner |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=Tempo |language=en}} During colonial Dutch East Indies, the annual Pasar Malam was held in Pasar Gambir (today Merdeka Square) and became the predecessor of modern Jakarta's annual Jakarta Fair.

Today, several kecamatan (districts) in Jakarta and also other provinces in Indonesia, hold weekly pasar malam, usually every Saturday night in a nearby alun-alun square, open fields, or marketplaces. In Indonesia, pasar malam has become a weekly recreational place for local families. Other than selling a variety of goods and foods, some pasar malam also offer kiddy rides and carnival games, such as mini carousels or mini train rides.{{Cite web |last=Priyombodo |date=2023-02-05 |title=Sepotong Bahagia di Pasar Malam |url=https://www.kompas.id/baca/foto/2022/12/16/sepotong-bahagia-di-pasar-malam |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=kompas.id |language=id}} In Palembang, a popular pasar malam is located on the front of Kuto Besak Fort on the bank of the Musi River. This pasar malam sells local dishes and snacks such as pempek, lenggang, and tekwan, and also offers souvenirs and handy crafts.{{cite web | work = Indonesia Kaya | title = Pasar Malam Sungai Musi, Representasi Kearifan Lokal Palembang | language = Indonesian | url = http://www.indonesiakaya.com/kanal/detail/pasar-malam-sungai-musi-representasi-kearifan-lokal-palembang}}

File:Bandar Seri Begawan Night Market 1.jpg

Pasar Malam can be found in various locations throughout Brunei. Some of the most notable ones include:

• Gadong Night Market:{{citation|author=|date=|title=Street Food|url=https://www.bruneitourism.com/things-to-do/eat-drink/street-food/|work=Brunei Tourism|access-date=2024-06-09}} Located in the heart of Gadong, this night market is one of the largest and most popular in Brunei. It features numerous stalls selling a wide range of food, including local delicacies, fresh produce and snacks. The Gadong Night Market is particularly famous for its vibrant atmosphere and diverse culinary offerings.
• Food Street Yayasan:{{citation|author=|date=|title=A feast of local flavours at Yayasan Food Street festival|url=https://thebruneian.news/2023/08/30/a-feast-of-local-flavours-at-yayasan-food-street-festival/|work=The Bruneian|access-date=2024-06-09}} located within the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Complex in Bandar Seri Begawan, is a lively night market that offers a diverse array of culinary delights, from traditional Bruneian dishes to international cuisine. Operating primarily in the evenings, this vibrant food street serves as a bustling hub for locals and tourists to enjoy a variety of food, such as Nasi Katok, Ambuyat, Satay, Kuih and Laksa. This lively food street generally operates for several months each year in recurring cycles, with new vendors featured in each cycle.

File:PasarMalam.JPG, Singapore; the crowds usually appear during the night]]

File:Pasar Malam Seri Kembangan (230403) 02.jpg, Selangor, Malaysia]]

In Malaysia, Pasar Malam is normally set as a temporarily closed street for vehicles and open for pedestrians from evening until late night weekly. At certain locations due to frequency or a few times a week, narrow and busy streets also safety reasons, Pasar Malam will open at Tapak Pasar Malam at nighttime which describes an allocation space that converts a parking space during the daytime.

Due to the hot Malaysian weather during the daytime, the Pasar Malam has become a nightlife activity that attracts the local community after working time and the tourist crowd to shop with moderate night temperatures looking for cheap hot foods, clothing, groceries, etc. The vendor licences are obtained from local authorities under the local council area.

The majority of the local vendors sell plenty types of drinks, hot foods, and local delicacies from Malay, Malaysian Chinese, and Indian backgrounds which are famous and also difficult to find, fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh fish and seafood, fresh meat and poultry, toys, family range of clothes and accessories. Some local vendors also sell live pets or even phone accessories.

In Singapore, the pasar malams of old were phased out in 1978 due to regulation but were fractionally revived in housing estates in 1991{{cite web |website=NLB Singapore |title=Pasar Malam |date=2 March 2015 |url=https://www.nlb.gov.sg/main/article-detail?cmsuuid=8661aa72-3ea6-4abc-b0a6-d2cc24d3f0ff}} as a cultural selling point.{{cite news |title=What Hawker Culture Can Learn From The Pasar Malam’s History |first=Pan |last=Jie |date=23 May 2019 |work=Rice Media |url=https://www.ricemedia.co/culture-events-hawker-culture-pasar-malam-history/}} Notable pasar malams of old included the Woodlands Pasar Malam which attracted crowds from Johor Bahru and the People's Park Pasar Malam in Chinatown. Present-day pasar malams are organised at specific locations on a temporary lease, usually before festive occasions such as Lunar New Year, Hari Raya Puasa, and Deepavali.{{cite web |first=Andrew |last=L |title=List of Pasar Malam in Singapore |website=Ahboy |url=https://ahboy.com/list-of-pasar-malam-in-singapore/}} The organisers are required to submit a tender bid to the People's Association for the right to host the Pasar Malam.{{cite news|last=Zalizan

|first=Taufiq|date=24 April 2023|title=The Big Read: The million-dollar pasar malam industry and Singaporeans' love affair with it|work=Channel News Asia|publisher=MediaCorp|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/pasar-malam-industry-love-affair-million-dollar-big-read-3436986}} Food hawkers are licensed by the NEA and required to pass a food hygiene course. Pasar malams are reported to face sustainability challenges due to rising rental costs.

File:PasarMalamBesar2006.jpg

In the Netherlands, a yearly Indo-Eurasian festival was held in The Hague under the name Tong Tong Fair, formerly known as the Pasar Malam Besar (besar meaning "big"). After 63 editions, the festival closed down in 2024 due to financial difficulties{{Cite web |title=Tong Tong Fair |url=https://tongtongfair.nl/english/ |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=Tong Tong Fair |language=en}} Due to the high number of Indo-Eurasians and the successive success of this event since 1959, dozens of pasar malam are held each year in the Netherlands.{{Cite web |title=Pasar Malam Istimewa |url=https://indordrecht.nl/en/uitagenda/pasar-malam-istimewa/ |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=In Dordrecht |language=en}} Recently the Indonesian embassy has started sponsoring a yearly Pasar Malam Indonesia, mainly to promote Indonesian business and enhance Dutch-Indonesian relations.{{Cite web |title="Pasar malam", world's biggest promotion of Indonesia potentials |url=https://en.antaranews.com/news/87998/pasar-malam-worlds-biggest-promotion-of-indonesia-potentials |access-date=2023-04-17 |website=Antara News}}

• Bazaar
• Hawker centre, open-air complexes in Malaysia and Singapore housing many stalls that sell a variety of inexpensive food
• Kopi tiam, literally a "coffee shop"
• Market (place)
• Pasar pagi, (morning market)
• Retail
• Wet market
• Farmers' market

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.mypasarmalam.com MyPasarMalam – Malaysia pasar Malam directory]
• [http://diskusiniaga.blogspot.com Pasar malam business]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160111195004/http://pasarmalam.sg/ Pasar Malam SG]

Category:Culture of Indonesia

Category:Culture of Malaysia

Category:Culture of Singapore

Category:Night markets

Category:Malay words and phrases

Category:Retailing in Indonesia

Category:Retailing in Malaysia