Culture
Batik was mentioned in the 17th century Malay Annals. The legend goes when Laksamana Hang Nadim was ordered by Sultan Mahmud to sail to India to get 140 pieces of serasah cloth (batik) with 40 types of flowers depicted on each. Unable to find any that fulfilled the requirements explained to him, he made up his own. On his return unfortunately, his ship sank and he only managed to bring four pieces, earning displeasure from the Sultan.
For men, Batik can be worn at dinner functions. Even the ladies wear the fabric as formal dress, combining batik with modern fashion. The Malaysian government encourages civil servants to wear batik during the 1st and 15th day of the month. In Sabah, East Malaysia, teachers are encouraged to wear batik shirts or baju kurung to school on Thursdays - usually the school will have a particular patterned fabric which will be provided to every teacher to take to the tailor, so that their clothing matches.
Read more about this topic: Malaysian Batik
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