SINGAPORE: The Peranakan Festival drew to a close on Sunday - with visitors getting a taste of the Chitty Melaka way of life.

A Chitty Melaka wedding was enacted at the Peranakan Museum by the Chitty Melaka Association.

Their dressing is a fusion of the Chinese and Malay culture, but most of their rituals are Hindu in nature.

Chitties are Malacca-born Indians and are sometimes referred to as Peranakan Hindus.

They are descendents of traders from India who inter-married with local women.

They are often confused with the Chettiers or moneylenders from South India.

Organisers say there are about 5,000 Chitties in Singapore.

But the majority of the Chitties in the region can be found in the village of Gajah Berang in Malacca. - CNA/de