Bawang Merah Bawang Putih

Bawang Merah dan Bawang Putih (Malay and 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.

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.

Eventually Bawang Putih reached a cave following the river and met an old lady.

In anger, the widow smashed the pumpkin, which to everyone's surprise revealed gold jewelry and diamond ornaments.

Bawang Merah willingly let her mother's cloth drift away, walked along the river, asked people and eventually came to the cave where the old woman lived.

The widow and Bawang Merah smashed the pumpkin; however to their dismay, various terrifying venomous snakes emerged.

One day, while washing the family's laundry in the river, Bawang Merah's mother pushed her into the water and left her to drown.

With her biological mother and father dead, the gentle and obedient Bawang Putih is left alone to be tortured by her cruel stepmother and half-sister.

Once Bawang Putih finishes eating, her stepmother and stepsister reveal where they obtained the fish.

Bawang Putih gathers the fish bones and bury them in a small grave underneath a tree.

When she visits the grave the next day, she is surprised to see that a beautiful swing has appeared from one of the tree's branches.

He follows the sound of her voice, but before he approaches her, Bawang Putih realizes that she is not alone, and she quickly runs back home.

Though the Prince agrees that Bawang Merah is beautiful, he requests that she show him how she sang in the magical swing.

Bawang Merah and mother reluctantly follow the Prince and his advisors back to the magic swing.