Assimilated into Malay culture, they have several similarities with that culture in terms of dress, food and language. Nyonya is usually wearing sarung or baju kebaya similar to Malay. However, most of them are not Muslim even though they practice Malay traditions. They retained some Chinese customs especially in festival celebrations, marriage, names and ancestral worship.

Malacca people are familiar enough with Baba and Nyonya. But there are not many who truly understand them. Recent Singaporean drama The Little Nyonya has set off a Baba-Nyonya hit in Singapore and Malaysia, particularly Johor Bahru. Everyone is talking about this special clan and many scholars started to conduct studies and researches on the Baba-Nyonya culture.

Baba and Nyonya, Peranakan or Straits Chinese are Qing Dynasty descendants who have immigrated to Malacca, Penang, Indonesia and Singapore in the early 15th century. They moved from China, mostly from Fujian or Guangdong Chaoshan, while a small number from Guangdong and Hakka, to South-East Asia. They got married with local peoples and built their families here. Men are known as Babas while women known as Nyonyas.