Bawang Merah Bawang Putih

Bawang merah bawang putih is one of the most famous Indonesian folk tales told from
one generation to the other. It comes from Central Java and carries a deep moral message with
it, in which good triumphs over bad and that good deeds will be rewarded with happiness in the
end.
Once upon a time, long ago in a beautiful village, there lived a father and daughter. The
girl’s name is Bawang Putih. Not only is she beautiful, but also has a very kind heart.
Bawang Putih’s life began to change when her father decided to marry a woman who
already had a child named Bawang Merah. As if in contrast to Bawang Putih, Bawang Merah is a
girl who is impolite, gets angry easily, and is always mean to Bawang Putih. Likewise, the
stepmother displays favoritism and loves Bawang Merah more.
Even so, Bawang Putih never hated her mother and stepsisters. She was always kind and
obeyed their orders.
One day, Bawang Putih faced a big problem because she lost one of her stepmother’s
clothes while washing clothes on the riverbank. She walked along each side of the river to find
the whereabouts of her stepmother’s clothes.
Bawang Putih was afraid, if she couldn’t find it, her stepmother would be very angry. The
search ended when Bawang Putih found an old woman who managed to save the clothes so it
didn’t drift away with the river current. However, the old woman gave a condition to Bawang
Putih to help her with her housework.
With pleasure, Bawang Putih helped the old woman with all the work. Bawang Putih
thanked the old woman for saving her stepmother’s clothes. Before returning home, Bawang
Putih was offered a pumpkin by the old woman. She was required to choose between a large
pumpkin and a small pumpkin. Because she was not greedy, Bawang Putih chose the small
pumpkin.
After she arrived at her house, she was surprised when she split the pumpkin given by
the old woman. As it turned out, the little pumpkin contained sparkling gold and jewels. The
stepmother and Bawang Merah were surprised to see that Bawang Putih was able to get a
pumpkin filled with gold and jewelry. They told Bawang Putih to tell her how she got the magic
pumpkin.
The next day, Bawang Merah did exactly the same thing as the story from Bawang Putih.
However, when the old woman offered a pumpkin, Bawang Merah chose the large pumpkin.
On the way home, Bawang Merah was very happy. She imagined that the large pumpkin
contained far more gold and jewelry than Bawang Putih’s.
The stepmother welcomed Bawang Merah happily. They were both very excited to split
the pumpkin. However, something unexpected happened. Instead of containing the poisonous
snakes left their house, Bawang Putih sincerely gave the gold and jewelry that she found in a
small pumpkin.
Seeing Bawang Putih’s kindness and the bad things that happened to them, Stepmother
and Bawang Merah apologized to Bawang Putih. Both of them finally realized their mistake and
promised not to be mean to Bawang Putih again.