Pasar pagi (Malay/Indonesian, lit.: 'morning market') is a type of traditional market found in Indonesia and Malaysia, sometimes classified as a wet market.[1][2][3][4]
Pasar pagi mostly operates from early morning to the afternoon.[5] Nevertheless, there is also a related traditional market called pasar malam (lit. 'night market'). The difference between pasar pagi and pasar malam is in its operating hours. Pasar pagi opens early in the morning from dawn to noon every day, approximately from 04:00 to 12:00. On the other hand, pasar malam opens at night, approximately from 17:00 to 22:00, and only on selected days of the week.
The type of goods being sold is also quite different. Pasar pagi is where many housewives, domestic helpers, and local folks appear to shop for their daily needs, mostly uncooked fresh produce. The things that are on sale are usually fresh daily produce, including fruits, vegetables, spices, fish, meat, eggs, and all kinds of daily products. While pasar malam is more to cater a leisurely shopping and eating-out activity, selling ready-to-eat food, snacks, clothing, and various knick-knacks.
In Indonesia, practically all traditional markets are pasar pagi, open from early in the dawn to mid-day. Often the stalls are temporarily overflowing occupying nearby streets around the marketplace — which normally open for traffic in other hours of the day. They sell fresh produce, such as vegetables, fruits, chicken, meat, and fish. The major pasar pagiinJakarta are Pasar Pagi Mangga Dua, Pasar Induk Kramat Jati, Pasar Minggu and Pasar Senen. Pasar Minggu specializes in fruits and vegetables, while Pasar Senen specializes on selling kue, as they offer a rich variety of traditional Indonesian snacks, open every subuh (dawn).[5]
In Malaysia, one of the biggest pasar pagi is at Pasar Pudu at Pudu and Jalan Pasar at Chow Kit area in Kuala Lumpur.[6]
In March 2020, all wet markets (including pasar pagi) were temporarily banned from operating due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4]
