Culture and Values among Singaporean Chinese
The Chinese migrated to Singapore from mainland China via two primary factors, trade and exile. When they came to Singapore through trade, they came to seek a better life in Southeast Asia. They brought along their belongings, their trade and wares. Many became coolies at the wharves, transporting goods from the ships to the shore, and loading local produces and spices onto the ships to be carried to faraway places such as India and Great Britain. Others, including many women became Samsui (red hat) women who were involved in construction sites carrying loads of cement in two buckets held over a horizontal lever over their shoulders. This was hard labor. The wealthy Chinese immigrants would open shops and engage in business and trade and employed the coolies. This was the Eighteenth Century of Sir Stamford Raffles.
When the Chinese migrated to Singapore, they brought with them their language, culture and religions. The Chinese language was the unifying language of the Chinese. However, dialects were used to communicate between close relatives and those belonging to the same clan or area of origin. The majority of the Chinese migrants came from the two coaster provinces of Fujian and Kwangtung, thus, the major dialect groups of the Singaporean Chinese are Fujian (Hokkien) and Kwangtung (Cantonese).
Festivals and Domestic Life of the Singaporean Chinese
Besides language, the Chinese also brought with them their cultural practices to Singapore. There are seven major festivals that many Singaporean Chinese follow and observe throughout the lunar calendar year. The lunar calendar follows the twelve animals in the Chinese zodiac and the dates mark the various cultural and religious festivals. Some of these festivals are based upon myths and legends while others are superstitious and religious in nature. Some of these festivals are in agreement with the Bible while others are in opposition to the Bible, and yet others are neutral in nature. It is imperative for Chinese Christians to learn how to differentiate and decide whether to participate or abstain from the festivals. The following section discusses the festivals briefly.
Chinese New Year (Chun Jie)
The most important of Chinese festivals is the Lunar New Year. It typically falls at the end of January or the beginning of February. It falls on the first day of the first month of the Lunar Calendar. It is also called “Chun Jie” or Spring Festival as it symbolizes the beginning of the year and another fresh start to one’s life. This is particularly important in the agrarian ancient Chinese culture. On New Year’s Eve, Chinese family would gather for a reunion dinner. Often food is offered to gods before the dinner and then the whole family would gather around a round table to feast on the food. If the family is big, then the males and the elderly would go first.
The practice of annual celebrations to mark fruitful harvest began during the time of the Western Zhou dynasty (1121 -771 B.C.). However, it was celebrated during the 11th month of the lunar calendar. One of the Chinese emperors, Han Wu Di (140-187 B.C.) was the person who commissioned the use of the first day of the first lunar month as New Year’s Day.
Before Chinese New Year, on the 24th day of the 12th month of the previous year, Taoists believe that the kitchen god would return to heaven to submit his annual report on the household. Therefore the Taoist family would specially prepare sweet offerings for him on this day in hope of getting a good report. Also, before the Chinese New Year, it is customary for the Chinese to do a general spring-cleaning for their homes to make sure that the house is spick and span, to welcome the New Year, and in preparation for visitation by relatives. “Chun Lian” or Spring couplets are put up on two sides of the doorposts. These usually have auspicious words like “sending the old and welcoming the new” or “may prosperity and good luck fill the house.” Singaporeans like to use the words “chun” (spring) or “fu” (luck) to paste on the door of their homes. They are written with gold or black ink on red paper.
Chinese New Year is also a time for children to visit the parents and grandparents, and other relatives. This is a form of showing respect and honor, to wish the elderly happy New Year and with other auspicious words. They will also present two oranges to them, as a sign of prosperity, in Cantonese, the word orange sound like “gold.” The elderly would give “hongbaos” or red packets to the children. These red packets contain some amount of money and little children look forward to these treats. The traditional Chinese pay their respects to their ancestors by offering food and flowers on the family altar. They also pray to the god of wealth at the beginning of the New Year hoping that it will bring them prosperity.
Many devotees also visit the local temple to pray to the deities. Chun Jie is celebrated over a period of 15 days and culminates on the last day called yuan xiao or the lantern festival. Colorful lanterns are displayed and carried in procession. In Singapore, community centers may organize lantern-making competitions. Gambling and drinking are some vices that could be associated with the Chinese New Year celebration. For Christians, Chinese New Year is a good cultural festival that they could observe and teach their children about their Chinese roots. However, they have to be careful not to be involved in any temple visits or ancestor worship, or become tempted to participate in the vices of gambling and drinking, and pose as a stumbling block to the unbelieving Chinese relatives, friends and neighbors.
All Souls’ Day (Qing Ming Jie)
The Chinese “Qing Ming Jie” or All Souls’ Day is a time to remember our dead loved ones. It is also a time to pay our respect to our ancestors and family members. The Chinese words mean “clear” and “bright.” The festival is associated with a well-known scholar, Jie Zi Dui (600 B.C.) He was recruited by the emperor to serve in the imperial court but declined because he did not wish to be caught up with the corruption of the court. He withdrew into the mountain retreat to study and meditate. The emperor was furious and ordered the soldiers to set fire to the mountain. When Jie died in the fire, the emperor regretted his actions and declared that no fire is to be lit during the death anniversary of Jie. Thus this festival is also called the Cold Food Festival. Over time, people used this festival to also remember their loved ones who passed away.
Qing Ming is a time when the whole family would go to the graves (or niches) of the ancestors and sweep or clean them up. The various activities for the family during Qing Ming are:
1) Visitation to the grave to clear the long grass and clean up the burial stones, etc.
2) If the deceased is cremated, then the niche in the columbarium is cleaned and new flowers put in the flower holder. Traditional Chinese would offer food that the deceased liked to eat, cakes, a bowl of rice, flowers and burn joss sticks and joss papers.
3) Some Singaporeans go to the temple where their ancestral tablets are placed and pay their respects there.
4) Traditional Chinese also make offerings and burn joss sticks to the ancestral tablet at home during Qing Ming.
This is the time when Christians could make it a point to follow their parents to the grave or columbarium to be a part of the family. However, they should discuss with the family on the things that are religious that they could not participate, such as helping to present offerings or burn joss sticks or papers. They could be involved in cleaning the tomb or niche or putting flowers in the flower holder. This will definitely not be interpreted as worship. Christians could also maintain a minute of silence as a mark of respect and remembrance for the ancestor.
Dragon Boat Festival (Duan Wu Jie)
The Dragon Boat Festival is also called the Rice Dumpling Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month. It is a day to commemorate the sacrifice and contributions of the Chinese patriot, Qu Yuan. He was a poet who lived during the time of the tumultuous Warring States period, 340 to 278 B.C. He was saddened by the wickedness and misery around him and that led to him committing suicide in the Mi Luo River. Fishermen heard of his suicide and immediate set off in boats to look for him. This began the tradition of the dragon boat race. When they could not find his body, people started to throw rice dumplings into the river to divert the fish and other sea creature from eating him. This started the tradition of commemorating Qu Yuan by making rice dumplings and eating them.
As usual, the traditional Chinese would boil the rice dumplings and offer them to their ancestors. Some people use this occasion to remember the national heroes and compatriots who sacrifice their lives and made important contributions to the community. In Singapore, this festival is used to commemorate our national heroes and those who contribute to our society. We could also organize poetry competitions based on the theme of patriotism.
Although Dragon Boat races have a mythological background, the races are primarily non-religious in nature. It is an area of freedom and up to the Christian to choose whether to participate. However, if prayers are said or offered to Qu Yuan before the races, Christians might need to stand on their principles and request to abstain from participating. Rice dumplings have become a Chinese delicacy in Singapore, especially in recent years. The eating of rice dumplings, if it does not involve offering to ancestors are totally acceptable.
Festival of the Hungry Ghost (Zhong Yuan Jie)
The Festival of the Hungry Ghost falls on the 15th day of the seventh month but in Singapore it is observed through the month. It happens around early August to early September. The Buddhist version of this festival is the story of Mu Lian’s filial piety to his mother. After many trials and tribulations, Mu Lian was able to locate his mother and tried to feed her with food. However, the food was grabbed by hungry ghosts. This came to the attention of Buddha who was touched by Mu Lian’s love to his mother and showed mercy, allowing Mu Lian to succeed in feeding his mother. To commemorate his filial piety, Buddhist use this occasion to offer prayers to the dead on this day.
The Taoists believe that during the seventh month, the gates of Hell will be opened for a month, and the souls of the dead will be released to earth. Those who have living relatives will return to their homes and be fed by their relatives. Those without relatives or are not well cared for by their relatives will wander the earth to look for food. In order to appeased these hungry ghosts and not be disturbed by them, people would burn incense papers and joss sticks, and offer food, such as rice and cakes on road sides. This is a very widespread practice in Singapore, so the government provided special bins for the high-rise flat dwellers to burn the papers.
Another practice is for the neighborhood to appoint a leader (lu zhu), someone who is in charge of the censer, to organize the annual gather and celebration. During the feast in honor of the hungry ghost, those who paid monthly subscriptions would be give a pail of foodstuff. They would also attend a feast where many items would be auctioned off to raise fund for the expenses of the following year.
Zhong Yuan is definitely a religious festival, full of spiritual intonations. Therefore, for Christians, there are many things that they should not participate so as not to be in a place of compromise or cause others to stumble. Besides remembering one’s ancestors and friends who have gone before, Christians could use this time to remember the welfare of the living, especially the poor and elderly people. It could be a time to raise awareness for the destitute and less fortunate in society.
Mid-Autumn Festival (Zhong Qiu Jie)
The Mid-Autumn festival is celebrated on the 15th day of the Eighth month in the Chinese calendar. It follows quickly after the Festival of the Hungry Ghost. It is also known as the Moon cake or Lantern Festival. There are many activities associated with this festival such as “moon viewing and appreciation” parties, eating of moon cakes, and for children, carrying all kinds of lantern in the evening.
Originally, the Mid-Autumn festival was a harvest festival of the Chinese agrarian community, a time to celebrate the end of harvest time before winter sets in. The myth of Chang-E was introduced later. The story tells of 10 suns which circled the earth and threatened to burn it up and a strong archer named Hou Yi succeeded in shooting down 9 suns, leaving the last one to provide just enough heat for the earth. Hou Yi was presented with an elixir which when drank would transport a person immediately to heaven. Hou Yi gave the elixir to his wife Chang Er for safekeeping. But one day, she accidentally drank it and her body floated up to the moon. Hou Yi tried all means of getting to the moon to find his wife but in vain. Thus, in remembering Chang Er, he set up a table in his back garden and put sweet cakes, fresh fruit and tea for her. During the festival, some people claimed to have seen the lady in the moon when the moon is especially bright during this day. The story of Hou Yi and Chang Er is a legend. But the festival could be celebrated without any religious connotation.
The festival also has another story. In the 14th century, Zhu Yang Zhang plotted a rebellion to overthrow the Yuan Dynasty started by the Mongolians. The rebels hid the messages in the moon cakes celebrated on the Mid-Autumn festival for the attack. Zhu succeeded in ousting the Mongolians and returned the country to the Han people. He was remembered as a hero and commemorated on this day.
Traditional Chinese use the festival as another occasion to remember their ancestors and offer moon cakes to them. Some even worship and pray to the moon and the Lady in the moon. But Christian need not patronize the mythological and religious aspects of the festival. They could use this social occasion as a good opportunity to celebrate God’s creation of the moon, and the sun. Chinese people socialize around food and fun. Christians could use this opportunity to celebrate culture and organize evangelistic dinners, and moon cake parties for their relatives and friend. It is also a time to teach our children about Chinese culture and give them some fun activities playing with lanterns during this festival.
Double Ninth Festival (Chong Yang Jie)
As the title of the festival goes, it is celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th month of the Chinese calendar. This is a festival celebrated during autumn when the skies are blue and the weather is invigorating. It was a day for Chinese to go out and climb mountains, appreciate nature, breathe in the fresh air, enjoy the scenery. It was also a time to seep Chrysanthemum tea and compose and recite poems. It is a time of family get-together, and as usual, the Chinese would use this occasion to remember their ancestors and visit the cemeteries.
The Chinese believe that during this day when they climb mountains they could avoid calamities in their lives. There is a story of a farmer who dreamed of a great calamity that would strike his farm and everything in it. He acted on his premonition and moved his whole family and livestock up the mountains. True enough, the calamity came and he was spared. For this reason people climb mountains during the festival and it is also called “Height Ascending Festival.”
Taoists believe in the worship of a constellation of nine stars they acknowledged as deities, called the Nine Emperor Gods (Jiu Huang Da Di or Jiu Huang Yeh). Worshippers would go to the seaside on the first day of the ninth month with nine yellow sedan chairs to welcome these deities. The color yellow symbolizes mourning for Chong Zhen, the last emperor of the Ming dynasty who was overthrown by the Manchurians in A.D. 1644. After letting the nine emperors feasted for a week, the people send them off at the seaside on the ninth day. This festival is also called the Vegetarian Festival because those who celebrate it only eat vegetarian meals for the week, after they have fasted for a month before the festival began.
For Christians, climbing the mountains and going out into the woods during the beautiful autumn time is a good and healthy activity. But we need to be careful not to do it with any superstitious reason. Also, Singaporeans do not experience winter and their trees, plants and flowers are evergreen. Furthermore, Singaporeans do not have high mountains to climb, and the practice of this festival is not popular among Singaporeans. There is no basis for Singaporeans to observe this festival based on the tale of a farmer, or the religious belief of the constellation of stars, or the need to prepare food and clothing for the departed during winter. Thus, Singaporean Chinese Christians do not have anything to do with this festival.
Winter Solstice Festival (Dong Zhi Jie)
In the Chinese calendar, the Winter Solstice is the shortest day in the year. In ancient China, the governor would treat his subjects to a grand feast. In time, this evolved into a time of eating sweet rice balls in a bowl of soup. Traditional Chinese would take three bowls of sweet dumpling balls and place them at the ancestral altar to worship them, hoping that in feeding their ancestors with sweet things they would bring prosperity in the New Year.
There is nothing wrong for Christians to eat those sweet dumplings; some even have delicious peanut fillings. However, Christians should be careful not be involved in any religious or ancestor worship. We could use this occasion for a potluck meal for Christian fellowship meeting or to reach out to our unbelieving friends.
References
Chen, John
2009 “Seminar Notes on Filial Piety,” unpublished material, Singapore: Singapore
Chua, Daniel
1998 Feeding on Ashes: A Biblical Evaluation of Chinese Ancestral Worship, Kairos Publication, KL: Malaysia
Poh, Boon Sing
1989 The Christian in the Chinese Culture, Second Edition, Good News Enterprise, KL: Malaysia
Sng, Bobby and Choong Chee Pang (Eds.)
1991 Church and Culture: Singapore Context, Graduates Christian Fellowship, Singapore: Singapore.
Tey, David Hock
1988 Chinese Culture and the Bible, Here’s Life Books, Singapore: Singapore
Tong, Daniel
2003 A Biblical Approach to Chinese Traditions and Beliefs, Armour Publishing, Singapore: Singapore
Wee, Cho Yaw
1989 Chinese Customs and Festivals in Singapore, Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations, Singapore: Singapore
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