Visited the Tian Shou Tang Lu Zu Gong (天寿堂吕祖宫) at 9 Lorong 25 Geylang today. The Hakka temple was crowded with devotees conducting prayers, paying respects, and making offerings of food, joss sticks, and paper products. A lot of life and activity.
I chatted with several temple volunteers. Day 12 of the 7th Lunar Month (today, 9 August) is one of their key prayer dates, because it was set by the master (shi fu) of the present abbess.
I was fascinated by the unique paper products which were continuously put to the fire. “Trees” of money, “waterfalls” of gold and silver, bags of clothes - all to be burned to one’s loved ones in another realm, a fulfilment of duty.
A very meaningful visit to a historic temple.
Just saw your post. Apology for posting such a late comment on an event that took place more than a half-year ago, I'm curious to know if during the event you heard visitors actually conversing in Hakka? I know that Lee Kuan Yew had been extremely successful in eliminating the various languages of the Southern Chinese which he dismissed as "dialects" but I was hopeful that there still were people at the event who spoke the Hakka speech. It is painful for me to listen to Singaporeans talking in fragmented Mandarin, an alien language to southerners.
I'm Hakka and I grew up in 77 Amoy Street in the mid-1950s-1960s which housed a large group of Hakka families all related and…