Cultural Legacy: Overseas Chinese and Ancestral Halls

2019-Jun-6       Source: Newsgd.com

In March this year, the Koh family returned to their hometown in Chaozhou, flying from Singapore to China, the oldest member of the family already in his 80's.

In March this year, the Koh family returned to their hometown in Chaozhou, flying from Singapore to China, the oldest member of the family already in his 80's.

Wilson Koh stood in front of his family ancestral hall. [Photo provide to newsgd.com]

In the 1920s, Wilson Koh's grandparents and two great-uncles emigrated to Singapore after traveling across the sea from the town of Fa Yang in Chao'an County, Guangdong. After enduring many hardships, life finally settled down, and the family grew and prospered. Today, the Koh’s family history in Singapore spans four generations, but tradition and custom still links the family to their ancestral home. Every year, on the first day of the second month of the lunar calendar, the Koh's return to their hometown to pay respect to their ancestors.

"We still have a large extended family back home" Wilson Koh said. Ancestral Day is an important family event, with members from all across the globe gathering here for the festival.

The tradition of Ancestral halls

More than 20 years ago, when Wilson Koh first stood in front of his family ancestral hall, he was first drawn to the beautiful and historic architecture. But as time went on, he came to realize that the hall also housed an intangible heritage that has been passed on from generation to generation.

Seven years ago, Koh family in Singapore contributed a great deal of money to support the renovation of their ancestral shrines back home. During the renovation project, the family placed emphasis on preserving the family’s historic teachings, and set out the family’s rules and precepts in a prominent position in the hall, preserving the historic teachings for future generations.

"Honesty has always been our family’s byword" Koh said, adding that it has remained the family’s first rule in their personal and business lives. The principles of family discipline, an emphasis on filial piety, uniting family members, conducting oneself virtuously, have all had a subtle influence on the Koh family across the generations.

"I'll never forget my hometown"

Around Tomb Sweeping Day every year, many overseas Chinese will return to their hometowns to pay homage to their ancestors and visit their graves. Worshipping at these ancestral tombs or at the ancestral shrines, the drumming, burning incense, toasting wine are all ancient rituals paying homage to one's origins.

At the end of this year's ceremony, the Koh family invited a Chao Opera Troupe to perform two consecutive nights in the village.

During one of the performances an 80-year-old villager expressed his thanks for what the Koh family had done for the village. This touched Wilson Koh deeply.

The Koh family began to invest in Shantou in the 1980’s, undertaking many social welfare projects. In order to provide care for the elderly left in the village, funds have been donated to build schools and for the establishment of a Recreation Centre to provide care and a recreational space for the elderly in the village.

In recent years a new generation of Chinese living in Singapore have been increasingly visiting their extended families in China, and Ancestral Halls have played an important role in connecting Chinese living in Singapore with their ancestral homes.

 

Reported by Simon

Edited by Wing Zhang


游子归故里 祠堂系宗亲

今年三月春暖花开之际,许家家族三代42人,最年长的80余岁,最年轻的26岁,从新加坡一道飞往中国,一路辗转,终于回到家乡广东省潮州市。

祠堂外的许来顺。

上世纪二十年代,许来顺(Wilson Koh)的祖父祖母和两位叔公先后从广东潮安县浮洋镇漂洋过海到新加坡谋生发展,历尽艰辛终于使生活逐渐稳定下来,家族也逐渐兴旺成长。现在,许氏家族在新加坡已经繁衍生息四代人,但乡土情怀和宗族血脉依然将家族与故土连接在一起。每年的农历二月初一,许家后人都会回乡拜祭。

“老家还有我们的亲人,堂叔堂婶,还有堂弟堂姐妹们。”许来顺说。祭祖日是家族的重要活动,在各地生活的家族成员此时全部到齐,借祭祖之机,整个家族在这片故土欢聚一堂。

祠堂族训显家风

二十多年前,当许来顺第一次站在自己家族祠堂前,最先吸引他的其实是古色古香的建筑风格。但随着时间的推移和年龄的增长,他慢慢意识到,作为族人共同祭祀祖先的庙堂,承载的更多是宗族观念,以及对后人潜移默化的教育。

七年前,许家在新加坡的长辈们出资支持家乡祠堂修缮,按照修旧如旧的原则,将祠堂内外全部翻新,恢复当年的恢弘与风采。修缮工程中,许家祠堂特别强调了家规与家训,将家训悬于堂内的显眼位置,一字一句格言警句,向后人展示许氏宗族的淳正家风。

“做人要讲究诚信,这是我们族训中最重要的内容”,许来顺说,族训中一再强调的诚信品质,成为他们做人与经商时的第一法则,此外,族训当中这些为人处世的道理,包括强调晚辈要孝顺长辈、宗族成员要团结、做人做事要重德行等,这些内容都潜移默化,影响着整个许氏家族。

回乡不忘桑梓情

潮汕人有看大戏的习惯,依据潮汕习俗,潮剧在农村的演出往往与祭祀活动相关。在今年的祭祖仪式结束后,许家请来潮剧团,在村里接连演出了两晚潮戏,管弦悠扬、锣鼓喧天,村里的男女老少都看得非常开心。

台上演出之时,台下一名年过八旬的老人来到父辈们身边,微笑着竖起了大拇指,赞赏许家为村里所做的一切。这一刻,许来顺的心里“感概万千”。他说,他深深感受到祖父母和父辈们对家乡的拳拳情怀,以及辛苦付出得到乡里宗亲们的肯定时的满足感。

多年来,许家也一直在支持家乡建设。上世纪80年代,许家开始在汕头投资,并积极支持家乡教育事业,关怀留守村落的老人,捐资建设了学校,还投资成立了乐龄活动中心,后者去年正式启用,交由乡委管理,为村里长者提供关怀,丰富老年人的文化娱乐生活。

“梨花风起正清明,游子寻春半出城”,每年清明节前后,不少旅居海外的华人华侨都会不辞舟车劳顿,纷纷回到故乡,祭祖扫墓,追终慎远。在祖先墓前祭扫,或是在宗族祠堂举办祭祖仪式,鸣鼓、烧香、敬酒,虔诚祭拜,这些仪式无不饱含着对先人的思念,以示后人的追思、礼敬、不忘本。

近年来,除了老一辈华人,新加坡的新生代华人也越来越多回乡探亲,祠堂则在连接新加坡华人与祖籍地之间扮演了重要角色。在清明前后,家族成员约定时间齐聚一堂,在宗祠举行仪式共同祭祀,行祭拜大礼,表达对家族祖先长辈的缅怀和尊敬,是华人与生俱来的根亲情怀。不管是有形或是无形,对于华人来说,每个人心里都有一座宗族祠堂。

 

【记者】 张莹 袁子翔 许乐(实习生) 曾莉娟 (新加坡《联合早报》)

Editor: Will

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