Teochew community revives age-old rite of passage

MALACCA: Coming-of-age ceremonies mark an important milestone in a person’s life. For 12 youths from the Malacca Teochew community, who took part in such a ceremony here recently, the rite of passage was certainly unforgettable.

The unique Chu Hua Yuan (Go out of the garden) ceremony requires teenagers to bite a cooked chicken head when they reach the age of 15 years as part of the clan’s centuries-old tradition.