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.

Held for the first time at the Teochew Association in Jonker Street, the candidates comprising three girls and nine boys arrived at the association as early as 9am accompanied by parents and friends.

Clan member Loh Hwa Heng, 52, from Malim Jaya, eagerly signed up his five children, Peng Hui, 22, Peng Guan, 21, Peng Wang, 20, Yeam Kiem, 18 and Peng Hai, 17, when he learned that the association was reviving the ceremony.

He was happy that his children were allowed to participate although they were past 15.

“I heard about the ceremony from the older generation but have never witnessed one.

“Our family did not make the arrangements for our children as we did not know much about the ceremony.

“I am happy for them to experience this special ceremony which is part of their roots,” said the mechanic.

The ceremony involved six initiation rites that the youths aged between 14 and 22 had to undergo before being deemed an adult.

Clad in brand new red t-shirts, the youths first washed their hands in water filled with flower petals, as a sign of cleansing themselves and ushering in purity.

Next, they were each given a cup of herbal tea (liang cha) to drink to remind them to remain sensible and not quick-tempered.

They then proceeded to put on a pair of new red clogs signifying a bright future, before seeking blessings from and bidding farewell to the Teochew deities, Gong Po Shen, who are believed to watch over children before they reached adulthood.

After this, the youths gathered in front of a table laid out with five dishes, each of which had an auspicious meaning.

With a pair of chopsticks, they were required to taste each of the dishes which were of chicken, fish, crab, intestines, and fried bean curd and leek.

The last rite was the presentation of a steamed chicken to each youth to bite its head as the final step towards adulthood.

Ng Swee Mun, 40, who organised the ceremony, said the custom was dying out in the Teochew communities scattered throughout Malaysia.

He said the ceremony was not commonly practised here any more as it involved a lot of preparations, especially the cooking.

The ceremony’s revival was aimed at exposing youths to the tradition so that they could understand their roots, said Ng, adding that it was also a reminder for parents to let go of their children.

“After the children ‘go out of the garden’, they will be responsible for their actions and not depend on their parents.

“It is the time for parents to let their children grow up and venture out on their own,” he explained.