15-year-old Teochews undergo traditional adulthood ceremony

JOHOR BARU: An almost forgotten traditional Teochew custom that signifies the transition of a child to an adult has been revived among the clan’s younger generation here.

The Chu Hua Yuan ritual meaning “leaving the garden” was held for the third time by the Teochew Eight Districts Association here and performed by 17 “young men and women” who began a new phase of their life at the age of 15 (the age of attaining puberty based on Chinese calculation).

Association president Dr Tang Hai Chiang said, according to the tradition, a child was recognised as an adult after the ceremony.

He explained that the clan believed the child lived in a “garden” from the day of birth and was taken care of by an elderly couple, referred to as Kong Pho, meaning grandfather and grandmother.

He said the ritual, usually held on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, was conducted for the child to pay homage to the couple and thank them for the protection and care they had given during the past 15 years.

Dr Tang also said the custom signified a new role for families – the children would start to take part in discussions and decision-making while parents are reminded not to treat their young as children any more.

Met at the ceremony held yesterday at the association’s building in Stulang Laut, Dr Tang said the participants had to mandi bunga to cleanse themselves before the ceremony and put on new clothing and a pair of red clogs.

“They also have to offer a variety of Teochew traditional food to the old couple,” he said, adding that they had to bite a chicken’s head symbolising that leadership qualities would be endowed on them.

One of the participants Chia Min Sien, 14, said his mother had wanted him to take part in the ritual.

“I had not heard of it before but I think it is a very meaningful one; I was a little embarrassed though when I bit the chicken’s head,” he said adding that his family had always given him the freedom to make his own decisions.

His mother, Kee Poit Em, 47, said she and her four siblings had performed the ritual and wanted her children to experience it too.