A cemetery with no relevance?

Why a Chinese cemetery that has no relevance?

It is just not a cemetery; it is a land that accentuates a forbidden charm that only a few could value. I am one of the very few who could. Where else in this build up tiny island could we find dense luscious greenery, dulcet tones of the wild birds and fragrance of fresh air? We find ourselves tied down in a metropolitan society that is greatly erected with high rise buildings and interconnected highways. We do not find the opportunity to take a breather since we are living in a society that is greatly demanding. Therefore, we need to find means to escape, and give our mind, body and soul a solace.

A stroll through Qingming

The Qingming jie also known as a tomb sweeping day, is a festival celebrated for twenty one days, first ten days, actual day, and the latter ten days. Descendants visit burial grounds of ancestors, clean up, sweep the tombstones, place edible offerings, light up candles, offer incense to their ancestors and burn paper offerings. Qingming is a perfect opportunity for living descendants to honour their ancestors and to congregate as a family to intermingle.

There are variant stories to its origin, but sweeping is done particularly due to filial piety and feng-shui reasons. The Chinese believe that the bones of an ancestor and the lives of the living descendants are closely intact. Therefore the fortune of the living depends on the piety towards their ancestors. Since its spring, drainage of tombs are clogged by dried leaves, preventing the flow of water (chi) to the forecourts of the tomb, thus, it becomes an obstruction. Therefore, to maintain an abundance of good chi (positive energy); descendants clean up and honour their ancestors at burial grounds annually during Qingming.

Descendants arrive in vehicles or sometimes as an entourage in a chartered bus, as early as five in the wee hours of the morning. Clean up, wash up, sweep, and weed, ink the inscriptions and perhaps re-paint if necessary. A stack of papers or a stone is kept on the head stone to signify that the dead has not been forgotten and is still remembered. Next colour papers are placed on the hump where the body lies. These are materials that could be used on the other side, its either cloth/fabrics or just plain material goods. At times it’s arranged to resemble a turtle shell, to exalt longevity to the living descendants.

Once completed, first offerings of candles, incense and fruits are placed on the little shrines dedicated to Tu Di Gong, earth deity who guards/takes care of the tombstone. A little offering is then burnt by the side.

Secondly, offerings of tea, fruits, favourite food, and longevity cakes are placed on the tombstone altars. Pair of candles is lit and incense sticks are firstly offered to the long departed ancestors and subsequently to the deceased. Once joss sticks are placed in the urn and sometimes placed around the hump, descendants wait for approval to burn paper offerings. During this time, descendants also offer incense to neighbouring tombs to thank them for keeping their ancestor company – to imitate the kampong spirit.

Once approval has been given, joss paper, paper money, silver paper and gold paper are then burnt for the ancestors. These are burnt along with paper clothing, shoes, jewelleries, accessories and even latest technological gadgets. Sometimes the required items are kept in a paper treasure box, sealed with the deceased’s name and burnt for the deceased exclusively. Finally when it’s done, tea or a form of liquid is poured about the offering to secure the burnt offerings, to avoid invasion by other wandering spirits.

Descendants then linger around awhile more; they consume the edible offerings and perhaps get into a little conversation with fellow family members. I was fortunate to have been greeted by wonderful descendants, who were kind enough to offer me with plenty of information and light refreshments that they had carried with them.

A family was sharing with me how they chatter a bus so that they can get all the younger ones to come together to pay respects to their ancestors and they too anticipate this annual gathering with their cousins.

A seven year old boy was telling me about how he gets excited to visit his great grandfather's tomb, the laying of colour papers and scent of incense.

"it's nice to see efforts being put in to save this place, more youngsters should know about our history and culture, they should be more involved." - Kenny Chan

Above is a stone that is placed on the headstone to denote that the deceased is not forgotten and is still remembered by the living descendants.

 

Likewise colour paper or even flowers could be placed.

 

First set of offerings for Earth Deity also known as Du Ting Kong - who protects and guards the tombstone

 

 Colour paper arranged on the hump of the tomb

 

Offerings for candles, incense, fruits and cakes are placed on the altar

 

Paper money and offerings burnt for the dead in the netherworld

 

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A little documentation done by myself, credits to tomb keepers Ah Chye and Queenie, Danny Chew of the Tan Kheam Hock Family, the Descendants of Ng Family, Kenny Chan and the Pek Family and Seet Family.

A typical Chinese Hokkien style tomb part 2

Passing through the array of tombs in Bukit Brown, you will be greeted by a pair of lovely figurines at the entrance of a tomb; they are known as the Kim Tong (golden boy) and Geok Lee (jade maiden). These are guardians that are there to protect the deceased. The clouds around their body represent their stature of celestial beings.

 

 

The story of the pair is a popular folktale amongst the southern Chinese. It tells of how kim tong and geok lee, who were both celestial beings, fell in love, against the law set by Ting Kong (Jade Emperor), resulting in Kim Tong being cast from celestial realm to live in the world as a mortal. As a mortal, he demonstrates the highest level of virtue by selling himself into slavery to pay for his father’s funeral. Touched by his selfless act of filial piety, Ting Kong sends Geok Lee to rescue Kim Tong from slavery. These two characters are found in funeral arches or situated on either sides of a tomb because of their association with filial piety and Ting Kong. It is said that carvings links the celestial realm to the mortal world. Since Ting Kong favored the pair, it is believed that they serve to protect the deceased from any unclean or malevolent elements.

 

Golden boy (top image) is found on the left of the tomb, he is commonly found with an incense burner, in which the prayers are brought up into heaven in the form of smoke. The Jade girl(above) is found on the right hand of the tomb, she is usually holding onto a flower which is a peony, which represents endless descendents to the deceased.

A Typical Chinese Hokkien-Style Tomb Part 1

The Chinese in general, gave plenty of paramount importance to the burial customs of their ancestors. It is a popular belief that, the remains of the ancestors have a direct linkage to the living descendants. A good burial would thus reflect greatly on the opulence of the living descendants. Therefore a proper burial, with good feng shui, good flow of Qi, is very significant to a traditional Chinese tomb.
 

The image above is a Hokkien style tomb that is commonly found, is known as an omega-shaped tomb stone. It has a headstone in the center flanked with shoulders. The name, age, village and dynasty of the deceased are inscribed in the centre headstone. Names of descendents are usually found on both shoulders. Behind is a hump where the coffin rests, feet at the headstone. There are many reasons behind the omega shape.

From the popular phrase, from womb to tomb- the deceased is buried within the warmth of their mother’s womb that promises perpetual protection.

Turtle back tombstones, where the hump has a design of a turtle shell. And the headstone protrudes out like the head of a turtle. To the Chinese, the turtle signifies longevity because of its prolonged existence; hence the deceased is buried in like a turtle to bring longevity to the living descendents.

The hump behind, is signified as a mountain to protect the deceased from negative energies, and to also allow the continual flow of Qi energy in the specific burial plot.
 

A little History of the Hills

The Bukit Brown cemetery, also known as kopi Sua, was initially a piece of land bought by a ship owner Mr George Henry Brown. He purchased the land in the year 1840s to do some coffee and nutmeg plantation.

Drawn by his illness, he was unable to make good use of the land, thus it was bought over by members of the Hokkie Huay Kwan. Ong Kew Ho, Ong Ewe Hai and Ong Chong Chew, contributed $500 each and made it into an Ong clan burial ground in the year 1860s.

In the year 1923, municipal commissioner, Tan Kheam Hock, commissioned the cemetery to the wider Chinese community – where Chinese with other surname or from other clans were allowed to be buried. The cemetery had its last burial in the year 1973, it has over 100,000 burials registered and has remained unscathed since then. The cemetery is spread across, Kopi Sua (Coffee Hill) consists of 5 hills, Lau Sua (Old Hill) and Seh Ong (Ong Clan Hill). Bukit Brown has also known to be the biggest Chinese cemetery outside China.

Bukit Brown cemetery sits along Lornie Road and in the junction of Sime Road, Kheam Hock Road and Lorong Halwa. And will be giving way for an eight-lane high way that cuts through the ancestral cemetery.

Greetings

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man. - Author unknown.

Greetings and welcome to this blog entitled history from the hills - dedicated to the Bukit Brown Municipal Cemetery, Singapore. Holding ground of Singapore's rich history, and burial ground of it's forefathers.