August 23rd 2008 was my mother’s death anniversary. It is 12 years already. That night, I dreamt of her and she said chee cheong fun! LOL. Her image wasn’t very clear but the chee cheong fun words are.
It was during the Chinese 7th month hungry ghost festival. So, I babbled to my sister that I dreamt of my mother saying chee cheong fun. Well, I don’t pray or offer foods. But then, what’s to stop me from telling my sister who does, right?
(traditional Chinese gifts when a newborn is a month’s old)
It is not like I asked her, “Go offer chee cheong fun to mother.” I am merely telling her but I also know what she would do. Today, she has to go to the temple where my mother’s urn is to ‘tell mother’ that her eldest son’s baby born is celebrating his full moon. I know my mother would be terribly proud because my nephew is the first grandson and now, this baby boy is also the first great-grandson in our Chan’s family. Of course, there is a baby girl ahead of this baby boy but then…it is a boy, to my mom.
This is how chee cheong fun from Penang looks like. Since the temple where my mother’s urn is kept practise Buddism and no meats or any animal source foods are allowed, my sister asked that no ‘heh koh’ the dark sticky prawn sauce be added in. There are more Penang food photos on my food blogs.
To me, a Catholic, I believe my mother is ’somewhere up there’. Whether the foods offered to her ‘reach her’ or not, it is not important to me. But what matters is my mother is lucky that her children still think of her, go out of their way to do something that still connects to her and she is still part of the family.
Even on my own son’s Matthew full moon, I also went to the temple. I didn’t offer any nasi kunyit as I was already on my way to be baptised and such things are not part of my practice. But I went to say a prayer and asked for my mother’s blessings.
So, Chinese Christians, can your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ affords you this open mind? Or are you going to condemn every Chinese Christians that they are heading to hell because they are practising idols and dead people worshipping? I don’t need your answer because I am just snubbing those who condemned.
September 6th, 2008 at 12:07 am
Hi just wonder, what is the basic that you asked “blessing” from your mother? is that contradict your faith?
September 6th, 2008 at 12:49 am
Eddie - Did you notice that I wasn’t baptised and merely taking my RCIA back then? It was my mother and I choose that way to tell her that I had safely delivered a baby after my previous one died. Doesn’t your question sounds a bit ‘condemning’? Does the Christian faith or whatever faith you have teaches you to pick out that single sentence out of so many things I wrote here? Oh ya, I forgot…Jesus always have problems with ‘people sieving the gnats but swallowed the camel’ and the ‘plank in the eyes’.
September 6th, 2008 at 10:55 am
i think it’s more culture than religion isn’t it? Doesn’t mean you adopt Christianity you must live & practice the religion like angmohs…it’s the faith that matters!
Then again angmohs like to embrace new culture, but somehow alot of locals like to discard everything & anything to do with the Chinese culture. Anyway, we’re taught to be filial…and I don’t see any wrong in offering respect to your parents.
September 6th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
I believed there is something up there. I believe and I am free to believe what I believe, that’s important; and not depending on some one’s else to manipulate my mind. I dont like some one to come and tell me that I am in this religion and other religion are no good. A good religion should be tolerent of other religions, not condemn others.