... was at Huiling's grand aunt's wake. The first thing I saw was the paper bungalow that the family have prepared to sent over to the other world via burning it to ashes. I exclaimed that this bungalow was larger than the other which my family sent to my grandma when she passed away eight years back.
Delia and huiling has the same struggle of the chinese traditional ritual of funeral. It would be easy to put a firm stand if the ritual involves idol worship. However, at the wake and in the funeral, there are no images of idols but the rituals are somewhat linked and similar to idol worship and hence the grey areas starts to surface. In the buddhist or taoist style of funeral, there are several rites that are linked to worship of the deceased. And the use of incense to pay respect to our beloved makes it even harder since incense are symbols of worship to the different gods.
All these boils down to our chinese roots and our prebelieving family. The roots of chinese culture is anchored in the teachings of the different religion and the different ideologies that flourished during different dynasties is built upon one another. The chinese values such as fillial piety is in my blood and bones. Our family members are rooted in these same values too. I guess this is one of the things that frame us up as chinese. Fulfilling those values, encompasses the carrying out of duties that cannot be dissociated with the rituals that comes with it in accordance to chinese faith and beliefs. While our renewed self and acknowledgement in Christ free us from bondages, I feel that I'm not freed from the bondage of chinese tradition where ancestor worship forms a core value of chinese culture.
Funeral is the time where this clash is evident, the collision of my identity in Christ and as a chinese. Not wanting to displease Him, to stumble family members or to cause disharmony and disunity is a ardous balancing act. God grant us strength, specifically, Delia and Huiling as they navigate their way with Christ as their guide through this minefield.
Delia and huiling has the same struggle of the chinese traditional ritual of funeral. It would be easy to put a firm stand if the ritual involves idol worship. However, at the wake and in the funeral, there are no images of idols but the rituals are somewhat linked and similar to idol worship and hence the grey areas starts to surface. In the buddhist or taoist style of funeral, there are several rites that are linked to worship of the deceased. And the use of incense to pay respect to our beloved makes it even harder since incense are symbols of worship to the different gods.
All these boils down to our chinese roots and our prebelieving family. The roots of chinese culture is anchored in the teachings of the different religion and the different ideologies that flourished during different dynasties is built upon one another. The chinese values such as fillial piety is in my blood and bones. Our family members are rooted in these same values too. I guess this is one of the things that frame us up as chinese. Fulfilling those values, encompasses the carrying out of duties that cannot be dissociated with the rituals that comes with it in accordance to chinese faith and beliefs. While our renewed self and acknowledgement in Christ free us from bondages, I feel that I'm not freed from the bondage of chinese tradition where ancestor worship forms a core value of chinese culture.
Funeral is the time where this clash is evident, the collision of my identity in Christ and as a chinese. Not wanting to displease Him, to stumble family members or to cause disharmony and disunity is a ardous balancing act. God grant us strength, specifically, Delia and Huiling as they navigate their way with Christ as their guide through this minefield.
I'm reminded of my Grandma, Auntie Siew Kiam and Auntie Jenny.
No comments:
Post a Comment