Anyway, I was at the Swee Cheok Tong (Quah Kongsi) this morning to celebrate Chap Goh Meh.
This Swee Cheok Tong is a clan association in Penang that "was originally established in Pia Gor Year in the reign of Emperor Toh Kong (AD 1846) by a number of Ow-Quah clansmen who were members of the family of "Hye Inn Tong" in Ow-Quah Sia, Tia Boay village, District of Tung Uahn Kuan, Prefecture of Chuan Chew Hoo, Hock Kian Province, China." Members of the Tong Su family of the same clan emigrated to Penang from other parts of China and were subsequently admitted to the membership of the Swee Cheok Tong.
There .... the above was extracted from the Rules of the Swee Cheok Tong. I'm one of the members like my father, grandfather and great grandfather before me. There isn't more information, unfortunately, so this is as detail or brief as it gets!
Anyhow, one of my fellow trustee members had arranged for his troupe of Chinese performers to give a short show before our altar of the Tai Tay Eah and Tua Pek Kong deities.
It was certainly a refreshing change from the usual lion dances. Here's the best photo that I managed to take of the occasion. BTW, the figure in the centre is said to represent the God of Prosperity (Chai Sin Eah).
In trying to trace my roots, I found your blog. My late grandfather had given me an old but precious document from the Chay Yang Tong Ancestral Hall, Burmah Road (Pulau Tikus), Penang. Apparently, the record in this document had been copied from the Genealogical Record kept in the Ancestral Hall at Chuan Chew Prefecture, Fukien Province (now Fujian), China. I've been trying to trace my roots based on that info but have been finding a lot of difficulty due to name changes because of the pinyin system. If you can point me in the direction where I can find out more info about our surname, "Quah", I would really appreciate it. Thanking you in advance.
ReplyDeleteQuah Lay Yong
Sorry but I forgot to include my e-mail address:
ReplyDeletejqcampsie@gmail.com
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Quah Lay Yong