SINGAPORE - Every ninth lunar month since she was a girl, Madam Hor Foong Kheng would take the ferry to Kusu Island with her parents to pray for blessings.
On Sunday, the electronics operator, now 59, made the pilgrimage alone, as her father has died while her mother has mobility issues. At the keramat, she replaced the fraying amulet around her wrist from the previous year, and brought two more back for her mum and younger sister.
“I have to wear it carefully, because if it breaks it’s bad luck,” she said of the amulet, which she carries everywhere as she believes it protects her from harm.
Madam Hor was among some 1,000 devotees who made the trek to Kusu Island on the first day of the Kusu pilgrimage season as at 5pm on Sunday, according to Singapore Island Cruise and Ferry Services. The month-long season continues until Nov 12.
The usually sleepy island saw a steady stream of devotees arriving by ferry from 7.30am, with the crowd peaking at about 1pm.
Many pilgrims followed the established routine of first praying at the Da Bo Gong temple, before climbing the steps to the three Malay shrines, or keramat, atop a small hill nearby.
At the temple, devotees prayed quietly to the two main Chinese deities housed there: the God of Prosperity and Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy. Clasping joss sticks, many knelt on the ground in thoughtful prayer as the scent of incense filled the air.
The brightly-painted temple marks its centenary this year, having been built in 1923.
Temple caretaker Seet Seng Huat, 74, said the number of visitors to the island has been falling over the years, but that he nevertheless prefers to keep the rituals simple, rather than to change things to attract more to come.
“We hope for more visitors this year,” he said as devotees around him filled vases with fresh flowers, which they placed next to offerings of fruit and nian gao (glutinous rice cakes).
Despite the stifling heat, devotees young and old made the climb up the 152 steps to the keramat, many arriving at the top soaked in sweat.
On the way up, shouts of “huat ah!” - a Hokkien expression for prosperity - could be heard.
Keramat assistant Taha Arshad, 59, called out prayers in a mix of Malay and Hokkien, imploring the spirits to bless the visitors with good fortune in their work and lives. He tied strips of yellow cloth around their wrists, before chanting over them in a haze of incense smoke.
One woman brought a wreath of white flowers, which keramat assistants draped around the gravestone in the shrine of Dato Syed Abdul Rahman.
After their prayers, some devotees tied their yellow cloth strip around a tree outside the keramat, while others pinned their hopes on four-digit lottery numbers which they scrawled onto the yellow painted rock wall.
Among those praying for fertility at the keramat was a group of four young married couples.
Delivery rider Pay Hwee Kiat sported matching red t-shirts with his wife of two years, customer service executive Soh Xun Ling. The couple, who is trying for a child, is on the first of three visits to the shrine.
“We have to come back three times for our prayers to work,” said Mr Pay.
The serenity at the keramat on Sunday was a stark contrast to last April, when a raging fire engulfed and destroyed the three shrines on the hilltop amid a thunderstorm.
Without street lamps or fire hydrants on the island, firefighters had to link 18 lengths of hoses so that sea water pumped from a SCDF vessel could be used to put out the blaze.
Caretaker Ishak Samsudin said reconstruction works for the shrines were completed in time for the 2022 pilgrimage season thanks to donations from some friends and companies. Retiling was also done at the cost of over $200,000, which came from devotees.
A second set of stairs, with yellow-painted guardrails, has also been reopened after being renovated last year.
Rebuilding the roof will take longer, said Mr Ishak, as he is unable to foot the hefty $240,000 quoted by contractors. In place of the original metal roof, temporary tentage protects the shrines from the elements. The keramat is also missing its original walls, and a storeroom where joss paper was kept.
Mr Ishak, who took over the care of the keramat from his dad, said he looks forward to passing the torch to his 32-year-old son Isjacob Ishak, to whom he is teaching the ropes.
“It’s a unique place that can’t be found anywhere else, with people of different races and countries praying in the same place, and showing their sincerity in their own ways,” he said.
Besides Singaporeans, the annual pilgrimage season also draws a number of tourists and guest workers.
Perak native Chen Yong Zhong, 65, made the trip from Malaysia with his two daughters, who live in Singapore, and his grandchildren aged five and eight. He said he used to visit Kusu Island every year, but this is becoming costlier as the ringgit’s value drops against the Singapore dollar.
“I hope to come back here every year, as long as I can walk,” he said.
Ms Renu Phimngoen, a Thai working in Singapore, has made a point of returning each year as well, and even brought four friends along this time.
Said the 56-year-old secretary: “We pray for family and friends to be healthy, and that everything goes smoothly.”
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...kicks-off-temple-celebrates-100th-anniversary
