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A Malay Shrine worshipped by Chinese
October 27, 2004
Discovering cultures, customs and conventions around the world.
I'm Valarie Tan. Welcome to a World of our own.
150 years ago, 2 holy men, Dato Syed Rahman an Arab, and Yam, a Chinese made a meditation and fasting trip to a small island, about 5.6 km from Singapore.
Unfortunately, Yam fell ill.
Syed being a loyal friend prayed non-stop for him. Miraculously, food and water were provided to them from a boat and that saved their lives. Syed and Yam decided to become sworn brothers.
That is just one out of the many legends about Kusu, an island 5.6 km south of Singapore.
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| ‘The wall of numbers’ – devotees scribble lottery numbers on the wall to improve their luck at the lottery. |
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| Red packages tied onto the wishing tree represent the wishes of the devotees. The higher the packages are place, the more likely a wish will come true. |
Kusu which means Tortoise island in Chinese, is also known as Peak Island or Pulau Tembaku in Malay.
Another legend has it that a magical tortoise turned itself into an island to save 2 shipwrecked sailers, one Malay and the other Chinese. And that's why the name 'Tortoise Island'. But what 2 legends have in common is the races of the 2 men involved.
And perhaps that explains why you can find a popular Chinese temple and a Holy Shrine for Malay saints on Kusu Island.
This week, we feature the Holy Shrine for Malay Saints or the Keramat. To find out more about this place, I had to climb 152 steps up a small hill in Kusu Island.
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| Devotees climb 152 steps up a small hill to the Keramats. |
The hill is home to 3 Keramats. It commerorates a pious man, Syed Abdul Rahman, his mother Nenek Ghalib and his sister Puteri Fatimah who lived in the 19th century.
Whether this Syed was the same one as the man mentioned in the legend earlier, no one knows.
But the Keramats were built in 1917, according to Ismail Samsudin, one of the shrines' caretakers. Ismail has been taking care of the place since he was 1 year old. And yet, he's not really sure who are the people buried in the Keramats.
"What I get from my great great grandmother and father is just some information. All I know is they're members of my family" says the burly and stout man in his early forties.
Nevertheless, Chinese devotees climb up to the Keramats during the Chinese ninth Lunar month, as part of their annual Kusu pilgrimage which is usually between mid October to mid November.
Devotees also have to follow a strict diet before going to the Keramats.
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| Devotees pay their respects to the keramats by lighting joss sticks and placing them into incense pots |
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| Smoke from the incense pot is believed to protect devotees. |
"They have to fast. They cannot eat any red meat. This is to make their bodies clean, explains Ismail.
They pray to the keramats by lighting joss sticks and putting them into incense pots.
"They pray for children. Especially couples who have been married for a long time and can't conceive. They'll pray to the Mother. They want family harmony"
And at a particular counter where devotees give donations to the Keramats, Ismail will perform a small blessing ritual.
To find out what that is, listen to A World of Our Own.
>>>>>>>>>>Valarie's trip to Kusu was made possible by Sentosa Development Corporation. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
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