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http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20090918-168537.html
Fri, Sep 18, 2009
my paper
More young people becoming mediums
[REVERED: Miss Delia Sng, 27, is the Chwee Hean Keng temple's resident medium.]
MORE young people here have become mediums in the last decade, veteran temple administrators said.
Believers say that mediums serve as messengers for deities.
About seven in 10 practising mediums here are in their 20s and are often blue-collar workers, said Taoist Federation (Singapore) chairman Tan Thiam Lye.
Prior to the year 2000, he had not seen a single medium, known as dang kee in Hokkien, belonging to this age group.
Practitioners are growing younger as more youths are getting involved in temple activities, Mr Tan explained.
He added: "Ten years ago, there'd be just over 10 old folk tending a temple. These days, there can be over a hundred youngsters organising a single temple event."
This is a result of efforts by Taoist temples to get more young people involved in their activities in recent years, he said.
Taoist priests Chung Kwang Tong (Wei Yi)
Fri, Sep 18, 2009
my paper
More young people becoming mediums
[REVERED: Miss Delia Sng, 27, is the Chwee Hean Keng temple's resident medium.]
MORE young people here have become mediums in the last decade, veteran temple administrators said.
Believers say that mediums serve as messengers for deities.
About seven in 10 practising mediums here are in their 20s and are often blue-collar workers, said Taoist Federation (Singapore) chairman Tan Thiam Lye.
Prior to the year 2000, he had not seen a single medium, known as dang kee in Hokkien, belonging to this age group.
Practitioners are growing younger as more youths are getting involved in temple activities, Mr Tan explained.
He added: "Ten years ago, there'd be just over 10 old folk tending a temple. These days, there can be over a hundred youngsters organising a single temple event."
This is a result of efforts by Taoist temples to get more young people involved in their activities in recent years, he said.
Taoist priests Chung Kwang Tong (Wei Yi)
and Kang Xinqi are part of a team of more than 10 priests, mediums, temple leaders and Taoist federation representatives who are putting together a booklet to warn devotees against rogue mediums. Master Chung is also the administrator for the Taoist Federation (Singapore) and secretary-general of the federation's youth group.
Properly Taoist rituals are carried out in public areas, as Priest Kang Xinqi demonstrates at the Lorong Koo Chye Sheng Hong Temple. Master Kang is the chief priest at San Qing Gong temple.
[(L-R) Master Liu Peihua, 20, a Taoist priest and third-year infocomm student at Temasek Polytechnic, Master Chung Kwang Tong - better known by his Taoist name, Wei Yi, who has been a priest since 2003, when he turned 18 and Mr Chin Kwee Yong, 18, who is waiting to enter polytechnic and will be ordained as a priest in May. ] Full-time Taoist priest who is 22 with diploma in multi-media
Delia Sng is a 27-year-old part-time medium who works on the Shui Xian Temple grounds in the rest of her time.
Bai Mei Hui, Hong Kong-based getai veteran who declined to reveal her age or years of experience, and was only willing to say she's been singing since she was 12.
Mr Chung Kwang Tong, 24, an administrator at the Taoist Federation and secretary-general, Taoist Federation Youth Group.
A temple Taoist medium-priest during a ritual.
Taoists priests leading the rites for some of the more than 1,500 young devotees, in the Koo Chye Ba Sheng Hong Temple San Qing Gong Taoist temple in Bedok North Ave 4 on Sunday (Sept 21). The students were celebrating Chinese sage Confucius' birthday and part of the festivities included praying for good grades in studies.
Photos: TNP, my paper, Zao Bao
Mr Tay Boon Ho, 68, temple keeper of Chwee Hean Keng in Zion Road, agreed. He said: "I see a lot more young dang kee these days taking part in temple processions."
But mediums aged below 19 are very rare, said Mr Tan. This is because parents would usually plead with the deity to let their children grow up first.
Believers said that, typically, mediums are "picked" by deities to represent them through repeated supernatural encounters.
Their status is sealed once another medium confirms the mandate, and they receive a "decree" - a triangular satin flag - from the Jade Emperor or the Emperor of Tai Shan, said Taoist master Jave Wu, 30.
Young mediums have come under the spotlight recently as a coroner's inquiry found that self-styled medium Ku Witaya and his friend, both aged 16, had killed themselves in the belief that they were going to save the world.
[email protected]
For more my paper stories click here.
READ MORE
- Deity 'picked her' to be medium
- Telling mediums apart
Properly Taoist rituals are carried out in public areas, as Priest Kang Xinqi demonstrates at the Lorong Koo Chye Sheng Hong Temple. Master Kang is the chief priest at San Qing Gong temple.
[(L-R) Master Liu Peihua, 20, a Taoist priest and third-year infocomm student at Temasek Polytechnic, Master Chung Kwang Tong - better known by his Taoist name, Wei Yi, who has been a priest since 2003, when he turned 18 and Mr Chin Kwee Yong, 18, who is waiting to enter polytechnic and will be ordained as a priest in May. ] Full-time Taoist priest who is 22 with diploma in multi-media
Delia Sng is a 27-year-old part-time medium who works on the Shui Xian Temple grounds in the rest of her time.
Bai Mei Hui, Hong Kong-based getai veteran who declined to reveal her age or years of experience, and was only willing to say she's been singing since she was 12.
Mr Chung Kwang Tong, 24, an administrator at the Taoist Federation and secretary-general, Taoist Federation Youth Group.
A temple Taoist medium-priest during a ritual.
Taoists priests leading the rites for some of the more than 1,500 young devotees, in the Koo Chye Ba Sheng Hong Temple San Qing Gong Taoist temple in Bedok North Ave 4 on Sunday (Sept 21). The students were celebrating Chinese sage Confucius' birthday and part of the festivities included praying for good grades in studies.
Photos: TNP, my paper, Zao Bao
Mr Tay Boon Ho, 68, temple keeper of Chwee Hean Keng in Zion Road, agreed. He said: "I see a lot more young dang kee these days taking part in temple processions."
But mediums aged below 19 are very rare, said Mr Tan. This is because parents would usually plead with the deity to let their children grow up first.
Believers said that, typically, mediums are "picked" by deities to represent them through repeated supernatural encounters.
Their status is sealed once another medium confirms the mandate, and they receive a "decree" - a triangular satin flag - from the Jade Emperor or the Emperor of Tai Shan, said Taoist master Jave Wu, 30.
Young mediums have come under the spotlight recently as a coroner's inquiry found that self-styled medium Ku Witaya and his friend, both aged 16, had killed themselves in the belief that they were going to save the world.
[email protected]
For more my paper stories click here.
READ MORE
- Deity 'picked her' to be medium
- Telling mediums apart
