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Fascinating Deng-Kee
rituals were held during Hungry Ghost Festival in cemeteries.
The following script is translated from Hokkien to English. So
certain terms and expressions may seem a bit odd.
On the 11 August 2002, a Sunday
evening, SPI has mingled through a series of semi-d dwellings with
almost an identical look in Hougang, and finally found Mrs Chia's
residence. A friendly and healthy face has come answering the
door. We know that is Mrs Chia as she lives alone since she is
widowed and her children went abroad for their business and studies.
Mrs Chia is one of SPI members' family friend, also their insurance
agent. We were excited when we happened to know that Mrs Chia,
has been in the Taoist ritual business for more than 20 years, only
recently she changed her career to selling insurance policies.
We phoned her and invited her for an exclusive interview in order to
find out the truth about 'Deng-Kee' - a local dialect means Taoist
ritual especially for Hungry Ghost Festival. After quite a long
hesitation, she finally agreed. But she requested to remain
anonymous throughout the interview.
"Good evening, Mrs Chia. I guess you have heard of SPI the local
investigators on unusual things in Singapore... We have a few
questions that we hope you can enlighten us about." We went
straight to the Q&A after briefly introducing ourselves.
"What made you started being a Deng-Kee? And what did you do
there?", we initiated questions from her beginning.
Chia said, "Oh, that was long ago, even I was younger than you when I
was first involved. That time, we still lived in Kampong
village, almost all my relative aunties practiced certain Taoist
rituals as a volunteer but sometimes we got paid for it. I was
called upon to help out most of the time. Every year, our CC has
Hungry Ghosts celebration that is staged publicly and sometimes
included musical performances of traditional Chinese opera. They
needed many hands for all sorts of things. I used to sing
Hokkien and Cantonese songs on the stage too (grinned).
That was until about six years later, on the 15th day of the Hungry
Ghost festival, they taught me to become one of the Taoist priests
that performed rituals on outdoor altars lavishly covered with paper
and food offerings, candles and incense.
Religious chants and music were used to usher the gods into the
temples and to encourage the souls to move on from their earthly
presence. It was hoped that those souls released from their
ghostly status will return to the heavenly Buddhist ‘Pure Land’ or
those ghosts unreformed will return to the sufferings in the
underworld. Most of the time I only followed what they did
first. Later after I have grasped the procedure I became more
independent in handling things."
SPI listened carefully. Then continued, "I see. So Mrs
Chia, it sounds like it doesn't take any special skills to become a
Deng-Kee. Am I right or not?"
There was quite a long pause before Chia replied.
"You need to know a set of steps and acts to be a Deng-Kee. No,
I mean, you need to be able to communicate to gods by body language."
We looked puzzled. Staring at Mrs Chia quietly hoping she would
elaborate a little more.
"Okay, I am talking about those 'big' shows that we do in cemeteries
where we would invite gods and spirits into our body. That is a
very challenging thing to do especially if you were new. There
were people around you though it was usually in dark, but all their
focus and attention is on the Deng-Kee that dances in the ritual."
Gradually we grasped what Mrs Chia was talking about. We asked
direct to the point "So you used to be a Deng-Kee who let god spirits
to take over your body? How did you feel then and how did you
control the spirit-in-your-body experience? And why you wanted
to do that?".
Mrs Chia started to grow a bit impatient upon our questions.
Reluctantly she said "This is a commercial secret. We have
prayers, chants, rice-wine and our holy master's spirit to help us
achieve that. Besides the money that people paid us, we used to
believe those 'gods' will help blessing us and will give us what we
appealed for... It supposed to be rewarding, but..". She changed
the topic quickly, "But we should not take it for granted."
We sensed something. Without a second thought, we persisted our
questions "Aunty, that is the part we want to know, how was it like
when the spirits occupy your body and how do you take charge of
that?!" She looked quite agitated. But we didn't stop
"Please tell us. I heard that your son is an engineering student
in school, just like us, for we are people who love to find out the
truth behind every superstition... Engineers believe, everything
has a logic behind. If your son is in Singapore I am sure he
would like to join us and to know the truth behind this mystery too"
Suddenly her tone changed, and murmured to herself "If my son is in
Singapore..." Sorrow flashed over her face. Then with a
firm and steady voice, Chia said "Okay, boys, you want to know where
my son is? Ten years ago, we went to Fujian, China with my kids.
One day Chee Hiang got kidnapped and went missing. For years, I
tried all I can to find him by police, by relatives, even by
newspaper. But still failed. I had not been telling anyone
about this especially his father. I made up a story that Chee
Hiang went study aboard and found a job in Taiwan. Now his
father had passed away so I can tell you."
While we felt sorry and bitter in listening to her story, we were
curious about why she had side-tracked to her son.
"I tried finding Chee Hiang through all means including Deng-Kee.
This is a secret and also my desire for many years - I want to find my
son. Initially when I put up an act as a Deng-Kee, I believed
and I wanted to believe that some spirit will tell me where Hiang is.
Year after year, there was still no result. My faith used to
shaken. But even I supposed not only the audiences but myself
had been lied. I was doing, not say pretending, all my most to
show that I am possessed by spirit. I were not myself. I
cried, I laughed and my dramatic voice pitched high, sometimes
shouting nonsense that was totally out of my mind. I missed my
boy, very painfully.. Be it ghost or god or whatever, so long
can find him back, I can do anything..."
"But every time I tried and I failed, I would be feeling more
and more guilty. I started questioning myself - Am I doing the
right thing? I won people's trust because they worshipped me as
if I were their respectful god. But only me who knows it is not
true. I was confused. I was scared too. Is this a
punishment for I had never been able to find back my son because I
pretended god in name to earn money? Every spirit-in-my-body
show I made during the Hungry Ghost festival was acclaimed. They
got deceived easily. They really thought it was easy to let god
come to our human body successfully in every show. Nobody ever
challenged my power nor my result. They simply demand to watch
it be it faked or real. Or may be I have acted too well that I
had forgotten I was acting with at least double the amount of
rice-wine in doing Deng-Kee. I am not a drunken. But at
that time I really needed alcohol as my ascetic."
We all got very astonished by her confession. Although we have
hundreds of questions to ask Mrs Chia, we hold them under our throat.
Chia continued "I started feeling sick and tired, .. at least five
years ago. Not only the guilt I accumulated in fooling more
people, but more of the pain I bear when I was doing it. It
reminded me of my son, reminded me of how I carelessly lost him in
Fujian. But the lie would just have to repeat itself that never
seems ending. I couldn't quit also because they need somebody
like me to run the show until.."
"Until what?" we broke out this question.
"Until my ex-husband passed away last year. I loved him and also
I hated him, for divorcing me and leaving the family. When I
heard of his death, I surprisingly didn't react too emotionally.
I sighed about life is so fragile. And pity more on myself in
how I wasted many good years of my life into something foolish.
Recently I decided to quit though upset many people in the community.
But I feel more relieved by heart in helping people in choosing
insurance in my new job..."
Our whole SPI team ended this interview with another hour on
questioning on the details of Deng-Kee. After we thanked Mrs
Chia at the door, we walked to catch the last train. During the
journey none of us speak. With a mixed of feelings, we felt that
we have learnt much more than the job of a Deng-Kee, but a heart of a
Deng-Kee that sheds a new insight on our life.
Deng-Kee makes the
cemeteries alive in every year's Hungry Ghost Festival.
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