Day 5 of Orientation: Chinatown, Little India, and exploring with Katie

12 January 2018

This morning we met at AST briefly to finish up some logistics and orientation items. We then headed to Chinatown where Bren also met up with us and got to meet the AST team.  Chinatown was already decked out for Chinese New Year which is still a month away, but seems similar to the hype we have in stores in the USA prior to Christmas.  Everything is red and it's the year of the dog! Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year) is a Chinese festival celebrated at the turn of the lunisolar Chinese calendar.  The first day of the New Year falls on the new moon between 21 January and 20 February.  This year is the year of the dog and begins on the 16th of February.

Next we went to a Hindu temple in Chinatown call the Sri Mariamman Temple.  We had to remove and leave our shoes outside of the temple grounds.  When we entered we observed them performing Abhishegam. Performing Abhishegam or the act of sacred bathing, which is also known as 'Anointment ceremony' is an expression of love for the deities.  It creates a sense of belonging and personal connection to the Supreme being.  They were pouring large pitchers of honey, water, milk and other liquids over a statue of a deity.  Each of these materials used for performing the anointment ceremony has different properties and special significance associated with it.  It is believed that performing the ritualistic practice of Abhishegam with an understanding of its significance helps us to focus on the Supreme and to attain immmense bliss.  It was pretty neat to witness, but I didn't get many up close pictures as non-temple members were not allowed close to the front altar area.

Next we went into the Chinatown market complex to eat lunch and explore the fish and meat market.  At lunch Lilin ordered some delicious beet pancakes (Min Jiang Kueh pancakes)--I want to remember the name to order them again later.  Derek told us it is often referred to as a "wet market" because the floor always have about a quarter inch of standing water from all that comes with selling fresh shellfish and seafood.  There were (in my opinion) fairly exotic options such as frogs, turtles, eels, and crocodile meat.  It was fascinating, and smelly, and kind of made me want to be a vegetarian.  

Next we went to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum also located in the Chinatown district.  Although the temple and museum were built recently (2007), the richly designed interior and exhibits on Buddhist art and history tell stories of culture over hundred of years old.  The temple gets its name from what the Buddhist regard as the left canine tooth of Buddha, which was recovered from his funeral pyre in Kushinagar, India and displayed in the grounds in its grounds.  The Sacred Light Hall on the 4th floor of the temple contains the tooth.  The Buddha Tooth Relic is housed in a giant stupa weighing 3500 kilograms and made from 320 kilograms of gold, of which 234 kilograms were donated by devotees.  Visitors have to see the tooth relic from the public viewing area, as only monks are allowed into the relic chamber.

In Buddhism there is a practice of selecting a personal guardian deity based on the zodiac sign.  The practice of selecting a personal Guardian Deity originated from "Fa Yuan Zhu Lin", a collection of teachings in the Chinese Buddhist Cannon.  Every Animal Sign has a cooresponding Buddha or Bodhisattva who has a special link with the persons born under that particular sign and offers spiritual guidance and protection to them.  It is believed that like the Budha, our personal Guardian Deity serves as a source of solar, spirtual support and inspiration.  However, even if we have a Personal Deity, we have to actively work on purifying our negative tendencies and increase our store of merit and wisdom.  Born in 1989 means I was born during the year of the snake.  Bren was born in 1986 during the year of the tiger.

Bren and I left Chinatown around 2:00pm and headed back to Yio Chu Kang.  Around 4:00pm Katie and I left to meet up with a group from AST that are Indian and wanted to take us to a few places in Little India.  The whole neighborhood was preparing for Pongal Festival (Sunday, 14 January).  Pongal is a traditional Indian harvest festival that is celebrated mostly in South India over four days by farmers who give thanks to 'Surya', the Sun God and giver of life, for the blessings of a rich harvest.  There were cows and goats whose horns were decorated as a sign of thanks for helping plow the harvest.

There was another beautiful Hindu Temple in Little India called Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple.

I was thankful to have the AST staff who were Indian with us because we went to an restaurant that I would not have found otherwise.  It was called Santhi Vilas and served south Indian food.  We had delicious idly, paper dosa, tea, and a few different chutneys.  All of the food was served on large banana leaves and no utensils were used to eat.  After eating we explored the market which had colorful, beautiful saris.

Katie and I continued walking around after leaving Little India and came upon a mosque and some neat Turkish shops.

It was such a fun, cultural, (and food as always) filled day!  So thankful for these experiences and people.