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[Press Club] Visit to Keng Teck Whay ancestral hall for Tang Chek ceremony - Sun 17 Dec 10am-12:30pm
If you enjoyed last month's guided tour by our member Gerardine Donough-Tan of the special exhibition at the Sun Yat Sen Villa, "Connections Across the Oceans: Early Chinese Mutual Aid Organisations", you might have spotted mentions in the gallery of a little-known brotherhood of 36 distinct Hokkien Peranakan merchant families from Malacca called the Keng Teck Whay.
Unlike conventional clan associations, it was the first private family benefit society of its kind in Singapore and was established in 1831. Nearly 200 years later, some 30 members remain in Singapore and Malacca - many of them descendant relatives of well-known Singapore pioneers such as Chia Ann Siang (of Ann Siang Hill fame), Tan Tock Seng and Tan Kim Seng (Kim Seng Road). Membership is usually passed down through the eldest son in the family. The association's rules, customs and cultural practices have been recorded in Singapore's National Archives. Till this day, its members uphold festive occasions and significant events that have become tradition for the association.
In a rare private visit just for Press Club members, the Keng Teck Whay has agreed to open its doors to share how they mark "Tang Chek" (Winter Solstice). While this occasion is marked by many ethnic Chinese families in Singapore, Keng Teck Whay members celebrate Tang Chek by throwing a Tok Panjang feast to venerate their ancestors. It is also an occasion for their members to gather.
Come witness Tang Chek at the Keng Teck Whay's ancestral hall and join a small group of their members for lunch thereafter, where President Ronney Tan will share more about the association's history, colourful members and their families (find out why some were expelled), and their unique practices.
Sunday 17 December 2023
10am-12noon followed by lunch
32 Lorong 104 Changi (off Changi Road)
Singapore 426576
If you read Chinese or use a translation tool, check out this 2014 Lianhe Zaobao article on Keng Teck Whay's "Tang Chek":
https://www.bukitbrown.org/2014/12/zaobao-news-dec-23-2014-183.html?m=1
Due to space constraints, only 8 places are available to Press Club members (no guests), and a small fee at $10 will be charged for us to purchase a small "thank you" gift to the Association President and members for hosting us for this unqiue visit and lunch.
