UPACARA ONG CHUN/WANGCHUAN/WANGKANG
17 DISEMBER 2020
Pengiktirafan di bawah Representative List of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity secara Multi-National Nomination bersama Republik Rakyat China
Upacara Wangkang berakar pada kepercayaan dan adat istiadat pemujaan terhadap Ong Yah, yang merupakan dewa dihormati dan diakui sebagai Tye Tian Soon Siew Ong Yah, di kalangan masyarakat pesisir. Mereka yang kehilangan nyawa di laut, dihormati sebagai "saudara yang baik," menjadi jiwa yang mengembara kesepian dan kehilangan tempat tinggal. Ritual untuk menyambut dan mengawal Ong Yah secara berkala diadakan untuk lawatannya ke daratan dan menyelamatkan "saudara baik."
Majlis dimulakan dengan orang ramai berkumpul di tepi pantai menyambut Ong Yah ke kuil-kuil atau balai komuniti berkaitan, dan menyampaikan persembahan. Tiang lampu didirikan di sekitar kuil atau balai komuniti berhampirannya untuk memanggil "saudara baik", dan membebaskan mereka dari siksaan. Semasa mengawal Ong Yah untuk melakukan rondaan ke darat dan kemudian ke laut, anggota masyarakat membuat persembahan yang mengepalai perarakan dan membersihkan laluan untuk Ong Chun yang disiapkan dengan baik, iaitu tongkang Ong Yah (model yang diperbuat daripada kayu atau kertas). "Saudara-saudara yang baik" di sepanjang lawatan pemeriksaan menaiki kapal dan meneruskan misi bersama dewa untuk menjaga keamanan dan kesejahteraan rakyat jelata dan tanah mereka. Oleh itu, elemen tersebut telah diraikan sebagai "melakukan perbuatan baik" oleh anggota masyarakat.
Di Minnan, kebiasaanya Upacara Wangkang diadakan setiap tiga atau empat tahun ketika monsun timur laut tiba pada musim luruh; sementara di Melaka, ia diadakan pada musim kemarau pada tahun lompat, bermula pada hari yang dipilih dengan teliti serta berlangsung selama beberapa hari atau beberapa bulan.
Pada asalnya, kebudayaan ini terbentuk di wilayah Minnan (Provinsi Fujian selatan) China antara abad ke-15 dan ke-17, dan secara beransur-ansur tersebar ke Asia Tenggara bersama dengan pelayaran Hokkiens ke Nanyang (iaitu laut selatan) dan perdagangan maritim. Kini, pengamal Upacara Wangkang tersebar luas di komuniti di kawasan Xiamen Bay dan Quanzhou Bay, dan di komuniti Cina di Melaka, Malaysia.
Amalan yang berkaitan juga dijumpai di komuniti pesisir di Taiwan selatan China. Di samping itu, keturunan Hokkiens yang berhijrah ke kawasan pesisir China yang lain, sering kembali ke kampung halaman mereka di Fujian untuk mengambil bahagian dalam Upacara Wangkang dan praktik-praktik yang berkaitan.
Diterima sebagai warisan bersama oleh masyarakat yang berkaitan di China dan Malaysia, elemen tersebut merangkumi hubungan lestari antara manusia dan lautan. Ianya telah lama memainkan peranan penting dalam menjaga hubungan masyarakat dan meningkatkan perpaduan sosial. Ini telah menyaksikan dialog antara budaya di kalangan komuniti di sepanjang laluan Sutera Maritim serta mencerminkan kreativiti budaya yang sesuai dengan pembangunan lestari.
ONG CHUN/WANGCHUAN/WANGKANG CEREMONY, RITUALS AND RELATED PRACTICES FOR MAINTAINING THE SUSTAINABLE CONNECTION BETWEEN MAN AND THE OCEAN
17 DISEMBER 2020
Inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity as a Multi-National Nomination with Peoples Republic of China
The Wangkang ceremony is rooted in the beliefs and customs of the worship of Ong Yah, who is a deity revered and recognized as Tye Tian Soon Siew Ong Yah, among the coastal communities. Those who lost their lives at sea, revered as “good brothers,” became souls wandering lonely and homeless. Rituals to welcome and guard Ong Yah were periodically held for his visits to the mainland and the rescue of "good brothers."
The ceremony began with people gathering by the beach welcoming Ong Yah to the relevant temples or community halls, and delivering performances. Lampposts were erected around the temple or a nearby community hall to call “good brothers”, and free them from torture. While controlling Ong Yah to patrol the land and then to the sea, community members made a presentation leading the procession and clearing the path for Ong Chun’s well -completed barge, the Ong Yah barge (a model made of wood or paper). The “good brothers” throughout the inspection visit boarded the ship and continued the mission with the gods to maintain the peace and well-being of the common people and their land. Thus, the element has been celebrated as “doing good deeds” by members of the community.
In Minnan, the Wangkang Ceremony is usually held every three or four years when the northeast monsoon arrives in autumn; while in Melaka, it is held during the dry season of the leap year, starting on a carefully chosen day and lasting for several days or several months.
Originally, this culture formed in China’s Minnan province (southern Fujian Province) between the 15th and 17th centuries, and gradually spread to Southeast Asia along with the Hokkiens ’voyage to Nanyang (i.e. the southern sea) and maritime trade. Today, Wangkang Ceremony practitioners are widespread in communities in the Xiamen Bay and Quanzhou Bay areas, and in the Chinese community in Melaka, Malaysia.
Related practices are also found in coastal communities in Taiwan’s southern China. In addition, descendants of Hokkiens who migrated to other coastal areas of China, often returned to their hometowns in Fujian to participate in the Wangkang Ceremony and related practices.
Accepted as a common heritage by relevant communities in China and Malaysia, the element encompasses the sustainable relationship between humans and the oceans. It has long played an important role in maintaining community relations and enhancing social cohesion. This has witnessed intercultural dialogue among communities along the Maritime Silk route as well as reflecting cultural creativity in line with sustainable development
