Abstract
Shui Wei Sheng Niang (水尾圣娘) Temple is located within a united temple at 109a, Hougang Avenue 5, Singapore. Shui Wei Sheng Niang is a Hainanese goddess, the worship of whom is widespread in Hainanese communities in South East Asia. This paper examines a specific Hainanese temple and how its rituals reflect the history of Hainanese immigration to Singapore. The birthday rites of the goddess (Lantern Festival Celebration) are held on the 4th and 14th of the first lunar month. This paper also introduces the life history and ritual practices of a Hainanese Daoist master and a Hainanese theater actress.
Highlights
The original Hainan village of Hougang no longer exists in Singapore due to the urbanization and renovation of Singapore, people of that Hainanese community still gather together to celebrate the Lantern Festival and worship the goddess Shui Wei Sheng Niang (水 尾 圣 娘), who originated from Hainan Island
As Kenneth Dean proposed in his article Parallel Universes (Dean 2015), increasing control over society by colonial and post-colonial secular governments has not completely eliminated dialect-based cultural identity, and rituals remain a key element in how people exercise their local autonomy
Shui Wei Sheng Niang is a marine goddess brought by the Hainanese immigrants when they first moved to South East Asia and it has been passed down to present day
Summary
The original Hainan village of Hougang no longer exists in Singapore due to the urbanization and renovation of Singapore, people of that Hainanese community still gather together to celebrate the Lantern Festival and worship the goddess Shui Wei Sheng Niang (水 尾 圣 娘), who originated from Hainan Island. This shows how Hainanese descendants still have the autonomy to maintain their cultural, religious, and dialect-based identity. Hainanese people form the fifth-largest dialect group in the Singapore and Malaysia area, following the Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka, and Teochew groups. This study is one case to show the autonomy of the community
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