Elizabeth Tai | 戴秀铃 🇲🇾

Performed Qing Ming (or Cheng Beng as we Hokkiens call it) early April in Poh Tay Temple, Penang. It's a yearly ritual I look forward to and I help my parents do it by being their travel operator 🥲

Many of my ancestors spirit tablets are here. But when I asked what year my ancestors came to Malaysia, my relatives couldn't answer. I say it's safe to say we've been here in Penang for two centuries.

My cousins belong to the Khoo clan, who has a grand ol clan house on Penang island. The Tai family is not as well known or prestigious 🤭

#Penang #Culture #Chinese

Apr 11 at 5:55amWeb
Show threadAnita Lewis4d ago

@liztai

This is awesome to me. I have so little sense of my ancestors that far back. The little bit that I do have is precious to me. I can imagine how enriching this would be to one's sense of being.

Show threadElizabeth Tai | 戴秀铃 🇲🇾3d ago
@ajlewis2 I guess so. I wish I could trace it to a definite village in China etc, but it should remain a mystery for now
Show threadMartha Crimson4d ago
@liztai
A Swedish släktforskare (~family researcher - a big hobby in Sweden) would be green with envy.
Show threadElizabeth Tai | 戴秀铃 🇲🇾3d ago
@MarthaCrimson I don't know if they should be envious cos I have no idea where my ancestors came from tho one of my relatives say a few branches came from Guandong. I have always assumed we were from Fujian. Some families have registries but apparently my family doesn't believe in them 😆
Show threadMartha Crimson3d ago
@liztai
Heh. My ex has a similar problem; his great grandfather was registered as having "moved in from the south" - which probably was enough for the priest taking down the note. Unfortunately the parish is far north in Sweden and "the south" is 90% of the country, so my ex have no idea about where his family came from. Save from Sweden. Perhaps 😄