GREAT PERFORMANCE: Number and guitarist Sim Kok Hao, who is also vocalist of local band Dream Machine, performing on stage.
VIBRANT: A colourful dance performance by a local dance troupe.
HELP YOURSELF: Volunteers helping to prepare Pa Mee for visitors at the back of the temple.
PROSPERITY NOODLE: Traditional Heng Hua noodle known as Pa Mee is served during the week-long celebration.
CHEERS: Tan Kai (back) with Number and a temple volunteer as they prepare Pa Mee.
ANNUAL AFFAIR: Lau (left) and the organising committee’s secretary Tan Kee Tiong at the opening night of the annual Spring Festival celebration at Sungai Apong’s Sheng Shen Temple. — Photos by Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING: The Heng Hua Chinese community started their annual Spring Festival celebration at the Sheng Shen Temple in Sungai Apong here on Tuesday night.
The week-long celebration, which will end on Chap Goh Meh, features a number of singing and dance performances by local and invited artistes and performers.
The event’s organising chairman Lau Soon Yuin, when met Tuesday, revealed that Minister of Local Government and Community Development and Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh had donated RM10,000 to the temple recently.
“We are very thankful to Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh for the support,” he said.
He said the highlight of the event was the annual New Year Karaoke Competition which the temple began hosting since 2003.
“This year, we are celebrating the event’s 10th anniversary. It started as a small initiative but has come a long way over the years. We want to keep this tradition alive.
“The committee had been working hard to make the event better and more vibrant each year,” Lau said.
He expressed his appreciation for the dedication and efforts put in by all committee members to make the annual affair a success.
In addition to stage performances, he said the temple would also give away free ‘Pa Mee’ (traditional Heng Hua noodle) to all visitors during the week-long celebration.
Also present was SUPP Youth chief Tan Kai.
When asked about the significance of Pa Mee, Tan explained that it is a traditional prosperity noodle of the Heng Hua people.
“Normally served during festive seasons and auspicious occasions, eating the noodles is a great way to welcome the future as it signifies wealth and prosperity,” he said.
The home-made Pa Mee is served in clear soup with fresh prawns, slices of three layer pork, mushroom and vegetables.
On the history of Sheng Shen Temple, Tan said it stretched back to the 1950s when the Heng Hua fishing community began constructing the temple to house deities that would protect them every time they were out at sea, and over the years, the temple had become a spiritual centre for the community.
“The temple has worn down over the years and reconstruction efforts spearheaded by the Heng Hua community restored it to its former glory and expanded it even further,” he said.
Meanwhile, a mix of local and invited acts adorned the opening night with colourful and lively shows to entertain both the performers and audience.
One of the invited performers was Sarawak-born singer-songwriter Number, who has expanded her career to Kuala Lumpur.
She performed six songs including her latest single ‘Promise’ which was released on iTunes at the end of December last year. Number also revealed that another single would be released some time in April.
Her new album entitled ‘Finally’ is expected to be released middle of this year, which will be followed by a tour around Malaysia to share her experience which has inspired her music.
The New Year Karaoke Competition started last night while the prize presentation will be held this coming Saturday before the closing night on Chap Goh Meh which falls on Sunday.