普度：檳城中元聯合會與華校華教的聖俗交融

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Title:	普度：檳城中元聯合會與華校華教的聖俗交融
Other Titles:	Where the Sacred Meets with the Secular: The Syncretism of Chinese Schools and Mandarin Education in Penang's Hungry Ghosts Festival
Authors:	李豐楙 Lee, Fong-Mao
Contributors:	國立政治大學宗教研究所 Graduate Institute of Religious Studies
Keywords:	檳城;中元聯合會;華校;華教;檳城 Penang;the Penang Central Primordial Committee;Chinese independent schools;Chinese-language
Date:	2012-12-01
Issue Date:	2015-02-24 14:36:40 (UTC+8)
Publisher:	南華大學宗教學研究所
Abstract:	檳城各街區、神廟所組成的「檳城中元聯合會」，在全馬華人較多的城市中乃是中元節唯一的民間組織，形成的原因是因應馬來西亞於獨立建國後華人入籍所處的社會文化處境：華校華教的生存危機。有識之士乃發起籌組募款的組織，幫助華小、獨中興建學校教室及相關設備，這樣既可改變傳統慶祝中元節節俗的競爭、浪費習俗，也可針對執政當局在教育政策上的不合理措施：華語非官方語言、華教受到壓抑等，激發成為使檳城華人聯合各街區、神廟之力，組成聯合會募款，以減少浪費，將結餘的款項捐助華教。每年開放學校或社會團體申請捐款，委員會即從競選的單位中遴選決定該補助的學校或社會慈善機構。由於華教較具急迫性，故獲得補助的大多為華小或獨中，媒體將此現象稱為「華教情意結」：即以維護華教為優先，自然也會擠壓其他的社會團體。這樣的聯合組織反映在會徽及對聯上，即表明「中元街區一條心，鞠躬盡瘁為教育」。在觀察多年來的例證後，本文選擇正進行募款中的浮羅崇德華小為例，透過訪問勸募委員會主席與校長等重要人物，理解其勸募樂捐的動機、目的及過程，實際觀察比較諸多儀節後，發現不同籍屬方言群的節俗在一地交融後已出現「複合」的現象，當前已轉變拚場面，而是在募款餐會上拍賣搶標的良性競爭。從喊標數字理解其符號象徵的意義，除了8諧音「發」，發現有一組916的原因，就是9月16日即將舉行的補選，華人支持反對派安華參選，此乃受激於農曆7月前當地巫統的區部主席宣稱「華人寄居論」，因而引發華人激憤的抗議情緒。故借油搶標出現的數字，象徵華人對於華校華教的堅持。本文從檳城華人對華人習俗的文化認同，參雜了華人在世俗政治上受到壓抑的族群情緒，乃將年例性節俗賦予一種華族共同體的新意，故中元聯合會所聯合「普度」的，非僅街區與神廟，而是以超越性的神聖形式與組織，達到凝聚華族的族群行動。 The Penang Central Primordial Committee, composed of Penang’s diverse street committees and temples, is the only non-governmental or ganization designed to celebrate the Hungry Ghosts Festival in Malaysia. Apart from celebrating the Festival,one of its purposes is to deal with the social and cultural crises felt by the Chinese community since Malaysia achieved her independence－the diminishing of Chinese independent schools and Chinese-language education. In response to the crises, the Committee makes use of the Hungry Ghosts Festival,a month-long religious activity celebrated with abundant offerings, grand-scale religious rituals and big banquets, to raise development funds for the Chinese independent schools. This charitable act helps the Festival escape from being criticized as a wasteful extravagance; at the same time, it also addresses the problems arising from the country's biased education policy. Many non-profit organizations apply for funds every year from the Committee,but the mone y usually goes to the Chinese independent schools, for the y are desperately in need of financial support. The local media have named this education-go-first phenomenon as the “Chinese education complex.” The Committee’ s determination to support Mandarin education can be seen in a slogan on its emblem ; it reads “With one heart we stand together; with all our might we fight for education.”After years of observation, I have decided to choose Chong Teik Primary School as my object of field study. Through interviews with the Committee leaders and the headmaster, we learn how the fundraising campaign is organized and conducted. We also learn that traditional forms of ritual have been refashioned, leading to the syncretism of sacred and secular elements. For example, the numbers appearing inlucky draws have their separate symbolic meanings. The number “8”, fa, puns on the word for “prosperity”, but the number “916” refers synchronically to the date of an election, the political and cultural oppressions felt by the Chinese and their determination to support Chinese-language education. To conclude, the Central Primordial Committee not only offers spiritual salvation to street communities and temples, but also provides the diverse and fragmented Chinese community with a sense of togetherness and cultural identity.
Relation:	世界宗教學刊 20期
Appears in Collections:	[Graduate Institute of Religious Studies] Journal of world religions [The Journals of Nanhua University ] Journal of world religions

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