By Christopher Khoo

Singapore, Jan 30, 2025: Some 200 Peranakan Catholics gathered at the Church of the Holy Family in Singapore to celebrate the annual Peranakan Chinese New Year Eve Mass.

Peranakans are descendants of the early Chinese settlers in Southeast Asia who intermarried the local people. These unions resulted in a unique fusion of Chinese and local cultures such as in the Peranakans’ language, attire and cuisine.

The men are called babas while the women are called nyonyas. The language they speak is a mixture of Malay and Hokkien, a Chinese dialect.

The Mass, held on January 28 and spoken entirely in the Peranakan patois, was celebrated by parish priest, Father Adrian Yeo, who is himself a baba.

During the Mass, Father Yeo urged the congregation, who were dressed in Malay-style sarong kebaya for women and batik or Chinese-style baju lok chuan for men, to focus on their Christian values as they enjoy the festivities.

He noted that unlike non-Christian Chinese who may focus on praying for wealth and prosperity during this period, Christian Peranakans should focus on gratitude to God for the many blessings they have received from Him.

Mass attendees received two Mandarin oranges each, which were blessed at the end
of the Mass.
At the end of the Mass, concelebrating priest, Indonesian Father Robertus Sarwiseso, blessed the Mandarin oranges that were given to the congregation before Mass to bring home. Oranges are traditionally associated with good fortune and happiness during this festive season.

The Church of the Holy Family in eastern Singapore has been celebrating this special Mass yearly since 1984. Its former parish priest, Father Alfred Chan, a baba, started it to cater to the Peranakan Catholic community in Singapore, a large portion of whom reside in the east.

(The writer is a Singapore-based freelance journalist and educator.)

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