The Sarawak Dabogong Festival and Its Social Significance in the Chinese Community in Malaysia

Abstract Dabogong is a Chinese deity with a widespread following in Sarawak; however, the connections between Dabogong temples are underdeveloped compared with that between Chinese subethnic associations. Therefore, Sibu Dabogong Temple proposed to establish an association to plan and oversee the Sa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Review of Religion and Chinese Society
Authors: Yu-Tsuen, Hsu (Author) ; Wei-An, Chang (Author) ; Han-Pi, Chang (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Brill 2021
In: Review of Religion and Chinese Society
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Sarawak / Tua Pek Kong, God / Religious festival / Chinese people / Diaspora (Social sciences)
RelBib Classification:AG Religious life; material religion
BM Chinese universism; Confucianism; Taoism
KBM Asia
Further subjects:B 華人宗教
B Festival performance
B 社會意義
B Dabogong
B 節慶
B Chinese religion
B Sarawak
B 砂拉越
B 大伯公
B social significance
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Summary:Abstract Dabogong is a Chinese deity with a widespread following in Sarawak; however, the connections between Dabogong temples are underdeveloped compared with that between Chinese subethnic associations. Therefore, Sibu Dabogong Temple proposed to establish an association to plan and oversee the Sarawak Dabogong Festival in 2009. Since then, the scope of the organization’s membership and activities has become national as well as international. To learn how the social meaning of the festival is understood by the participants, we reviewed the local historical literature, conducted field research, and administered a questionnaire survey during the third Sarawak Dabogong Festival at Kuching 10 Miles in Sarawak in 2011. First, we explored the defining characteristic of Dabogong temples in Sarawak, the prominence of Dabogong in the Sarawak Chinese community, reasons for building temples, the accompanying gods in a Dabogong temple, and the timing of temple construction. Next, we examined the formation of the Dabogong Festival and the characteristics of the participants. Finally, we determined that the social significance of the festival can be attributed to its role in the transmission of Chinese tradition and the promotion of Dabogong belief.
ISSN:2214-3955
Contains:Enthalten in: Review of Religion and Chinese Society
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1163/22143955-20200002