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Betting your luck on a piece of bamboo filled with sticks
A day before Chinese New Year, the Chinese-Indonesiancommunity gathers to forecast what awaits them in the new year
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day before Chinese New Year, the Chinese-Indonesiancommunity gathers to forecast what awaits them in the new year. The practice,known as Chiam Si, is part of the Chinese-Indonesian tradition that allowsthose of all ages to ask Kwan Im, the Goddess of Compassion, for answers.
The ritual begins with lighting incense followed by praying to Guan Yin for answers to a question of luck, wealth, family, love and health. After the prayers the incense is placed in front of Guan Yin's statue and the bamboo works its magic.
Hundreds of sticks are then placed inside the piece of bamboo; one of them must fall out in order for the prediction to work. In the case that more than one stick came out the first to hit the ground would be the one used.
What follows is the tricky part of the ritual. The one seeking answers from the Goddess must drop two stones on the ground and both of them must lie in opposite sides, resembling the Ying and Yang.
'If both stones fall on the same side facing upwards, it means that Kwan Im is laughing. She doesn't understand the question. If both of them face down then the number isn't for the one asking,' a volunteer at Dharma Sakti Temple, Sun Keng, told The Jakarta Post.
'Either way if it doesn't fall on opposite sides, one must re-do the process of getting a number.'
After successfully dropping the two stones on opposite sides, a section at the edge of the room is available to redeem the number for a written prophecy.
The prophecy is written in both Chinese calligraphy and Indonesian however the language is one that confuses many as it is in a form of literature or riddles. Staff and volunteers of the temple help interpret the prophecy.
Chiam Si's peak is a day before Chinese New Year, locally known as Imlek, however the ritual is open for anyone at any time.
Visitors ask Kwan Im for some guidance as they embark on a new year seeking for success, wealth, family matters and good health.
'As we start a new year we would like to have at least a picture of what our year will look like. I ask for matters of family, being a mother of four isn't always easy. I'm not asking for a full outline of my fate this year but rather hints and guidance for this new year,' a visitor to Dharma Sakti temple, housewife Lanny Indrawati, told the Jakarta Post on the eve of Chinese New Year, which falls on Jan . 31 this year.
She said that the written prophecy said that she would have a tough time in dealing with her youngest son.
'But as long as I am keeping an eye on him, everything will be just fine,' she said.
The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post
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