Documenting our religious heritage: Tua Ya Pek rituals at 玉封福善墰 temple with the Light Lens Lab 8 elements on Leica M10-R

Background

We all have our personal reasons why we indulge in photography, and for me, the three main reasons are:

1. Documenting the birth and growth journey of my two daughters,
2. photography as the window for me to meet like-liked people, expanding my worldview,
3. documenting places of heritage and cultural practices.

Once a while when time allows, I love to document notable elements of our culture and heritage, and here is continuing this series.

One example of an article is here, where I was documenting the very last (proper) Dragon Playground of Singapore. One of the shots was featured in 2024’s National Day Parade’s theme song here.

Tua Ya Pek (大爷伯) at 封玉福善墰 temple

Today, I would like to share a visit to the 封玉福善墰 temple situated in Lorong 15, Geylang, Singapore, with the focus to document one of their key annual rituals that takes place during the Lunar Ghost Month, paying respect to the deities Tua Ya Pek (大爷伯) and Ji Yah Peh (二爷伯).

As part of the ritual, there will be two temple mediums, who will go into a trance and channel the spirits of Tua Ya Pek (大爷伯) and Ji Yah Peh (二爷伯) into their bodies, allowing worshippers to communicate directly with the deities.

A note of appreciation to Leica Ambassador, K C Eng who kindly invited us to the ceremony.

I am unsure if it is appropriate to share the exact address, but the temple is right here at the position where one sees a statue of the Four-Faced Buddha.

(disclaimer)

I am hardly a full-fledged historian or expert in these areas. The information here was collated through my own research to share/document before these elements of our culture disappeared with time. If there are any errors, please be kind and email them to me at moostar@gmail.com; I will be most glad to rectify them.

Equipment used

Instead of bringing along an autofocus camera, which would obviously be way easier to handle in the dim light, I decided to take along the Light Lens Lab 35mm 8-elements on my Leica M10-R to use them in the way they were designed for documentary photography in an as unintrusive way as possible.

My full review of the Light Lens Lab 35mm 8 Elements is here. Also, with prices ever going up, here is a promo code, ‘Keithwee,’ which gives you a 5% discount when purchasing at the Light Lens Lab shop.

Let us get started

The 封玉福善墰 temple, also commonly known as “Tua Ya Pek Temple” in Geylang, Singapore, is dedicated to the deities Tua Ya Pek (大爷伯) and Ji Yah Peh (二爷伯). Both are considered important and powerful guardians of the underworld in Chinese folk religion and are often worshipped for protection, good fortune, and guidance.

The temple is located in the Geylang area, a historic district in Singapore known for its cultural diversity and rich heritage. The visit coincided with one of the temple’s key rituals on a stipulated day in the Lunar Ghost month.

Along the road to the temple, one sees a row of candles as offerings and guidance to the spirits presumed to be roving around during the nights of the Lunar Ghost month. It is generally deemed a bad idea to kick these candles/offerings.

Once one enters the temple, one will encounter various sewn tapestries highlighting the deity or the spirits being prayed to here. In modern Singapore, where traditions disappear at the rate of flora and fauna going extinct, it is essential to document these sights before they disappear.

Below is a temporary altar, which I presume will be used only during the Lunar Ghost month, with offerings to kids’ spirits. It should be pretty obvious with the sewn tapestry and type of offerings.

Loosely translated to: The blessings we have, are not from begging and fortune telling, but rather from doing kind deeds and cultivation of character.

Moving further, one will be greeted by the main room with the main altar in the temple. The main deities worshipped here are Tua Ya Pek (大爷伯) and Ji Yah Peh (二爷伯).

Both deities are often depicted as elderly men wearing traditional Chinese clothing, symbolizing authority and wisdom. Tua Ya Pek is usually seen as a pair with Ji Yah Pek, one in a white costume and the other in black.

Offerings at the altar usually include tea, joss sticks, paper ‘money,’ fruits, and candies, with roots in Taoism.

Here are the two gentlemen who are both spirit mediums, and as part of the ritual tonight, they will ‘invite’ the Tua Ya Pek and Ji Yah Pek deities into their bodies as part of paying respects to them and to allow direct communication to the devotees praying for guidance, good health, prosperity, and protection.

The spirit mediums may enter a trance state where they believe they are possessed.

Seldom mentioned, but the furniture, placement of offerings, and the type of accessories are also chosen with an attention to detail as a form of respect to the Tua Ya Pek and Ji Yah Pek deities.

Once the main rituals are completed, the entourage moves outside for the final prayers, where offerings are made and completed with the burning of joss paper offerings, the Taoist form of currency for use in the Underworld.

Once it is concluded that the deities are pleased with the ceremony and the joss paper burnt, the ceremony concludes with the temple returning to its quiet and quaint self the next day.

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimers:

1. I photographed all product photos and samples here. I believe any reviewer with pride should produce their own product photos. 

2. All image samples were shot with the Leica M10-R and Light Lens Lab 35mm 8 elements; both are my personal sets.

3. This review is not sponsored; I write as a passion and hobby, and I appreciate that photography brands are kind enough to respect and work with me.

4. The best way to support me is to share the review, or you can always help support the site by contributing to my fees to WordPress using the PayPal button at the bottom of the page.