How busy I have been the last month or so. I have been struggling to make time for Hive and my binge-watching The Real Housewives. But it is all good, busy is good.
More of all that in time, today though, I want to park some memories on our immutable chain. I recently went for a family holiday to Penang and on the way back stopped over at St Anne's Church, Bukit Mertajam which is about half an hour away from the island. Visiting the church was Mum's thing and I just wanted to drop in just because. Mum wasn't a religious person, but as far back as my memory takes me (4-years-old), she'd drag whomever she could and we'd make that trip, by train or car, across the country to attend the festival.
St Anne's Feast is celebrated on the 26th July for 9 days. The church was built in 1846 and thousands come to celebrate Jesus' grandmother, Mary's mother.
The church grounds surrounding the church was/is massive, probably the size of 6 football fields.. Over the years, a new church was built on the grounds to accommodate the masses that attend the feast - over 100,000.
As a kid (when it was just the white church and the big huge field), we'd just park ourselves (as in our bodies) on the grounds as many others did. Just find a spot, lay out our mat and done. Of course, we'd never leave our stuff unattended. To shower, we'd ask the kindness of the residents around the area, and back then, you can find someone who'd accommodate us a shower by their well. Boy, was the water cold!
Over the years, the grounds have been upgraded and "beautified." From stairs, to railings for support, benches to rest and pray, just to name a few.
Before the stairs, it used to be a hiker's trail like climb, and the elderly suffered especially during the procession. With hundreds on the path, it can be quite daunting even for the young ones as some of the step-ups were knee-high.
Right around the trail, are the stations of the cross.
It could have been a nice climb for a fitter person, but I huffed and I puffed after the first 20 steps and barely made it to the top.
And this is the destination, where St Anne'a apparation appeared and devotess and believers have come in throngs. And with restrictions lifted, I am sure, this year will be quite grand. As the lit candles indicate,some have come by to say hello-hi to St Anne as did I.
I have not seen it so green, I suppose with the lockdowns and hardly anyone coming by, everything has overgrown. So no surprise the mosquitoes came out in droves, probably thinking "oooooh, a buffet!" They were attacking and so I didn't stay long to take more pictures and ran for it.
The stairs on the other side of the trail. So you can go up one side and come down the other or vice versa.
There are spaces for you to pray and light your candle. I remember Mum used to buy candles as close to our heights as possible so she could pray for St Anne to watch over her family. Back then, we'd have to stay to these candles because young kids would wait for the right time to swipe as many as they could to melt and mould them back into new candles to sell.
I remember this one time when my daughter was not even 2 years old, we had made that trip and on the way, I had to make her milk. So we pulled over, I went to the boot, mixed the milk and fed her some. After which, instead of going to sleep as she normally did, she started jumping in the car and there was no calming her down for a good half hour, before exhausted, she dozed off. Only later did I find out, dad had mixed some gin with water in the water bottle for him to drink and unknowinlgy I had used that to mix the milk. Thank goodness, it was only a little to add to the hot water I used🤦♀
There are more of these on the grounds, but we had to leave and I didn't get a chance to take pictures of them all.
But before I wrap it, a couple more stories are attached to this place. When my brother and I were about 9 and 12, we joined the people who had made a vow to beg for money, which they then would drop into the donation boxes. We stood in the line, along the road and up the stairs to the old church. We begged with them and then dropped half the coins in our pockets and the other half into the donation box. 😬
And one last story to share, we took Mum for the feast on her last year even though she was too weak to climb the stairs to the grotto. She sat on the bottom stairs and waited while I made a quick dash up. On the way back, she repeated several times, "Sheela, this year we must go to St Anne's feast ok?". The first time I told her, we were just at the church and were on our way back. After that, I just agreed with her and left it at that as she had dementia by then and it was useless to try and jog her memory.
Oh oh, one last one. After my daughter, I was trying very hard to get pregnant again in the hopes of having a pair. For months (over a year) we tried but it wasn't happening. Three days back from St Anne's feast that year, I found out I was pregnant and it was the boy as I had prayed for. Maybe a coincidence I don't know...
This place will always be special because of Mum first and foremost and somehow being there just brought back so many memories and feelings.
all images are mine
