Pantang Larang?

Pantang larang?? Do you know what it means? Well.. living in Malaysian generally and being a Chinese or any race in particular, we are born, nurtured and socialized with so much of cultures, beliefs, traditions, norms and pantang larang. Pantang larang or taboos or acts that are forbidden are different according to the ethnicity.

I’m a Chinese but that does not mean all the Chinese have the same pantang larangs. It is different according to your dialect, your hometown in China, your religion, your family culture, your environment and etc.

Haih… do we really need pantang larang? What say you? Sometimes I feel we do. But most of the time pantang larang is just pantang larang. Nothing scientific. Pantang larang basically means No, No and NO to whatever you want to do. Pantang larang is also some kind of law that you must follow to have a smooth and better life. And this law is an unwritten law. It is usually passed down from one generation to another generation.

Why so many pantang larangs? Is it necessary? Is it reasonable? Aduih.. sorry to say at this moment, I feel so geram that i used to practice some pantang larang and I feel so regret now.

When I was small, really small, I’m forbidden from:
1) looking at monkey
2) playing with monkeys
3) and even cannot say the word monkey in ‘Hokkien’
4) not allowed to look at the wake and funeral
5) not allowed to attend funeral

hmmm.. until this moment, I’m phobia, scared and I never say the word monkey in Hokkien. I even dare not to type out the word monkey in Hokkien. It’s a great fear ok. It has been instilled in my mind since young. So yea why can’t I look at monkeys? I duno. And I never ask. I dare not to ask.

So why can’t I attend funerals? Ok some say when we are too young, our ‘power’ or ‘chi’ is weak to hinder us from the bad spirits. The evil spirits will come and kacau and then we’ll get sick blablabla. Ok la I can accept that. BUT I am so sad I can’t even attend my Ah Chor’s funeral. What the tut is that! I love my Ah Chor so much ok. And she loves me too. That time I was just around 10 years old. Sad ok. What kind of pantang larang is this! Ah Chor is my ancestor lah.

I never ask why. In Chinese culture, never question the elders. If not they will say you are rude or kurang ajar. Due to this perception of ‘kurang ajar’, the youths of my age nowadays dare not to open up their mouth to question and to ask intellectually. They are scared, they are fear and they have no confidence.

As I grown up, I, not to say forgotten but I've leave behind a lot of pantang larangs because I don’t feel it is necessary. I do whatever I feel like doing as long as I don’t harm anyone and I don’t tarnish my family’s name.  I don’t merely follow pantang larangs anymore. I will question the relevance of it. My parents also no longer ask me not to do this and that and they accept when I attend a wake or funeral. I guess maybe because I’m adult already and the bad spirit can’t kacau me anymore or maybe because I’m free from any CURSE. Haha.

If you practice a pantang larang for a religion purpose, I can still accept that. Other than that, hmmm.. I won’t criticize la. It’s your right ma. Siao meh. Im not that racist, bias and discriminative ok. Wa banyak open punya.

You may say, if we don’t follow the pantang larang, our culture will be vanished. But culture is a very wide aspect. In this modern world, no one really care about their cultures and religions. Yes this is a fact. Everyone is living in their comfort zone. People do whatever they like without taking into consideration about their cultures, beliefs, norms, and traditions. People’s lifestyle has changed. Everything is based on science technology now. However, I still believed in religion but I’m no longer that strong in practicing my pantang larang as how I used to be when I was small.

I am not here questioning your pantang larang. This is just my point of view of my own cultures.

Tiada kena mengena dengan yang hidup atau yang mati ataupun yang sepera hidup dan mati.