St. Anne's Feast...

St.Anne's feast is a famous Christian festival of Bukit Mertajam. My family lived opposite the all famous St. Anne's Church(old) like all our lives. By the time I was 12, I knew every nook and corner of the church and its jungle surroundings. I even knew the caretaker Mr.Robert, an old quintessence 'Darcula' man who thrived on Vitamin C insulin shots twice weekly to keep his old ruffle skinned body moving. I also know about the little swimming pool  hidden away from the crowd and church goers where my friends and I use to have a whale of a splash-time. Even under the eagle stares of Mr.Robert, he could never keep us away from our mischief.


We lulled the noons away inscribing our god-forsaken names on the moss ridden stones behind the church. Some of us played 'rascals' by having 'speak-of-the devil' words inscribed into the stones and faced the wrath of the church 'gatekeeper'. The stones are now well hidden as many changes had taken place since then. Anyway, the whereabouts of these stones is a well kept secret amongst like-minded rascals friends then. Tho' sworn with secrecy we remain guilty as charged. Haha.


A month before the grand feast, we boys, after school, will get together in the noons and help out poor Mr. Robert cut and clean the vast church compound. It is always a daunting task to mow the church lawn which is like 2 football fields wide, scrap off hardened candle-wax within the church compounds and all along the bleacher steps to the top of the little mount. The mowed grass, wood and twigs are collected and burnt as the entire compound is prepped ready for the thronging pilgrims. The pilgrim shed is cleaned and painted as well. Every year, the church goes through a face-lift a month before the culmination of the feast. At present I believe all church work is done by paid laboures.


The little history I know of the St. Anne's Church played a lot in my growing up years. The church itself can be traced back to 1833 when Catholics from Batu Kawan ( a town not far from Bukit Mertajam ) first settled on the foothills of BM. The first church or chapel I should say was built in 1846 by French missionaries on top a small hill behind the old church only later, inadvertently was burnt down by pilgrims. St. Anne was a patron mother and a popular saint of the French. She is believed to be the mother of Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus Christ which any christian will tell you that. But what they won't tell you is that she is also the Patron Saint for housewives, grandmothers, carpenters, and women in labour and many more - that's what she stood for when she was chosen.


The first church of St Anne was built in 1888 overseen by Father F.P Sorin. His tomb / grave is embedded at the main entrance of the old church built in 1957. The “Shrine of St Anne” the focal point of the Feast and the Novena of St Anne, is celebrated annually. Drawing nearly thousands of people every year from all around the world, this nine day affair culminates with a beautiful candlelight procession which starts on the eve of St Anne's feast.


I still remember to this day the days of the St.Anne's feast then and now. Then it was all religious and holly in many sense of the word, but now, with time moving into space age and with all the gadgets and gizmos in evidence, the feast itself had transformed. More commercialism has set in. More state of the art tech has come into existence. There was a time the only statue outside the church was the one placed inside the grotto on the right just after the first mount. Now statues are everywhere. And a new church had sprouted up too.


I still remember how we boys were chased away from the compounds of the church for NOT being Christians. Tho' we felt cheated but we laughed it off like a Sunday school joke. The better half of the boys who came to help Mr Robert were also non Christians. Since then, non-Christians felt reluctant to encroach the church but after the change of the priest to a local, confidence came back to the nearer residents and paved for the non-Christians to frequent the church.


Stories are aplenty as I write this blog but I prefer all those wonderful years to stay in memory rather then be read here. It was indeed an experience to live nearby the all famous St.Anne's church and live to tell, share with reminisce those glory and wonderful days.


Thank you for listening.