七夕节：新加坡曾经拥有的神话与现实

ISBN：9789811853036
作者：黄鈺清、李国樑
出版社：Renforest Publishing

【内容简介】

七夕节（乞巧节，七姐诞）有个七月初七，牛郎织女短暂相逢的凄美传说，曾经是新加坡的女孩和妇女，尤其是广东社群最重要的华人节日之一。鼎盛时期，牛车水有超过100个银河会，摆设精 美的微模型和手工艺品，吸引来自各行各业的大群访客。然而，这个历史悠久的节日，自上世纪70年代以来，已经从公众意识中淡化。

《七夕节：新加坡曾经拥有的神话与现实》是第一本关于新加坡七夕节的综合性双语书籍。本书通过中国古代文献追溯七夕节的起源和发展，进一步研究自19世纪中叶以来，早期中国妇女移民 带入新加坡的习俗，以及直到21世纪的本地节日与其他国家节日的发展轨迹。本书向我们的女性先民致敬，包括妈姐、三水女工、工厂女工，以及会馆女会员和家庭妇女，对她们来说，节日是社交活动，也是不可或缺的生活日常。本书综合与不同社区利益相关者的第一手口述历史访谈内容，探讨如何保留我们丰富的文化遗产与集体记忆，以及重塑七夕节的渠道。

The Qixi Festival, which tells the poignant classic of the brief reunion of the Cowherd and the Weaver Fairy on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, was one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals for girls and women in Singapore, especially among the Cantonese. During its heyday, over 100 Milky Way Associations, based mostly in Ngau Ce Seoi, organised celebrations with beautiful displays of miniatures and crafts, attracting throngs of visitors from all walks of life. This time-honoured festival, however, has faded from public consciousness since the 1970s.

This is the first comprehensive bilingual book about the Qixi Festival in Singapore. Besides looking into ancient Chinese texts to trace the origins and developments of the festival, it examines the customs brought over by early Chinese women migrants to Singapore since the mid-19th century. This book honours our foremothers, such as the Majies, Samsui women, female factory workers, as well as women in clan associations and individual households, for whom the festival was an important part of their social lives. It also investigates how the festival went from heyday to mayday in Singapore, juxtaposed with the festival's trajectories in other countries. Drawing from ethnographic research and oral history interviews with diverse stakeholders, it further synthesises views from the community on how the Qixi Festival, once a significant part of our collective heritage, can be revived.