"In the Leong household, preparations for Deepavali begin more than a week earlier. Security guard Leong Kow Chai, 67, was busy polishing oil lamps and putting up decorative items in their home in Kajang, Selangor when this interview took place.
His wife Valiamah Selvadurai, 64, had been preparing her crowd-pleasing delights like muruku, achi muruku and chittu urundai, and must-have pineapple jam tarts and coconut biscuits.
The father-of-six also helped Valiamah with all kinds of odd jobs before the festivities.
“As we have no daughters, I have always played the role of Valiamah’s assistant,” he said jovially.
After so many years, Leong is now an expert at mixing the muruku dough and wielding the mould to form muruku spirals.
“I will also help with prep work for the meals, such as peeling onions and garlic, and cutting vegetables,” Leong recounted his Deepavali duties while buffing kuthu vilaku (brass lamps).
Observed by Hindus, Jains and Sikhs, the festival of lights is celebrated in many different cultures globally. During this celebration, Hindus light diya lamps around their homes to represent the victory of good over evil.
Leong and Valiamah have been married for over 40 years, and celebrating each other’s festivals is very much a part of their lives together.
Learning to give and take has kept their marriage strong, and that includes keeping each other’s traditions and customs, Valiamah says.
The couple - who hail from Teluk Intan, Perak - were introduced by Valiamah’s brother-in-law in 1975. She was initially apprehensive about marrying Leong as she was anxious about adapting to Chinese culture and traditions.
“My parents gave their blessings but it was uncommon in the 1970s for an Indian girl to wed a Chinese man. It took a fair bit of coaxing from my elders to convince me to marry him,” recalled Valiamah, who tied the knot with Leong in a Hindu temple in Teluk Intan in 1976.
But Leong was not at all worried about marrying into an Indian family. He was, after all, not entirely an outsider; he was fluent in Tamil even before he married Valiamah.
“I grew up with Indians. They taught me everything, from the language to food to culture. With so much exposure to the Indian way of life, it seemed only natural to marry an Indian woman,” said Leong, whose mother tongue is Cantonese.
While the family veers towards Indian practices, Leong has also made the effort to ensure his sons are in touch with their Chinese roots. Festivities like Chinese New Year, Qing Ming and Mooncake Festival are celebrated in Leong’s home.
During Chinese New Year, Valiamah observes traditions such as holding a grand reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, albeit with a more spiced up menu for variety and “ummph”.
“Sambal prawns and ayam masak merah are must-haves as my children love these dishes. These items complement other traditional Chinese dishes like steamed chicken, chap chai (mixed vegetables) and herbal soup,” explained Valiamah.
Over the years, Valiamah taught her husband how to perfect his Indian culinary skills too. She said his mutton peretal, chicken curry, sardine peretal and thosai are romba nallaruku (very tasty).
“I worked as a general worker in the estate for close to 30 years. The hours were long. To ease my burden, my husband learnt how to cook these dishes for the family,” said Valiamah.
The couple’s lives have been enriched by accepting and embracing each other’s culture and traditions.
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14 окт 2024
