Tag: bukit mertajam

Qingming Festival in Penang

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The Berapit burial ground at Bukit Mertajam is one of the largest place for Chinese from all over Penang to visit and pay respect to their ancestors during the Qingming Festival (also known as Tomb Sweeping Day and Clear Bright Festival).

A Chinese tradition, the Qingming Festival is an opportunity for members of a family to remember and honour their ancestors at grave sites. Young and old pray before the ancestors, sweep the tombs and offer food, tea, wine, chopsticks, joss paper accessories, and/or libations to the ancestors.

Penang Mainland: St. Anne Church

The famous St. Anne Church is located at a 20-acres land in Bukit Mertajam, Penang. The Roman Catholic church was founded in 1846 and its first chapel was built on top of the hill. The church expanded as years passed with an increase of Catholic populations in the state, with major developments during the 1990s to 2000s.

In 2002, another new church was built which is one of the largest churches in Malaysia. The church was built incorporating Minangkabau element such as its roofs. An avenue named Dataran St. Anne was also constructed in front of the church. Various facilities were also built such as dormitories for visiting pilgrims, parish office, parish community centre and presbytery. In 2006, the church installed the ‘Statues of Passion’ at a cost of RM600,000 depicting the stations of the cross.

The real feast day of St Anne is on 26 July, but it is usually celebrated for ten days at Bukit Mertajam, either on the real day or immediately after the real day. The celebrations include a candlelight procession, a nine-day novena and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. During these days, pilgrims from all over the country, including neighboring countries, will be travelling here.

Location: Google Map

Penang Mainland: The Old Mengkuang Dam

A Brief Intro

The Mengkuang Dam is the biggest dam in Penang with a storage capacity of about 23,639 million litres of water. Besides the obvious of providing water to the people, the dam serves as a recreational park with benches decorating along the waters as well as roads for joggers. The area provides an excellent view of waterscape and the surrounding hills. The dam is located at the mainland side of Penang, north-east of Butterworth town.