David did not grow up like other boys. He was always a victim of ridicule and jealousy. Somehow, some people just hated him, and for no reason at all. He once told me that when he was a kid, he didn't like himself at all. Even though he was brought up with good manners and was well-behaved all the time, his school mates just could not resist making a mockery of him.
It was only until when he was in secondary school that he found some good friends who provided some `protection' against those `evil' people. They were not important to him, David told me. David is the type who is very self-involved. One thing he has a fascination for is fantasy fiction. Gods, fairies, demons and ghosts .... these are the stories that captivate him.
Being a science student in his secondary school years, he knew very well it was a form of escapism and being taunted every so often, it was a good way for him to bury himself in the fantasy world.
It has always fascinated him how mediums could predict the future, cure sickness and find lost items. They are the `know-all' and people would follow their instructions to the minute details. David followed him mother to some of the sessions and although he didn't know what they were talking about, he was fascinated with it.
Some of these deities did have a strong influence on David's life..... one of whom is `Hua Kwang', the guardian deity of the Chinese Opera troupes. Chinese opera troupes have always been something of a mystery. We see them on stage all dressed up and singing things we don't understand but it has a totally different world of its own.
According to David, when these troupes have to do their performance on a new stage, they have perform a cleansing ritual. In this ritual, one of the actors has to dress up as `Hua Kwang'. Another actor has to dress up as `the devil' or evil spirit. Then candles and joss sticks would be lit up at Hua Kwang's altar and the actors would pray to him and inform him that they want to do the stage cleansing ritual.
Almost immediately, both actors fall into a trance. The Hua Kwang actor would chase after the `devil' actor around the stage, with a long spear. This would go on and on until the `devil' actor is chased off the stage (yes, he has to jump off the stage, which is about 5 ft high !). David has asked the actors if they were acting. They repeatedly denied having any control. In fact, once it was so bad, the actors quarrelled after the cleansing ritual, because the `devil' actor scolded his counterpart, `Are you crazy ? You nearly killed me back then!' After the ritual, a chicken is to be sacrificed to Hwa Kuang and all the actors have to use the blood to dot their foreheads as protection.
Chinese opera troupes have all sorts of superstitions. Musical instruments were considered sacred and not to crossed over. So were the costumes, boxes, props and headgears. Some words were forbidden and some things were forbidden. David explained that Chinese opera stories evolved around ancient Chinese history and legends. Those items represented heroes, deities, demi-gods, emperors, legendary figures and contained their aura. If the person's luck is not strong enough, disrespecting or offending them could have disastrous consequences.
David also told me Hwa Kwang is also his guardian deity, being a member of the opera troupe. He was like the `Guru' since David was a kid. I once asked him, `How does that help you ?' `Many ways' David replied.
When he first got involved as a child actor, he was very nervous. He prayed to Hwa Kwang for guidance. He remembered the first acting experience. He had butterflies in his stomach just before going out and he was about to run off the stage. He was only 11 years old at that time. The strange thing was, the moment he stepped out on the stage, all his fears disappeared and it went on smoothly. David insisted that it was his godfather guru, Hwa Kwang who gave him the courage.
He also said that Hwa Kwang protected him from evil spirits and even as a child, he was never afraid of the dark. Other than that, being able to sing Chinese opera, he had to refrain from cursing people for it could very well come true. Superstitions, superstitions and more superstitions..... I laughed and told David, `This is not going to bring you anywhere.... you can't get rich, you can't get happiness ... you can't even get a girlfriend.'
`But I can get peace of mind.......' That's my good old friend David.... do come back for more stories !!!
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