Michael Rogge features an old video scene from Old Singapore – those of you who are ‘pantang’ (superstitious) might want to give a miss. Sago Lane, the Lane of the Dead, was famous (or perhaps infamous) because of the funeral activities that take place there every day. It was a place shunned by superstition and people refrained from going there unless one really had to be there – in which case it was usually already too late.

Chinatownboy remembers some of the attitudes towards Sago Lane:

I could not remember much as I did not go through that lane often. Not one that any mother would want her kid to along to. The old folks were also “pantang” (a Malay word share with the Peranakans, that is akin to superstitious and yet not really because it is a belief) about going there, unless very necessary, not to mention allowing their kids to go. Chinese have their astrologies read or consulted at the beginning of each year and will know if they should be involved in “white” matters, meaning death. So, if they are not to attend to white matters, then, only when it happens to a close relative, they might not attend any funeral wake. These days, with modernity, less are being “pantang”.

Read more about Chinatownboy’s recollections here. The video is a fascinating look at life and death in the 1960s with scenes of coffin making, a procession in the rain and a burial. Check out the full video: