DO YOU KNOW?? Streets in Chinatown (Part 1)

Some historial information about Sago Street..

Sago is used in food, especially in puddings and grown in tropical areas. In the past, there were many sago factories in this area and hence, the street was named after them.

"The Street of The Dead"

In the Past


(Photo taken from http://www.aliciapatterson.org/APF001971/Skerly/Skerly10/Skerly10.html)

Death houses once lined both sides of Sago Lane. A death house was literally where the poor cmae to die. Most of Singapore's poor Chinese immigrants lived in overcrowded quarters, where there were hardly enough space for the living, let alone the dying.

This, coupled with superstitution that dying in one's home brought bad luck to the remaining residents, led to the creation of the death houses. Medical care and facilities at the dead house were minimal, for those who entered did not expect to recover. Rooms and dormitories offered the dying a place to rest, while the attached funeral parlours ensured a proper burial.

The dead person would be laid out in a Chinese coffin surrounded by colourful paper effigies of worldly goods, such as money, cars and houses. The effigies would then be burnt with some personal items belonging to the deceased. This ritual symbolised the assurance that wealth and comfort await him in the spirit world.

Death houses were a vital part of Chinatown community. They were outlawed in 1961 and shops selling funeral paraphernalia sprung up in their place.

(Information taken from street description along Sago Street.)

The Present Days




It has been converted into a pedestrian mall. It houses food outlets, bars, retail shops and on the other side, there is a row of pushcarts selling a range of items.


THE BIG LIGHT BULB
1. Why are Death Houses no longer around today?

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