The Walk of Life

Married to a Cockrel? It can only happen in China! Although this is true but the whole wedding ceremony is more for symbolism than anything. Well, in the olden days in China, whenever a girl or woman intends to stay single will go through a ceremony as a symbolism that she is sort of already married but not to a man but to her profession or women group using the cockerel to represent the 'groom'!

This was a very common practice among the women who came from the Silk River Delta in Shun Tak, Guandong. Actually these amazing women are quite independent. They work in their silk trade by rearing silk worms and from the cocoons produces silk. They form associations and they made monthly contributions into the association so that in their old age, the association will take care of them! Some even purchased properties and these become the famous old maids home!

Actually I wanted to share about Ah Fook which is the name of the cockrel being used in the coming play by my daughter, Women Of Silk River. Ah Fook is for the symbolic wedding ceremony in one of the scene in the play.

Ah Fook is a Japanese modified cockrel and hence quite small! Typically Japanese who loves to shrink everything! Remember Bonsai? Dawn took Ah Fook home and since we have Vladimir our pet Pekinese, we have to separate these two for Ah Fook's safety and security. So Ah Fook lives in my toilet! Rock and dawn just cannot stand the messy chicken shit in their own bathrooms! Everyday when I sit there, Ah Fook will fly up and perched on his basket and started crowing!! The din was unbearable. Cannot imagine for such a small thing and it can make so much noise! I just wonder what is Ah Fook announcing to the neighborhood! Either announcing what I am doing or complained about the stench!!! He is also the alram clock now but the problem is he started crowing at 5 am!!!!

Guess I have to tolerate Ah Fook sharing my toilet for the next 3 weeks until the play is over! Who is he to complain since he made a mess of my toilet and I have to clean it everyday besides feeding and checking on him! Anyway Ah Fook is really domesticated and in the evenings, dawn will take him out for a walk! Unbelievable! Dawn just walk slowly ahead and Ah Fook will trotter behind. When dawn carries him on her bosom and pets him, Ah Fook just closes his eyes and went to sleep! I am growing rather fond of Ah Fook now and am thinking of getting a pet Japanese cockrel myself!