Compiled by Henry Yule and Arthur Coke Burnell, the Hobson-Jobson Being a Glossary of Anglo-Indian Colloquial Words and Phrases and of Kindred Terms (first edition, 1886) was an important collection of words mainly of Asian origin which entered the English language through the Eastern trade routes. In explaining the expression chin-chin, the glossary pointed out that “In the “pigeon English” of Chinese ports this signifies ‘salutation, complements,’ or ‘to salute,’ and is much used by Englishmen as slang in such senses.” (1886: 154). This usage was shown in a previous article where chin-chin was used as greeting in a postcard sent from Honolulu to Hong Kong. In this article, we will see another usage of chin-chin. The image of the postcard above showed a Chinese procession referred to as “chin-chin joss”. The people were carrying offerings to the god or deity – the so-called joss in pidgin English. Joss (or josh)was derived from the Portuguese word deus meaning ‘God’. Therefore, chin-chin joss referred to religious worship in the Pidgin spoken in China.
Samuel Wells Williams was a linguist, missionary, sinologist from the United States. He arrived at Canton in 1833. In The Chinese Repository, an article entitled “Jargon spoken at Canton” (1836) was believed to be written by Williams. The article was about the origin and the main characteristics of the “jargon”, namely Pidgin English and a story written in that language was given as illustration. A foreigner visited a shop in Canton and was curious about some red sticks. He asked the shopkeeper what they were (1836: 434):
“This have what thing?“
The Chinese shopkeeper replied:
“That hab joss-tick; China custom makee chin-chin joss.”
Hab was a variant of have. The way have/hab was used in these sentences was quite different from standard English. Here, have/hab functioned like a copula expressing ‘to be’. The red incense sticks that the foreigner was asking about were called joss-sticks which were used for worshipping gods according to Chinese custom.
As traditional Chinese religion is polytheistic, chin-chin joss of any kind is a major aspect of Chinese society. There is a plethora of gods, goddesses and deities that people worship in order to seek protection for different aspects of life. At home, a plaque of the Hearth God or Kitchen God (Cantonese: zou3 gwan1 灶君), who reports the conduct of the family to the celestial gods, is placed in the kitchen. The Earth God (Cantonese: tou2 dei6 土地) is the guardian of a certain location such as a house, a shop, a building, a village, etc. One of the most beloved gods in Chinese family is the goddess of mercy and compassion (Cantonese: gun1 jam1 觀音), who hears the cries of people. Besides the gods and deities, expressing filial piety and respect for the ancestors is also considered a duty in Chinese tradition. Ancestor veneration (祭祖 or 拜祖先) is an expression of reverence so that the deceased will continue to protect the living descendants. Homage is usually paid at the beginning of Spring (立春), Spring Equinox (春分), Autumn Equinox (秋分), Winter Solstice (冬至), or the Chinese New Year. On the Ching Ming Festival (清明) and Chung Yeung Festival (重陽), people sweep the tombs of their ancestors and offer foods and other provisions to the deceased. In Hong Kong, both festivals are public holidays.
Living descendants will prepare different types of offerings to make sure that their ancestors have sufficient means in the afterlife. Joss sticks (incense) and joss-paper (spirit money) are burnt. There is also a variety of food offerings such as tea, liquor, rice, cake, fruit, chicken, etc. Perhaps, the most important of the food offerings is the pig or suckling pig which is roasted whole. The “Golden pig” (金豬), so called because of the crisp and golden brown skin after roasting, is placed on a red tray. After the ancestors have their fill of food, the descendants can take their shares.