Nostalgia Rides High With Giant Rocking Horse In Alor Setar

ALOR SETAR, Feb 15 (Bernama) -- Towering at 12 feet high and 16 feet long, a giant wooden rocking horse now greets visitors at the San Sheng Welfare Organisation Cultural Heritage Village, becoming a nostalgic centrepiece for this year’s Chinese New Year celebration.

Created in conjunction with the Year of the Horse, the eye-catching replica was inspired by childhood memories of a once-popular toy that is rarely seen today.

Permanent adviser Pang Hu Khong, 62, said the idea came to him about two months ago as he reminisced about playing with a wooden rocking horse during his younger days.

“Nowadays it is hard to find wooden rocking horses. Children today may not even know about them. If there are any, they are usually metal ones in playgrounds, but they are not the same,” he told Bernama here today.

Pang and five volunteers spent two months building the structure using recycled wood and iron, working mostly in the evenings and at night as all of them have full-time jobs.

Completed on Feb 10, the replica has not only revived childhood memories among its creators but has also drawn visitors from various communities eager to take photographs.

For now, the public can view the installation during the day, while decorative lighting will be switched on beginning Feb 17, the first day of the celebration. The cultural village will welcome visitors free of charge until March 3.

Apart from the giant rocking horse, the village is hosting a range of activities, including wayang kulit performances and a nostalgia gallery displaying old televisions, radios and mobile phones to introduce younger generations to past lifestyles.

Pang said he incorporated various cultural elements of Kedah, reflecting Malaysia’s multiracial society.

“I hope people will come to learn and understand one another’s cultures so that we can respect each other’s religions and races in harmony,” he said.

-- BERNAMA