Another year of quiet Hungry Ghost Festival

As the Hungry Ghost Festival this year comes to a close, it has been another year of low key celebrations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

No large makeshift altars were allowed here this year. Instead, people are only allowed to do prayers in temples and also private offerings outside their homes.

 

And as we reminisce upon the festive celebrations of previous years, we hope that perhaps next year we will start to see some of these traditional festivities return to normal.

Till We Meet Again - The End of the Hungry Ghost Month

As the Hungry Ghost Month for 2020 draws to a close, we bid farewell to the roadside offerings of food and joss paper, and of the taboos of the month... It was indeed a very different celebration this year under the 'New Normal', and I have only managed to see one large Phor Thor at Sunway Mentari (and even that was scaled down) when in previous years, the problem was more of trying to politely decline friends' invitation to see and shoot the Phor Thor in their area.

 

Of course the best part of a Phor Thor or large Hungry Ghost celebration, besides the prayers, food offerings and trances is the burning of the King of Hades (Da Shi Yeh) to send him and his officials off, together with all the joss paper and spirit tablets of the departed at the end of the celebration. Picture below is the Da Shi Yeh from Sunway Mentari Phor Thor catching fire as they set him alight on the last night of their celebration.

 

So hopefully next year thing will be back to normal, and we shall be able to attend more large Hungry Ghost Phor Thor celebrations... 

The Final Prayer - Hungry Ghost Festival 2020

These are the scenes of the final prayer session for the Sunway Mentari Hungry Ghost Festival, before sending the King of Hades (Da Shi Yeh) and his retinue off in a big bonfire. Whenever a large Phor Thor (Hungry Ghost) celebration is conducted ie with the King of Hades, his retinue and the various paper effigies, this prayer is always done at the end of the celebration and depending on the priest and how elaborate the procedure is, can take up to two or three hours before it is completed and the paper effigies and joss paper can then be dispatched in a big bonfire.

It is all about food... and it's finger licking good too...

Money makes the world go round - Joss money and 'daily necessities' for the hungry ghost.

It is in the hands - The priest performing ritual to feed the hungry ghost...

Tossing joss paper money for the spirits ...

Moving the Da Shi Yeh (King of Hades) effigy and his retinue to be burnt at the end of
the ceremony.

The focus of this final prayers before the the send-off is all about feeding the wandering spirits, ensuring they have food, joss money and whatever they need in their realm, and then asking all of them to take leave, including the King of Hades and his retinue, plus all of the ancestor spirits that has benefited from this celebration.

Faces of Hungry Ghost Festival - the Taoist Priest

Featured here is a Taoist priest conducting a prayer at a Hungry Ghost Festival in Malaysia, whereby food and even coins on the altar are distributed and tossed to the devotees after being offered to the spirits. And no, he didn't throw the pineapple, but merely passed it to one of the devotees standing nearby. I was hoping he would...

Taoist priest on the altar performing prayers to feed the hungry ghost during Ghost Month
Celebration at Sunway Mentari.

In some Cantonese speaking areas, Taoist priest are sometimes called Nam Mo Lou (喃嘸佬 - Jyut Ping: Naam4 Mou4 Lou2). This is a colloquial term used for a Taoist priest, especially one who performs prayers for the salvation of the deceased or spirits. The term is in fact incorrect as the origin of the phrase Nam Mo is a term from Buddhist text (Na Mo - meaning homage to}, whereas those priest are Taoist. However in many Asian and South East Asian countries, they are colloquially being referred to as such despite being a misnomer (and also disrespectful) for their profession.

 

You Are Looking for Me??? - the King of Hades (大士爷) Effigy

你找我啊？？我来啦。。。 
(You are looking for me??? I am coming....)

This year, it is very hard to find large scale Hungry Ghost celebrations (also known as Phor Thor) in Malaysia due to the Covid-19 pandemic as we are still in the Recovery Movement Control Order (RMCO) imposed by the government.

To be able to find a King of Hades or Da Shi Yeh (大士爷) effigy to photograph is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Luckily a friend informed me that at Sunway Mentari they will be holding their Hungry Ghost Festival as usual albeit in a small scale, complete with the King of Hades paper effigy.

The image is the reflection of the King of Hades effigy on a puddle of water on the road at Sunway Mentari Hungry Ghost Festival which is happening from the 1st to the 5th Sept 2020. Caught his reflection in a puddle of water on the road as if he is coming out from the Underworld...

And this is how the altar setup is like... Everything is there, the King of Hades, Tua Pek and Jee Pek, the Gold and Silver Mountain, ships for the souls to reach salvation (3 small ones)... paper house for the departed etc. although somewhat scaled down in size to fit in the praying location.

This is how the altar setup looks like at Sunway Mentari Phor Thor... all there but
scaled down to fit the location as they cannot hold big outdoor event under
the RMCO (Recovery Movement Control Order.

If you want to know more about the taboos during this festival, see my previous post about "Hungry Ghost Month Taboos..."

Hungry Ghost Month Taboos...

There are many Chinese taboos associated with the Hungry Ghost month. Listed below are 13 of them and the apparent reason(s) for those taboos, as well as a lighthearted take on those reasons...

1. Don't go out at night...

You will bump into the wandering hungry ghost and either piss them off or they are attracted to you. If they are mad at you, then they will play pranks on you or sabotage what you do. If they like you, worst still.... you now have an invisible stalker. Imagine you having to make a police report that a 'hamsap' (perverted) ghost is stalking you... So no late night mamak eating trips or driving around okay...

2. Don't hang your laundry out in the open at night...

Ghost will be attracted to your laundry and stick to it, bringing negative energy to you when you wear your clothes.. Maybe it is the nice smelling laundry detergent you use or the softener?? Or maybe your laundry ain't clean enough and they have a smelly shirt/dress/underwear fetish?? 

3. Don't step or kick the offerings for the hungry ghost on the roadside...

The ghost will get angry if you disturb or kick their offerings... I guess if you go try and step on your family meal before they have eaten, or kick your friends/colleagues/parents/children dinner before they start eating or during their meal.... sure get whacked right??? So don't do it for goodness sake.

4. Do not step on the joss paper money offering on the roadside...

Stepping on their money is a sure way of pissing them off... If I see real money on the road, I will step on it and then bend down and pretend to tie my shoelaces before picking up the money, so I guess maybe the ghost thinks that you are after their moolah when you step on it.... which is bad.

5. Do not get married during the Hungry Ghost month...

They love ceremonies and parties that have candles and joss sticks and food. Also they might prank your wedding ceremony because they cannot be part of it or worst still, during the ceremony take up the same space as your partner... now you wonder which one did you marry huh, the human, the ghost or both???

6. Do not hold your wedding banquet during Hungry Ghost month....

If you had no choice and got married in the Hungry Ghost month, then for goodness sake do not hold your banquet dinner until the month is over... Why??? Food and tables and chairs and stage entertainment.... are you sure your banquet guest are all human or.... ghost???

7. No renovation during the Hungry Ghost month...

One reason is you disturb the peace and tranquility of the area and they don't like it. The other reason is if you had removed doors, windows, walls or roof, the ghosts can go in and hang about., and you are doomed if the job is done before the 7th month is over.... you sure 'sui' liao (badly jinxed) as the ghost might remain inside and you get a free 'maid' for the month.

8. No swimming especially at night during this month...

They are looking for another soul to replace their position and will pull you down to drown you. Now have you wondered if you piss when swimming or swim naked will they be scared off? Skinny dipping anyone?

9. If you are certain that you are walking alone, do not turn around or answer when someone calls your name...

Apparently humans have three 'flames' that protect one from being possessed, one on the forehead and one on each shoulder. So by quickly turning around the flames on the shoulders can be put off... At least I can tell my friends that I am a natural fire juggler.... If you need to turn around, slowly walk in a semi circle to face the other direction instead of swinging your head around. Hmmm, if I carry several fire torches, will that help??

10. Do not open an umbrella inside the house, or carry an open umbrella inside the house... 

It is believed that ghosts can and will hide under an opened umbrella to stay away from the sun (reminds me of someone who goes bleh bleh bleh; or they must be suffering from photosensitivity or are albino) and by bringing an open umbrella in or opening one inside your house, you allow them to go into the house via the umbrella. So is Rihanna referring to ghosts in her song Umbrella??? At least this proves that the umbrella is a versatile transportation device like how Mary Poppins uses it.

11. Do not stick chopsticks or eating utensils upright on rice or food not meant for the dead.... 

That is how food is offered to spirits. Then they will fight with you when you want to eat the food... see who can eat faster. Actually you don't do that all the time, not just during Hungry Ghost month. 

12. When you see seats set out in front of stages during the Hungry Ghost festival, never ever take the front row seats that are left empty for the ghosts...

Remember the Phantom of the Opera and what happened when they didn't leave Box 5 empty for him.... same thing if you try to take the front row seats. I would gladly leave the front row seats for them anyway... too near to the stage and neck pain to look up all the time at stage, plus speakers are too close and damaging to my eardrums... the best seats are somewhat in the middle, like in cinemas.

13. Never ever put a baby on the offering table at Hungry Ghost festival... or anything that you do not wish to offer to the spirits...

The spirits will think the baby is an offering item and proceed to consume it... Now how can anyone or anything eat a cute little baby??? Plus they piss and puke and shit everywhere... I imagine it wouldn't be the nicest piece of food to try and eat. I would rather go for the roast pig and chickens and ducks, won't you??


Click on these links to see my other posts about this festival in:

• 2016 - Are You Hungry Tonight???
• 2019 - Be Spirited Away
• 2020 - Hungry Tonight??? - Hungry Ghost Festival under the New Normal
• 2020 - You Are Looking for Me???

Hungry Tonight??? - Hungry Ghost Festival under the New Normal

Hungry Ghost Festival 2020 is here... albeit more toned down due to COVID-19 pandemic
restrictions.

Hungry Ghost Festival has started on 19th August 2020... but this year you will probably notice that there are less almost no large scale festivities (Phor Thor Celebration) locally due to the coronavirus pandemic restrictions. The so called 'new normal' in which social distancing rules applies and no big gatherings being allowed has affected the traditional Phor Thor celebration... Gone are the stage shows (getai), Chinese opera shows and large tent up areas for this celebration.

 

However, prayers offered by the roadside for wandering hungry ghosts seems to be no less than the previous year. So beware, when you are out at night and walking alone.... you might just not be alone on the streets, something might be out there, watching you go by..... (see this post about the taboos during Hungry Ghost festival)

Be Spirited Away - Hungry Ghost Festival

Come August - September each year, a familiar sight fills the cities and countryside of East Asia and South-East Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia. Offerings of food litter the roadside, with joss-sticks and candles stuck to the ground or placed in small containers by the sidewalk. In some places, large makeshift altars pop up (commonly referred to as Phor Thor/Pudu celebration by locals), more often than not piled up with various food items as well as huge bundles of joss-paper as offerings - this is the Hungry Ghost Festival that the Chinese diaspora practices come the Lunar 7th month each year.

The celebration has its roots in the Buddhist Ullambana (盂蘭盆 - Pravāraṇā Day) prayers for pretas and/or departed spirits after the monks had completed their rainy season retreat), but is merged with the Taoist Zhong Yuan Di Guan Festival (中元地官节) or Zhong Yuan Festival, coupled with syncretic spirit worship. Regardless of the roots, this festival is strongly pivoted around the belief of filial piety and retribution. 

The festival basically runs for the entire Chinese lunar 7th month and on this year (2019) falls on August 1 untill Aug 29, but peaks on the 14th/15th of the lunar month as well as towards the end of the lunar month. In Part 1 of this festival, we bring you the essential elements of the Hungry Ghost Festival.

1. Offerings

Food, food and more food.... plus joss paper and hell bank notes, candles and joss-sticks

2. The King of Hades and paper effigies

When the ghost are roaming about, who do you call?? The King of Hades and the Underworld deities. The effigy is a common sight in large scale Phor Thor celebration.

3. Entertainment - Traditional Opera vs Modern Getai 

Traditional opera versus modern stage acts featuring scantily clad singers and suggestive gyrating moves (la mei).

4. Salvation Prayers (Chao Du)
This includes the symbolic act of Breaking the Walls of Hell (Hell is a paper fort with flimsy paper doors!!) by the priest and the sprinting of the deceased from Hell by their relatives to a ship waiting to set sail for Western Paradise.

5. Trances and spirit mediums
In some places, spirit mediums and trance sessions are part of the festival.

6. The Big Burn aka Sending Off the Deities and Spirits
All the paper effigies, unburnt joss sticks, candles, offerings plus lots of joss money are piled up and set on fire to return the King of Hades and his retinue back to where they belong as well as to send the deceased to heaven.

Are You Hungry Tonight??? - Hungry Ghost Festival

The Chinese believe that during the 7th lunar month that usually falls in July-August, hungry ghosts are allowed to roam the world in order to satiate their desire and hunger for food and materialistic needs. Therefore food and ritualistic offerings are prepared for these roaming, hungry spirits in order to keep peace with them and also perhaps extract a favour or two as well.

Lanterns signal an ongoing
Hungry Ghost festival -
Sentul 2016

Offering prayers to the King of Hades (Da Shi Yeh) -
Ampang Mewah 2016

The Hungry Ghost festival or also known as Ullambana by the Chinese Buddhist is actually not confined to the Chinese alone. The Bon festival (where you get to see the Bon-Odori dance) is the Japanese version of this Hungry Ghost Festival. The concept of the festival, whether Chinese/Taoist or Buddhist remains the same, ie offerings of relief (in the form of food, material belongings or merits) to these suffering beings known as hungry ghost.

Priest conducts prayers for the spirits of the departed in conjunction with the festival -
Ampang Mewah 2016

The face Da Shi Yeh catching fire as he was being burnt
at the end of the 15 day celebration in
Bukit Mertajam (2015)

In South-East Asian countries with a high number of ethnic Chinese, such as Malaysia, Singapore, and certain parts of Thailand, you can see such offerings being given to these spirits on the roadside as well as in temples and makeshift altars set up specifically for the festival. The make-shift altars, known as Phor Thor (or Universal Deliverance Prayers) comes with a large amount of food, paper offerings and huge paper effigies of the King of Hades or Da Shi Ye and his retinue of underworld deities and officers to keep watch of the roaming hungry ghost to prevent any  incidence of mischief by them.

The famous Bukit Mertajam Da Shi Yeh

Opening the eyes of Da Shi Yeh -
Sentul 2016

Chinese opera at Lim Jetty Hungry Ghost Festival  -
the troupe is from Fujian, China

And to keep the ghost happy, entertainment in the form of Chinese opera, stage performances (know and getai/khor tai and can range from just singing to almost lewd performances), Chinese puppet show and various martial arts display are usually put on with rows of seats are that purposely left empty. These (usually front) seats are not 'empty' in the sense they are actually reserved for the ghosts and roaming spirits. And to top it off, a small amount of food and joss-sticks are placed on the chairs, just in case 'they' need a snack to go with the entertainment.

Besides keeping the ghosts fed, it is also a time for people to make merit by donating food that are distributed to the poor or needy, as well as feeding the less ghostly visitors of the event. Hence piles of rice cakes, roasted pig, vegetables and rice are offered and given away during the Phor Thor event which can run for one, three or even up to 15 days!

At the end of the prayers (be it one, three, five or 15 days) the effigies of the King of Hades and his retinue, together with paper money and paper cars, houses, servants etc for the hungry ghost will be dispatched in a huge bonfire that concludes the ceremony. Some even have processions and parades to bring the festivities to an end.

A Monkey God medium in the procession from Brickfields's Seng Hong Temple
Kuala Lumpur 2016

A Thai medium cutting his tongue as
part of the purification ritual -
procession from Brickfields Seng Hong
Temple, Kuala Lumpur.

Sending off the King of Hades and his retinue -
Ampang Mewah 2015

So if you see offerings being placed on the roadside in July-August, or see large makeshift shelters with flags, lots of joss-sticks and loud music going on... beware for the hungry ghost are hungry out roaming at night.

The Hungry Ghost Festival month runs from 

• Aug 3rd to Aug 31st in 2016 
• Aug 22nd to Sept 19th in 2017
• Aug 11th to Sept 9th in 2018

Colour, Black & White Collection - Empty Chairs...

A row of chairs set out in front of a stage show for the Hungry Ghost Festival in Ampang, 2015.
Are the chairs empty or are they taken??

The mirrored and B&W version juxtaposed on the strong colour and contrasty image begets us to ask what if what we see may not be all that is there? There could be something else out there, or it is merely a product of our imagination? With the removal of the blue and purple stage lights that clashes with the bright red chairs, it reduces the 'in-your-eye' image to a series of light and dark, and playfully teases the mind to think there could be more than meets the eye in the image... perhaps the shadows belong to someone, or something out there.