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.

The Good Fight.... 1st Chetawan Muay Championship 2019

One on the face.... Muay championship at Wat Chetawan in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

Lighting Up Kek Lok Si Temple for Chinese New Year

The lights of Kek Lok Si Temple in the blue hour during Chinese New Year

 

Come every Chinese New Year, the famous Kek Lok Si Temple (Temple of Supreme Bliss) in Air Itam, Penang will be lit with lanterns and LED lights, turning it into a sort of light display wonderland. This yearly tradition no doubt attracts a lot of tourist and photographers wanting to capture this beautiful light display.
 
The lights of the temple will come on with the following schedule:

• January 24 to February 8 2019 :  7.30pm till midnight
• February 9 to February 21 2019: 7.30pm till 10pm

 
In my opinion, the best times are during the blue hour, which last only 15min or so, plus at that time, the lights are just being turned on in stages, so you will probably have at most 10 mins to shoot the lights in the blue hour. It is best to go before dark and sort of scout out which angle you prefer, and you might need to go on several occasions to get a good sky. I was lucky to get some clouds this time around.

Parking space at this temple are available at three different levels, the first and the lowest actually consist of three tiers, and the entrance is just past the shops as you turn in to ascend the road up the hill. The second is a smaller car park with an entrance arch leading to the Goddess of Mercy Hall, and with a good view of the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas. The final parking area is somewhat limited and is located at the Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin) statue area. If you park there, it is some distance up the hilly terrain and you would have to take the tram down to the main temple to view the main temple complex.

Thaipusam 2019 - Steps to Purification

Colourful Festivals of Malaysia - Thaipusam

Thaipusam is one of the top colourful festival that is celebrated in Malaysia, usually either in late January to early February (in 2019 it falls on 21st January) as the dates are based on the Tamil/Indian calendar.

This festival commemorates the occasion of Lord Murugan being given the powerful Vel or spear by his mother the Goddess Pavarti, which he then uses to vanquish the evil Asura Soorapadman. Central to this festival is the Kavadi Attam or the Burden Performance carried out by devotees as a form of penance and devotion to Lord Murugan. 

The carrying of 'burden' can be as simple as a pot of milk, or extend to the elaborate and towering decorated altars that are carried via hooks and rods that pierces the body of the devotee. Hence the festival is sometimes known as festival of piercings. Whilst some devotees appear to be in a trance when pierced and carrying the burden, others appear to be deeply absorbed in meditative state of mind.

A female devotee rolling on the ground until the steps of the
caves as part of her penance. Helping her along the way are
her family members.

In Kuala Lumpur, Batu Caves is a popular spot to observe this festival and be forewarned that the energy is really high and explosive, and the crowds maddening. Devotees take on their burden at a spot by the river across the main road, just follow the stream of devotees and you will find it.

In Penang, there are many locations where the devotees are pierced. The market area of Lorong Kulit (behind the city stadium) is where the large kavadis are placed onto the devotees and a good place to catch glimpses of those scary piercings.

Loy Loy Krathong...

วันเพ็ญเดือนสิบสอง
น้ำก็นองเต็มตลิ่ง
เราทั้งหลายชายหญิง
สนุกกันจริงวันลอยกระทง
ลอย ลอยกระทง
ลอย ลอยกระทง
ลอยกระทงกันแล้ว
ขอเชิญน้องแก้วออกมารำวง
รำวงวันลอยกระทง
รำวงวันลอยกระทง
บุญจะส่งให้เราสุขใจ
บุญจะส่งให้เราสุขใจ

wan pen deuan sìp sŏng
náam gôr nong dtem dtà-lìng
rao táng lăai chaai yĭng
sà-nùk gan jing wan loy grà-tong
loy loy loy grà-tong
loy loy loy grà-tong
loy grà-tong gan láew
kŏr chern nóng gâew òk maa ram wong
ram wong wan loy grà-tong
ram wong wan loy grà-tong
bun jà sòng hâi rao sùk jai
bun jà sòng hâi rao sùk jai

The Loy Krathong Festival is celebrated in Thailand on the full moon day of the twelve month in the Thai calendar (usually in mid November). This practice of floating decorated platforms with flowers and candles, has its roots in Brahminical practices and is tied to giving thanks to the water goddess but nowadays are carried out as a general wish and merit making activity. Here in Malaysia, wherever there is a strong Thai community presence, those communities would still practice this with the locals joining in as well in the festivities. Hence in Kelantan, Northern Kedah, Penang and as well as in Kuala Lumpur you can find the Loy Krathong festival being carried out, usually in association with a Thai Buddhist temple. Happy Loy Krathong!!

Welcoming the Nine Emperor Gods @ Ampang

Despite the heavy downpour, the invitation of the Nine Emperor Gods at Ampang Nan Tian Gong temple goes on as usual. The rain did not dampen the spirit and devotion of the devotees, who pushed on to invite the Nine Emperor Gods from the river back to the temple.

Going out to get the Nine Emperor Gods....

The Nine Emperor Gods, being represented by an urn held out of public sight under the royal yellow canopy, was escorted back to the temple with pomp and glory by an entourage of soaking wet and tired mediums, priest and devotees that arrived back at the temple around 9.30pm.

Here come the Nine Emperor Gods... escorting the urn back
to the temple.

The Festival begins at Ampang Nine Emperor Gods Temple

And so it begins, the start of the nine day vegetarian festival at Ampang Nan Tian Gong, with the raising of the lantern pole at midday today (8th Oct 2018). As per tradition, this temple will go out to 'invite' the Nine Emperor Gods from a nearby river later in the evening (7.30pm). Noticeably the temple grounds is filled predominantly with two very significant colours that are associate with this festival, yellow and white.

Yellow is of course the colour of royalty in the East, and hence things associated the Nine Emperor Gods or divinity during this festival would be clad in yellow. The other colour is white, being a symbol of purity (the strict vegetarian diet) or mourning (associated with certain stories of how the festival arose) and hence devout devotees/followers would wear all white including covering the head with a white scarf for the duration of the festival.

Time for Nine Emperor Gods Festival 2018

Yup, it is that time of the year again... the Nine Emperor Gods Festival is starting on the 9th until the 17th of October 2018. Of course the invitation of the Nine Emperor Gods happens on the eve of the festival, which falls on the 8th of October this year. At the Ampang Nine Emperor Gods temple (安邦南天宫九皇爷庙), preparations for the festival has been happening since two weeks ago. So do pop in and join in the festivities if you are nearby.

The View from Above - The Black Virgin Mountain

The Black Virgin Mountain or Núi Bà Đen in Tây Ninh Province of Vietnam is the highest peak in Southern Vietnam. The hill is actually an almost perfect cinder cone of an extinct volcano (which gives it its distinctive shape) and is a popular tourist spot. You can take the gondola up the hill and then opt to take the more exhilarating luge ride back down. The upper gondola station gives you a lovely view of the plains below.

View from the top station of the Núi Bà Đen gondola lift.

Roses are red....@ Ho Thi Ky Flower Market

Roses packed for sale at Ho Thi Ky Flower Market in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Timeless Charm of Bà Thiên Hậu (Thien Hau Temple) in Saigon

If you are in District 5 of of Saigon, do make it a point to see the Thien Hau Temple there. Officially known as Chùa Bà Thiên Hậu (Pagoda of the Lady Heaven Empress aka Mazu), the temple is quintessentially Chinese in architecture. Whilst there are many Mazu temples elsewhere around the world that are bigger, or more grand, this temple is unique as it has that old school charm typical of Chinese diaspora temples.

 

Look at the roof ceramic diorama, the altar decorations and setup, and donation slips being hung in the temple, and you get transported back in time to when the temple was possibly the grandest ever built at that time in that area and was the focal point of the Chinese community in Saigon. Indeed this is one of the many temples that carries the timeless charm of old Saigon, Vietnam.

Nature's Revenge... The Forlorn Remains of Danushkodi's St Anthony Church

The Rameswaram Cyclone of 1964, which is also known as the Danushkodi  Cyclone was responsible for the decimation of the old town of Danushkodi located on the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island, and left in place of a previously flourishing trade post and fishing town between India and Sri Lanka, a sad and forlorn looking ghost town.

The front facade of the church ruins.

One of the iconic ruins that remains till today amidst the seashell and souvenir stalls in this ghost town is the remains of the St Anthony of Padua Church of Danushkodi. Obviously being the patron saint of seafarers and fishermen, a church dedicated to him is sited here on Pamban Island.

Today only the front facade of the church, together with part of the walls and the altar remains after the 1964 disaster. Coupled with the fact that some locals have also been removing bricks from the ruins as construction material for their homes, this has hastened the decline of the remains of the church.

What remains of the interior of the church... the altar and part of the walls

And if you think lighting does not strike the same place twice, well Mother Nature must be a bi@tch; just days following the 40th anniversary of the Cyclone disaster, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami also hit Danushkodi, at first pulling back the sea to reveal submerged portions of the city before slamming the old town of Danushkodi under the waves again!

The irony of this is that St Anthony is also the patron saint of things lost... in the end, it is this church dedicated to him that is lost to Nature. So if you are travelling to Rameswaram or are in the south-eastern part of India, this is a place worth visiting... and reveals the formidable power of Mother Nature.

The Colours of Spring... Chiang Mai Flower Festival

The colours of spring...tulips at Chiang Mai Flower Festival 2018

The Chiang Mai Flower Festival in northern Thailand has been running for more than 40 years, and is held on the first weekend of February every year for three days. Flower decked floats parade through the city on the first Saturday of February whilst the flower displays and agriculture fair goes on for 3 days starting on the Friday of the first weekend of February till Sunday.

Next year in 2019, this festival will be held from 1st - 3rd of February. So do include it in your travel itinerary if you are traveling to Thailand during that time.

Weaving by the Sea

A man weaves coconut fronds into a container on the fort wall of Galle, Sri Lanka. He uses the sheath of the coconut flower, cut into long strips, as a binding twine to hold the weaving together.

Weaving by the sea - with a view of the seafront at Galle.

Using strips of the coconut spathe (flower stalk sheath) as twine to bind the basket.

Everlasting Flower Lady of Ooty

The everlasting flower lady of Ooty, India... reminds you of Eliza Doolittle. She looks like she could do with a break in her life; the frown plus the lines on her face that are deeply etched makes you wonder how is life treating her (read more about Ooty here - Ooty Queen of Hill Stations).

I Feel Pretty...

Feeling pretty in Psar Chaa, Siem Reap

Shot at 38mm, ƒ/6.3, 1/40s,  ISO 1000 with a Nikon D5300 and Tamron AF 18-270mm
F3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD lens.

Light Me Up... Penang Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2017

Light me up... inflation of hot air balloon at Penang Hot Air Balloon Fiesta 2017.

Divine prediction... Fire Watching at Penang Ban Ka Lan Snake Temple

Annually, on the 6th day of the Lunar New Year, the Penang Snake Temple host a fire watching ceremony as it is the patron deity Chor Soo Kong's birthday. The festivities start on the night of the 5th day of the Lunar New Year with various cultural performances and devotees will throng the temple to offer prayer to Chor Soo Kong on the eve of his birthday.

Getting them lit... Devotees throng to the Snake Temple to offer joss-sticks and candles on the
eve of Chor Soo Kong's birthday.

Deep in prayer...the never ending flow of devotees that come to pray to Chor Soo Kong on the
eve of his birthday.

As midnight approaches, an entourage will arrive with Taoist priest and a censer burner on a wooden carrier that will be placed in front of the deity on the main altar. After a short ceremony, joss sticks will be lit and passed to the committee members of the temple. These joss-sticks are then collected back after the members have offered their prayers and the tops snapped off and placed into the censer. The celebrant will then start the fanning until the embers burst into flames. The intensity, height and durability of this flame that is used as a prediction of Penang's quarterly economic state. This process will then be repeated two more times to obtain the prediction for the entire year.

When all three flames have been observed, the celebrant adds a sandalwood block and powder, and all present will rush forward to be blessed by the sandalwood smoke from the burner. When all inside have had their 'blessings', the censer and the carrier are taken out of the temple. There will then be other Chor Soo Kong temples who will also come with their censer in a carrier basket and perform the fire watching ceremony, which is usually used to predict their member's or organisation's luck in the coming year (as opposed to the entire state of Penang in the first one).

Flames that predict the economic well-being of Penang... the fire watching ceremony of
Penang Snake Temple.

Coming up - Thaipusam 2017

Coming up is Thaipusam, which falls on 9th Feb 2017 this year.

Vel! Vel! Veeravel! Vel! Vel! Vetrivel!

Son: Mommy, mommy can I eat this?? Mommy, mommy when are we going to see the world? Mommy, mommy...

Mother: Here son... have this (passes a Vel to her son) 
Son: Ooo, magic Vel (spear)!
Mother: Yes dear, now go play outside, don't make a mess in here... 
Son: Can I go play (beat up) with the (bad) kid next door, Soorapadman? Please, please?
Mother: Ughhh... just play nice, OK?
Son: Okay Mommy (YES! I am so gonna split him in half)

Faces of Nepal - The Shopkeeper

Mr Risal manages a secondhand bookstore called Paradise Book Shop on JP Road in the Thamel area of Kathmandu. With his Rudraksha rosary beads around his neck, his grey beard and calm expression, one cannot help but to notice him as one walks down the busy street in this part of town. He does have the countenance of a holy man and very much reminds me of Rajneesh Osho in a nice way.

Mr Risal keeping watch of his Paradise... Paradise Book Shop.

Scenes from Kashmir - Row row row your boat...

The ladies around Lake Dal, Srinagar must have strong arms as boats are a daily means of commute for their children to and from school. This lady is no different and by the way she deftly controls the raft through the narrow canals is more than a clear sign that she has done it for years, if not since childhood.

Row, row, row your boat...

Kashmir - of Kangri pots, Pheran cloaks, and the men and women who use them

The use of fire-pots in Indian administered Kashmir is common during the colder months of the year. These wicker basket hand-held braziers are called Kangri (or Kangir/Kanger). Both men and women carry them around, tucked under their long wollen cloaks called Pheran/Phiran.

The Kangri or wicker basket brazier
/ fire-pot.

Wherever the men go, if you see one wearing a wollen pheran, you can bet he has his trustworthy kangri near him or hidden underneath his cloak. Come cold winds and chilly rain or snowfall, the kangri keeps them warm in their walkabouts town or when they are waiting for customers or friends to arrive.

Women carry them too, and that gives an impression, albeit false, that women there are pregnant all the time. In fact the bulge in the belly is the kangri being held underneath their pheran

There are shops where the locals can go and buy hot charcoals for their pots. The man that owns the shop (see pic below) and his wife and family works hard to keep the wood stoked so that he can provide customers with hot charcoal embers when theirs run out.

A Kashmiri men in pheran with his
kangri by the rodside near him
(by the green post).

They are NOT pregnant - they are just keeping their pots
in there. These women in pheran seemed to carry their pots
a little higher that the men do.

No, she is not handicapped and
definitely not pregnant! She is merely
holding the kangri with her right hand.

The water bong and a kangri - all that a
man would need in Kashmir.

The fire-pot man in Pahalgam -
see this post about him: Faces
of Kashmir - The Fire-Pot Man

The women of the family are responsible for the hard work
of bringing in the firewood for the charcoals.

Faces of Kashmir - The Fire-Pot Man

During the colder months in Indian-administered Kashmir, men and women wear long wollen cloaks called Pheran to keep them warm by also carrying their personal charcoal heater in the form a pot in a wicker basket called Kangri. This pot holds about 250grams of charcoal keeps the owner cozy and warm, and also makes Kashmiri women look as if they are pregnant (by virtue of having their hands and pot under their cloak).

In Pahalgam, you go to this man to get your charcoal refill. His wife and him work hard to fill and tamp in your Kangri with charcoal that is available from his shop all day long.

See this post as well regarding the Kangri in Kashmir - of Kangri pots, Pheran cloaks, and the men and women who use them.