Hungry Ghost Festival

In the Chinese tradition, the 7th month in the Chinese calendar is called the Ghost Month (鬼月), in which ghosts and spirits come out from the lower world to visit earth.

Activities at the festival include preparing ritualistic offering food, and burning hell money to please the visiting ghosts and spirits as well as deities and ancestors. Other activities include burying and releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns on water, which signifies "giving directions to the lost ghosts". The spirits are kept entertained with opera shows during this period.

I get to see alot of such activities during my younger days in Taiping, but not anymore in where I now stay. So when wifey wanted to go back to home town in Bukit Mertajam for the weekend, we made a visit to the Tua Pek Kong temple in Jalan Pasar to expose the children to this traditional festival. Lest they forget their roots.

The place was a hive of activities with devotees everywhere.

The paper effigy of Da Shi Ye, the God of Hades.

Offerings on the common altar. Notice the 'bun towers'.

Giant dragon joss sticks.

The Hungry Ghost Festival enters its last day tomorrow.

I pray that the God of Hades will also lock up those ghosts who have been terrorising our neighbourhoods. They are more scarier than the real ghosts. Lock them up for good, please.