With the Gates of Hell closed again, the Hungry Ghost month has come to an end but did you really understand what went on during that time?
You might have noticed elaborate set-ups along the streets or around temples with food offerings laid out in a feast in front of huge paper effigies the whole of last month. You might have asked about it only to be reprimanded with warnings not to ask so many questions.
For superstitious Asians, provoke not, and you shall be left alone.
The Hungry Ghost month is, the Chinese believe, when the gates of hell open and spirits are allowed to roam in our world.
It can be a creepy and frightening time for those who don’t understand the meaning behind the festival but the explanations are actually quite rational. And fascinating.
Intrigued by the festival, I was extremely excited when a friend invited me to witness the ceremony at Sin Leng Tan Temple, a Taoist temple in Jalan Ipoh.
He said different temples conduct their ceremonies differently; it all depends on the teachings of the temple master.
The spirit of Tua Pek Kong, a Chinese God, in invited by a medium to ensure that all goes well during the ceremony at Sin Leng Tan Temple.
Poh Toh
Poh Toh celebrations, also known as Zhong Yuen Jie, are quite common throughout Malaysia and usually involves appeasing the spirits with food, material offerings and entertainment.
As I stepped into the temple, I was taken aback by the total transformation made to accommodate the ceremony.
A paper effigy of Poh Toh Kong (also known as Tua Si Yah), or the God of Hades, who escorts the souls into our world, sits majestically in the centre flanked by gold and silver mountains and bridges on both sides that symbolise the link between our worlds.
The Horse and Bull General and the White (Tua Pek) and Black (Dee Pek) General, all keepers of the gates, are on his left and right. Five ghost soldiers are also on standby to keep an eye on the spirits.
A feast had been laid out in front of Poh Toh Kong. A whole roasted pig was the centrepiece, with roasted chicken, duck, fried fish, biscuits, fruits, packet drinks, cans of beer, bags of rice, bottles of oil and other goodies surrounding it.
Towards the sides, tables had been laid out with food and drinks, and there was even a mahjong set complete with hell notes. Each table had chairs with yellow paper and joss sticks, which meant it was reserved for the spirits.
There was an abundance of paper offerings — cheongsam, suits, baby clothes, shoes, watches, electronics goods like laptops and mobile phones, and even vehicles like cars, scooters and boats.
Gifts for the spirits include clothes....
Nearer to the temple, people were watching a movie on a giant projector screen but what fascinated me the most was the two front rows, which were vacant with yellow paper stuck on the seats. These were reserved for the spirits.
Temple head master C. F. Lim explained that the festival came about because there was once a lady who was very cruel to beggars and refused to give them any food. When she died, she was punished in hell to starve with a ball of fire in her throat which burnt food to ashes before it reached her stomach.
Her son, Mu Lian, a disciple of Buddha, went down to hell to find her and tried to give her food but with no success.
He consulted Buddha for help and was told to find masters from 10 directions to chant prayers and provide food offerings to the departed souls on the 15th day of the seventh month. Ever since then, people have been following this tradition.
“The festival is held for the spirits around this area. It is actually for all kinds of spirits but the ones who died hungry are the ones who cause the most havoc when they come to our world because they want to eat anything and everything. A lot of food is offered to these spirits so that they will leave the living alone and not disturb us.
...a mahjong set and...
“The rest of the spirits can enjoy the clothes, entertainment and other material offerings. There are even sweets for the child spirits. Some might have had a bad death and are still angry and want to harm the living. The offerings are hoped to calm and appease them,” said Master Lim.
Nearby, a man was dressed like a Chinese god in blue robes, complete with a hat and staff.
Although he looked young, his demeanour suggested otherwise. He walked around hunched, supporting his weight on his staff, and stroking his non-existent beard.
According to temple committee member Apple Chan, 32, the man was a temple medium who had invited the spirit of Tua Pek Kong, a god, to enter his body to oversee the ceremony.
Devotees would seek his advice on ceremonial concerns such as if the food was enough for all the spirits, if they needed more sweets because there were more child spirits or if there were enough hell notes to go around.
Apparently, 11pm is midnight for the Chinese, and it was when everyone helped to bring the entire display of paper effigies and items to a big field behind the temple to be burnt.
Master Lim chanted and rang a bell to reduce the sins of the souls. The longer the bell is rung, the more sins are absolved. The burning of all the paper effigies symbolises the return of the gods to the other world.
...a Mercedes with a road tax disc (which won second place in a Magnum draw the next day). — KATHY TAN & JOLEEN LUNJEW
Graveyard shift
Going to the cemetery to give offerings to forgotten souls is not very common in Malaysia but it is widely practised in Singapore.
“People die everyday, some in tragic deaths, some in painful deaths. Murder and accident victims are not ready for death, and their souls are lost in this world as they do not know what to do.
“We give offerings at the cemetery to these lost souls and also to the souls who have been forgotten or neglected by their relatives. The ceremony is to assist them in finding direction and helping them go where they are supposed to go,” said Master Lim.
He said that there was another reason why they conducted this ceremony.
“The Chinese believe in yin and yang, of two contrasting forces that balance the world. Heaven gods are the yang, and Earth/Hell gods are the yin. We believe in praying equally to both Heaven and Earth, and the cemetery is a yin place where most souls roam.”
Heading to a Chinese cemetery in Sungai Besi close to midnight was quite an experience. The place was dark and eerie, with looming headstones marking the graves. To make things worse, the graves were extremely disorganised and you never knew if you were stepping on someone’s grave.
We were not allowed to switch on our flashlights as the spirits are said to be attracted to the light, so we had to tread very carefully as it would be very bad luck if we were to fall into an open grave.
A huge paper ship, a paper community condo with 120 rooms, a paper Mercedes and various other paper offerings were brought up to the cemetery.
Devotees went around the graveyard with joss sticks to invite the spirits down for the ceremony. We were asked to remain within the circle of candles after that, as Master Lim didn’t want us to be disturbed by the spirits roaming around the area.
Master Lim led the ceremony with chants and prayers, ringing his bell the whole time, for the redemption of these souls. After the rituals were over, we were all given a piece of paper, a kind of passport to the other world. Everyone had to burn the papers and light the pile of offerings with it.
Once the fire was lit, we were encouraged to take as many photos as possible that we might perchance capture “something” in the fire. Devotes believe that the spirits will return the favour by giving us wealth through hidden winning lottery numbers.
The expiry date on the paper Mercedes’s road tax was 2020 and, true enough, the number came out second place in the Magnum draw the very next day!
Sources : The Star Saturday September 6, 2008
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