Feeding the hungry ghosts

What say you on the issue below?

Where the menu is concerned, anything goes as long as it is edible.

LOTS of roast chicken, duck, goose or pork, accompanied by doughy, steamed red Mi Ku and fluffy Uwa Ko Kueh and biscuits thrown in for dessert – that, apparently, is what Chinese ghosts like to eat. To be precise, ghosts of the Buddhist, Teochew or Confucian persuasion anyway.

During Chit Gueh Puah (seventh and a half month) or Kooi Jit Jee (Ghost Month), also known as Chinese Halloween or Zhongyuan Festival, Chinese Buddhists will pray to their dead ancestors and other spirits, and offer them food, money and other luxuries artfully crafted in paper.

For the departed: Biscuits and other sweet offerings for the hungry ghosts.

They believe that the gates of hell open, and ghosts and spirits from the nether world are allowed back on earth where they will be on the prowl, roaming around looking for appeasement, or food to satisfy their hunger.

This year, the festivities started on Aug 20 and will last until Sept 17. In the various Chinese communities over Penang and George Town, temporary stages and altars have been constructed.

“Every street will have its own setup to ensure that for the next year, everyone can move about in peace in any part of town,” says Datuk Seri Tan Khoon Hai, vice-president of the Penang Chinese Town Hall, which oversees the organisation of the festivities throughout the state.

Datuk Seri Tan Khoon Hai, vicepresident of the Penang Chinese Town Hall.

At the end of each festival, each area will have a new sub-committee to oversee the organisation of the following year’s celebrations. The previous 12 months’ subscriptions collected from the various Chinese households would be enough to cover the costs of setting up the stage and buy prayer paraphernalia and other offerings like changes of clothes for Phor Tor Kong (Hungry God) or Kooi Ong (The God of Ghosts), otherwise known as Tai Su Ya Ta.

Throughout the festival, young children are discouraged from swimming or going out at night, as it is believed they could be lured by the ghosts. It is also considered bad luck for joyful celebrations like marriages to take place during this time, although this year is an exception as many couples are choosing to get hitched on Sept 9, 2009, hoping to be blessed with “everlasting” wedded bliss.

During the month-long festival, paper money is burnt, and joss sticks of all sizes are lit for the dead. Operas and puppet shows are also staged to entertain the ghosts and keep them from getting up to any mischief. Never has the saying “The devil finds work for idle hands” been more appropriate.

Hint: if you choose to watch any of the entertainment, it might be a good idea to keep away from the seemingly empty first row, as those seats are apparently reserved for the “special” audience that may not be visible to ordinary eyes!

Apart from the abovementioned foods, offerings include fruits like pineapples, lychees and oranges. However, according to one devotee, no jambu or papayas are allowed, although she could not provide a reason.

Having said that, it’s really anything goes as long as it is edible, and more prosperous households may choose to donate more expensive foods. Some have even been known to offer a whole roast pig.

After the festivities, the food is distributed among all the households on the street, or given to the poor.