The living care for ancestors and wandering spirits at Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival

During Malaysia's Hungry Ghost Festival, the living provide care for deceased ancestors and wandering spirits. Held in the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, this year's event began in mid-August. Lee Kim Fong, general affairs coordinator for the festival, explained that it centers around worship of the Guardian God of Ghosts, Da Shi Ye, and has grown into one of the major traditional Chinese celebrations in Bukit Mertajam, a city in northern Malaysia's Penang state.

Founded in 1888 following a severe plague in Bukit Mertajam, the festival has persisted for 138 years. A towering paper-and-bamboo effigy of Da Shi Ye is constructed for 15 days, receiving prayers and offerings. The celebration culminates with the effigy's ceremonial burning, symbolically releasing the deity back to the spirit world. Lee estimated over 10,000 people attended this year's burning ceremony, with crowds sometimes reaching 20,000.

The primary objective is to provide for wandering spirits, particularly those without worshippers or offerers, such as those who died in accidents or without family members. Similar celebrations occur in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. Devotees journey to Bukit Mertajam from across Malaysia, as well as Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand.

Crafted annually, the Da Shi Ye effigy grows taller by about five centimeters (two inches). In 2026, it reached 8.9 meters (approximately 29 feet). Ng Chi Wong, a 69-year-old artisan, has spent over four decades creating the figures, stating that constructing the towering effigy takes around 1.5 months with a team of seven or eight people.