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

In Malaysia, the Hungry Ghost Festival takes place during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which began in mid-August this year. The festival, centered around the worship of Da Shi Ye, also known as the Guardian God of Ghosts, is one of the major traditional Chinese religious celebrations in Bukit Mertajam, located in the northern state of Penang.

The festival dates back to 1888, when a severe plague struck Bukit Mertajam. Following the epidemic, locals began worshipping Da Shi Ye for protection. For 15 days, devotees pray and make offerings to the towering paper-and-bamboo effigy of Da Shi Ye, symbolizing the care for wandering spirits unable to be worshipped by others.

The main purpose of the festival is to look after spirits who have no one to pray for them, such as those who died in accidents or without family members. Similar celebrations are held in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan, with devotees traveling from across Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand.

The 8.9-meter-high Da Shi Ye effigy, traditionally taller each year, is crafted over a period of 1.5 months by a team of seven to eight artisans. Ng Chi Wong, a 69-year-old artisan, has spent over four decades perfecting the craft. The process involves sculpting the head first, followed by constructing the main frame and shaping the body, before adding outer layers and painting.

The festival honors spirits with no one to remember them, honoring both Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. Taoist ceremonies during the festival involve priests reciting sacred scriptures and performing rites to help the deceased find peace and salvation. In this way, the Hungry Ghost Festival expresses the belief in the enduring moral and emotional bonds between the living and the dead, emphasizing the responsibility of the living to honor and support the deceased.