{
  "id": 4756574,
  "title": "The living care for ancestors and wandering spirits at Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/the-living-care-for-ancestors-and-wandering-spirits-at-malaysias",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-01T01:23:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Associated Press",
    "slug": "associated-press",
    "url": "https://apnews.com/article/hungry-ghost-festival-malaysia-da7ce2b920a522e518ef8aeab81abc00"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.\n\nFounded 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\nCrafted 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.",
  "summary": "BUKIT MERTAJAM, Malaysia (AP) — It’s that time of year when the living make room for the dead. Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival is held during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar…",
  "key_points": [
    "Malaysia's Hungry Ghost Festival honors ancestors and wandering spirits.",
    "Festival originated in 1888 to combat a plague in Bukit Mertajam.",
    "10,000+ attendees witnessed this year's ceremonial burning of the 8.9-meter effigy."
  ],
  "editors_take": "This annual festival solidifies Bukit Mertajam's reputation as a center for traditional Chinese celebrations, drawing devotees from across Southeast Asia and underscoring the community's enduring spiritual ties to their ancestors.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Winnipeg Free Press",
        "title": "The living care for ancestors and wandering spirits at Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/the-living-care-for-ancestors-and-wandering-spirits-at-malaysias-4759571",
        "published": "2026-09-01T01:14:26.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}