On the Floor - Dancing with Hungry Ghosts or Pretty Singer

As the month of August 2011 is auspicious in Muslim calendar as it coincides with the fasting month of Ramadan.  It is also the month which coincided with the Hungry Ghosts Festival which is the Seventh Lunar Month on the Chinese calendar. The biggest day of the Seventh Lunar Month in Chinese Calendar is on the 15th Day where the moon is full and bright.  It falls on the August 14, 2011.   There was a street procession held by the Hindu temples around Bukit Mertajam recently as I was passing one of the roads in town which was already famous for the daily traffic jams due to the ongoing Railway Double Tracking project for electric trains and roads realignments. 

If you are visiting Penang, Malaysia, you will see lots of festivals and events being held almost every evening at most places of worship.  The streets are lined with colorful flags which were erected by the local community to claim the territory for the ghosts, along with the Malaysia National flags.  Anyway, August is also the "Merdeka"(Meaning Independence) month where Malaysia is celebrating its Independence day on August 31 every year as it got its independence from the British Empire in 1957.  Malaysia was then known as Malaya.

I remember my childhood days during the annual Hungry Ghost Festival month where our folks warned us not to wander out in the dark and at night because the ghosts are being released from Hades or Hell and are on the prowl for foods and victims who are unlucky or are in the poor state of health or are prone to mishaps and accidents.  I do not really understand the significance of the prayers and burning of incenses, candles, papers and giant fierce looking effigies made of papers pasted on bamboo sticks frames of the Gatekeeper of Hades or Hell.

A child, we get excited as this is the time where the temples are usually having Traditional Chinese Opera shows in the 1960's and having Chinese Songs and comedy sketches at the Concerts later in the 1970's onwards on temporary stage build on wooden stilts or on empty petrol barrels.  There are many ice-creams vendors, lollipop candy seller and other food stalls at the temple areas.  There are also toys being sold or it being "sold" through buying tickets which we then pry open to match its numbers with the prize toys winning numbers.  Gone were the days where we would also hop from rows of wooden benches as we play around it while the folks would sit at the benches to watch the Opera shows which were held twice daily in the afternoon after lunch hours and in the evening till late midnights.

Mind you, the 1970's were more fun as the naughty boys would go underneath the stage to steal a peek at the actors and singers changing their attires and outfits. The peeping toms were chased away by the caretakers or the leaders of the local temples. Once, a bunch of us went to the oldest cinema in Kangar, Perlis known as Empire theater immediately after school lessons in the afternoon.  The price of  a ticket for a seat at the front rows class was only 60 cents then. We watched a Hong Kong production movie starring David Chiang and Ti-Lung and other Co-stars which is about the Hungry Ghosts haunting an old village in China and they came out annually to kill the local folks until these heroes fought and killed off all the Hungry Ghosts. The village became peaceful and happy ever after.  Know what? We were scared till we screamed and hid under the row of seats in front of us or cover our eyes with both hands when the scenes shown Devilish Ghosts haunt the folks and killed the villagers.  Later, we guys had fun by playing and acting out the roles  like in the movie whenever we chatted and talked during school recesses. That was so long ago my friends.

Now the stage shows in modern Hungry Ghosts Festival celebrations are equipped with latest laser and LED lights and sound systems with deejays playing with discs and digital media players to entertain the Hungry Ghosts and worshipers thronging the temples and floors. The singers are young and energetic. They can dance like Lady Gaga or Jennifer Lopez. The folks are having good time too.

Here are some lively on the floor but not so sexy entertainments for the "Hungry Ghosts" to feast "Hungry "Eyes and Souls" to share with you in case you did not wander out at nights in Penang lately. Do not worry, be happy. Do not fear ghosts but fear God, please.