Month of the hungry ghosts

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, today is the first day of the seventh lunar month. That's right ... it's the season of the hungry ghosts. One whole month of it. And all over Penang, temporary stages have been erected to pay homage to the God of the Underworld. He's a fierce looking character as he needs to be, in order to keep the hungry ghosts under control as they are let loose from the underworld once a year.

The seventh lunar month is a time for us earthly dwellers to commemorate our departed ancestors. There'll be prayer sessions at various temples.

Normally, my family will go to the Heong Sun See temple in Tanjung Tokong.


The temple's trustees would have erected a makeshift shelter to hold the temporary paper tablets. There'll be a few hundred paper tablets and the busiest days are usually the weekends.


The Heong Sun See temple actually stands out like a sore thumb amidst a sea of Malay kampung houses. But it is very interesting to see that the Malay residents tolerate this once-a-year prayer sessions. That's religious harmony!