When a relative visited the other day, he told of witnessing a grand prayer near where he was having lunch. Hungry Ghost Festival has been on for sometime now. Beginning on July 29, it ends on Aug 26. For the past two years, it was not celebrated with much pomp and fanfare, thanks to the pandemic. Usually and especially in areas with lots of Chinese, makeshift altars are set up and offerings made by the roadside. My relative had witnessed that. I wondered if he would see more if he stayed on till night. There was a time when Chinese opera performances were held, for the entertainment of both the living and the dead and then, there will be concerts called getai for the young and modern too, featuring modern Chinese songs and modern dances with sexy dancers. Maybe they still have it in Penang. Read that the Hungry Ghost Festival teaches and instils in devotees, especially the young ones, the importance of filial piety, virtues, respect, obedience and care for ancestors. Not sure how it achieves that.
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