The Hungry Ghost Month in Malaysia takes place for an entire month in August and spills over to September, and in Chinese belief, this is the month to be extra cautious in doing many things.
Usually, during this ghost month or Hungry Ghost Festival, there are many ‘pantang larang‘ which should be observed by the local Chinese people here. Well, even if you are not Chinese, you can learn something about this.
Hungry Ghost Month in Malaysia
The ghost month is observed with prayers and offerings to the afterlife or spirits every year. This is when the gates of hell are opened, allowing the ancestral spirits and the lonely spirits to wander and roam the land of the living.
During this period, roadside offerings of food, sweets, candles, and joss sticks to the wandering spirits are common. Homes also perform cleansing in their own ways by burning Kemenyan and using other herbs.
The more modern Chinese will perform a home or space cleansing by using Palo Santo, White Sage, or even Frankincense Resin, as these are equally effective and give out a slightly higher vibration. The urban market also prefers these as they smell much better and are way more soothing to the surroundings.
Ghost Month Activities
Activities during the Hungry Ghose Festival ((盂蘭節) would include preparing ritualistic food offerings, burning incense, and burning joss paper, a paper-mâché form of material items such as clothes, gold and other fine goods for the visiting spirits of the ancestors as a way to transfer them to the afterlife.
Often, elaborate meals (vegetarian meals) are served with empty seats for each deceased family member, treating them as if they are still living. This is a common practice among those who have followed the traditions for generations.
Other festivities may include buying and releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns on water, which give directions to the lost ghosts and spirits of the ancestors and other deities.
When is the Hungry Ghost Month in Malaysia for 2021?
This year’s ghost month is from 8 August to 6 September 2021. Many restrictions have been placed because the country is undergoing the National Recovery Plan (NRP) for COVID-19.
States in Malaysia are on different phases of the NRP, and below are the details;
Phase 1 NRP – Johor, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Kedah, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Only 12 committee members are allowed to be present at the houses of worship, while visitors are not allowed.
Phase 2 NRP – Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak, Pahang, Penang, Sabah and the southern zone areas of Sarawak (Kuching, Bau, Lundu, Samarahan, Simunjan, Asajaya, Serian and Tebedu).
Religious activities are allowed, but temple attendance is limited to only 12 people, including the committee members. The permitted operation time is from 6.00 am to 2.00 pm and from 4.00 pm to 8.00 pm.
Phase 3 NRP – Perlis, Labuan and parts of Sarawak, namely North Zone (Miri, Limbang, Bintulu), Central Zone (Sibu, Mukah, Kapit) and West Zone (Sarikei, Betong, Sri Aman).
Attendance at temples is limited to 50% of the capacity of the prayer area. The permitted operation time is from 6.00 am to 2.00 pm and from 4.00 pm to 10.00 pm.
The main festival night for 2021 will fall on August 22, a Sunday.
Why are the Spirits Visiting during the Ghost Month?
Many people ask this common question, and the simple answer is that the spirits will visit their descendants because they have not received a proper send-off or been remembered well enough after their death.
Therefore, ceremonies and rituals are performed during the entire ghost month to appease, feed, and entertain these spirits. They may be performed at road shoulders, junctions, or even around home areas.
What CAN you DO to protect yourself during the Hungry Ghost Month?
During this period, the easiest thing to do is cleanse one’s space, and you can do it in the simplest way possible. A more urban approach is to use cleansing products like palo santo, white sage, or frankincense resins.
Palo Santo is the practice of burning a raw stick or incense to cleanse a person’s object or space and remove any negativity or bad energies surrounding it.
The same can be done using California White Sage or Frankincense resin, burned to smudge an area or person. While this may be a new approach, the purpose is still the same as performing a cleansing.
Our parents or grandparents used resins like Kemenyan to smoke or cleanse an area, house or space, and some people are still doing it. However, the smoke and smell may be slightly more intense than the abovementioned herbs or wood.
Nowadays, there are many options available for cleansing, and products like palo santo and white sage have become part of today’s lifestyle, especially in city areas. Apart from cleansing during the ghost month, these products are used to cleanse and purify a space or person from negativity or bad energies throughout the year.
What NOT to do During the Ghost Month?
One should not be doing many things during the Hungry Ghost Month in Malaysia, and I will list them below. If I missed anything, please let me know in the comment form below.
- Avoid telling ghost stories, as this is a no-brainer
- Avoid moving into a new room, house or business during this month
- Avoid starting a new business during this period
- Avoid staying out late because the spirits are active at night and may follow you home.
- Do not step or kick the offerings on the roadside; it will anger the spirits.
- Do not get married during this month, and I guess you already know why
- Do not cover your forehead
- Do not make fun of offerings, alters or the deceased
- Avoid standing chopsticks upright in your bowl when eating, as this is considered an invitation to the ghosts
- Avoid sleeping next to a mirror facing you
All over Southeast Asia, many different types of pantang-larang are observed, including not opening a red umbrella or wearing red or black. But these vary among different countries, and it is up to your belief for which ones you observe.
Conclusion
Hungry Ghost Month in Malaysia takes place yearly during August and September. During this time, people make offerings by the roadside and even at temples.
In general, during this month, we should protect ourselves by avoiding all the abovementioned issues and cleansing our space. This is easily done by burning palo santo, white sage or even frankincense resin.