King of Hades gets a fiery send-off

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Thousands of people gathered at the Pek Kong Cheng Temple here to give a fiery send-off to the Tai Su Yeah (King of Hades).

They set fire to the giant paper effigy of Tai Su Yeah, laid on top of a small mountain of joss paper, on Friday night while firefighters kept a close watch to keep the conflagration contained.

The devotees first offered prayers to Tai Su Yeah as part of the climax of the Hungry Ghost Festival, a month-long event, held in the seventh lunar month of the Chinese calendar, that has been observed by Chinese communities worldwide for generations.

This year, the festival runs from Aug 16 to Sept 14, though the peak of celebrations in most temples is near the middle of the seventh lunar month.

The 15th day of the seventh lunar month fell on Aug 30 this year.

Yu Lan Celebration Organisation chairman Datuk Seri Peh Weng Khim said the 8.61m-tall effigy was 7.6cm higher than last year’s one, and about 70,000 people had gone to the temple to offer prayers and offerings this year.

“All monies received during the celebrations will be channelled to charity, mainly for education purposes,” he said.

After a Taoist priest conducted prayers at 9.50pm, the effigy was carried on the shoulders of many men to the Jalan Pasar-Jalan Danby junction for the burning.

It took almost half an hour for the effigy and other paper paraphernalia to be burnt up.

The Hungry Ghost Festival is an amalgamation of Taoist and Buddhist beliefs about the netherworld.

It is believed that the gates of hell are opened during the seventh lunar month, allowing its occupants to roam the realm of humanity as a respite from their torture.

Believers offer food and joss paper for the roaming spirits at roadsides, while temples hold feasts and “transfers of merit” to hungry ghosts.

Nearly all temples build temporary stages and organise entertainment ranging from modern song performances to traditional Chinese opera, dedicated to spirits.

Insurance manager Tan Peng Kee, 48, who went with his wife and children to Pek Kong Cheng Temple, were among the thousands sending off the King of Hades.

Tan, who is from Alor Setar, said he had been attending the event for the past 10 years.

“We come here to seek blessings from Tai Su Yeah for better health and prosperity,” he said, before tossing a pile of joss paper into the bonfire.

Another devotee, Lim Ah Saw, 59, said he had been sending off the King of Hades for more than 15 years to seek the deity’s blessings.

He added that it was his family tradition started by his grandfather and he had kept it up.