04 September 2010
This past month, my first in Singapore, has been very eventful because Hungry Ghost Month and Ramadan coincided this year.
The Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated during the seventh Lunar month and during this month, the gates of hell are opened up and ghosts are free to roam the earth seeking food and entertainment. These ghosts are believed to be the ancestors of those who forgot to pay tribute to them after they died, or those who were never given a proper ritual send-off. Family members pray to their deceased relatives, offer food and drink, and burn hell money and other forms of joss paper. Joss paper items are believed to have value in the afterlife. People burn paper houses, cars, servants and televisions to please the ghosts. Families also pay tribute to other unknown wandering ghosts so that these homeless souls do not intrude on their lives and bring misfortune. The Ghost Festival in Singapore is modernized by 'concert-like' live performances. The live shows are performed by groups of singers, dancers and entertainers on temporary stages setup within residential districts. The festivals are funded by the residents of each individual residential district. My cousin's friend Sam invited us to watch one in his neighbourhood of Upper Serangoon. Singapore is unique in that the rituals which the immigrants to Singapore brought to this small island nation are still practiced, and unlike some other countries, the hungry-ghost month still thrives. The film, A Month of Hungry Ghosts, captures these rituals and performances throughout an entire seventh lunar month in Singapore.
The Hungry Ghost Festival is celebrated during the seventh Lunar month and during this month, the gates of hell are opened up and ghosts are free to roam the earth seeking food and entertainment. These ghosts are believed to be the ancestors of those who forgot to pay tribute to them after they died, or those who were never given a proper ritual send-off. Family members pray to their deceased relatives, offer food and drink, and burn hell money and other forms of joss paper. Joss paper items are believed to have value in the afterlife. People burn paper houses, cars, servants and televisions to please the ghosts. Families also pay tribute to other unknown wandering ghosts so that these homeless souls do not intrude on their lives and bring misfortune. The Ghost Festival in Singapore is modernized by 'concert-like' live performances. The live shows are performed by groups of singers, dancers and entertainers on temporary stages setup within residential districts. The festivals are funded by the residents of each individual residential district. My cousin's friend Sam invited us to watch one in his neighbourhood of Upper Serangoon. Singapore is unique in that the rituals which the immigrants to Singapore brought to this small island nation are still practiced, and unlike some other countries, the hungry-ghost month still thrives. The film, A Month of Hungry Ghosts, captures these rituals and performances throughout an entire seventh lunar month in Singapore.
Hari Raya Puasa, literally “Celebration Day of Fasting”, is the Malay term for the Muslim festival of Eid ul-Fitr. It is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of “Puasa” (fasting). The holiday symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period. Muslims in Singapore celebrate Eid like other Muslims throughout the world. A few days before Ramadan, lights are strung from the trees and stalls are erected in Geylang Serai, a part of our neighbourhood. The Hari Raya Market here is known for its impressive decorations and street bazaar selling famous Hari Raya Malay food such as ketupat (rice cakes wrapped in coconut or palm leaves), lemang (glutinous rice in bamboo stem), lontong (rice wrapped in banana stem) and rendang (traditional spicy meat cuisine prepared with beef, mutton, lamb or chicken, that is usually served with rice) and Malay cakes and cookies which include kek kukus (steamed fruit cakes), kuih lapis (layered cake) and kuih tat (pineapple tarts). You can also buy clothing, furniture, rugs and much, much more.
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