The abbot and other resident monks chanting with devotees in the Thai Buddhist Chetawan Temple’s columbarium during last year’s Hungry Ghost Festival.
This week, Buddhists and Taoists are gearing up to pray and share merits for wandering spirits to find peace.
The Hungry Ghost Festival, which is also known as Phor Thor in Hokkien and Yu Lan in Mandarin, falls on Friday (Aug 12) this year.
In Petaling Jaya, Selangor, the Thai Buddhist Chetawan Temple, which incorporates a mix of Thai and Malaysian practices, is preparing to host a celebration for the festival.
Its executive manager Venerable Maha Noi said chanting sessions were planned for the weekend.
Five to eight monks would be chanting, he elaborated, and offerings would be made on the second day of chanting.
He said offerings such as rice, fruits and drinks like tea would be distributed to devotees during the festival.
Some devotees would even organise a day where their relatives could attend and pray privately to avoid the crowd, Maha Noi said.
He reminded devotees to adhere to the standard operating procedure even though they no longer needed to check in through their MySejahtera app.
He added that around 60 to 100 devotees would usually attend the chanting held in the temple’s columbarium, a room with special spaces for holding urns containing the ashes of the deceased.
Linda Ee, 67, a volunteer helping out in the temple’s office, will be one of the many celebrating the festival along with her family.
The retiree, who worked at Star Media Group for 38 years almost a decade ago, now helps to organise prayer offerings for the temple.
“I remember that when I was young, my mum would conduct prayers at home either a few days before or on the 15th day of the seventh month according to the Chinese calendar.
“Back then, my hometown in Penang would have a stage erected to celebrate this festival with performances,” said Ee.
As a child, she was told that during the seventh lunar month, it was believed that ghosts would be released to the mortal realm to search for food.
She was also advised not to stay out late and people avoided moving in to a new house or having weddings during this period.
“Since I moved to Kuala Lumpur four decades ago, I have been going to Wat Chetawan (Thai Buddhist Chetawan Temple) to join in the chanting by the resident monks.
“By celebrating this festival, we practise filial piety and pay respects to our ancestors and accrue merits for them,” she added.
