King of Hades gets a grand send-off

Fiery tradition: Devotees surrounding the burning Tai Su Yeah effigy in Jalan Pasar, Bukit Mertajam. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star

BUKIT MERTAJAM: Thousands of devotees packed the streets in the middle of town here as Tai Su Yeah, also known as the King of Hades, was sent off in a bonfire at the Pek Kong Cheng Temple in Jalan Pasar.After a two-year hiatus of the Hungry Ghost Festival celebration due to the Covid-19 pandemic, droves of people started gathering at the site from as early as 7pm on Sunday, offering prayers to the 8.53m-high effigy sheltered under a zinc roof beside the temple.

At 9.50pm, a Taoist priest conducted prayers before the effigy was moved to the middle of Jalan Pasar near the Jalan Danby intersection and then set ablaze in a mountain of joss paper and other prayer paraphernalia and offerings.