BUKIT MERTAJAM: The night sky was aglow with flames as the towering effigy of the King of Hades, known as Tai Su Yeah in Hokkien, was ceremonially “sent back to hell” here.
It marked the town’s 138th year of unbroken observance and a powerful close to the 15- day Hungry Ghost Festival on Monday.
Earlier, following a solemn sequence of prayers and offerings, baskets laden with joss paper and prayer paraphernalia were carried by volunteers to an intersection near the Pertubuhan Perayaan Yu Lan BM building in Jalan Pasar.
The burning of the 8.84m-tall effigy began shortly after 9.15pm following about an hour of preparation.
Despite the drizzle, spirits were high, with many in the crowd holding umbrellas as they watched the event unfold.
Hundreds of photographers braved the soggy conditions to capture the spectacle, hailed as one of the largest of its kind in the country.
Volunteers carefully watched over the fire and nearby buildings that were doused with water by fire trucks to keep the blaze in check.
As the effigy disintegrated into ash, it imploded instead of toppling to the side.
“It did not fall sideways but rather burnt entirely while seated in the middle, signalling a blessing all around,” said Bukit Mertajam Yu Lan Festival Organisation chairman Datuk Seri Peh Weng Khim, who was present at the event.
He said the festival’s growing reach and communal enthusiasm saw a surge this year with about 30% more visitors and devotees, along with a 20% increase in incense-offering donations.
Among those present was hawker Tan Ah Keong, 62, who said sending off the King of Hades was an important occasion.
“It shows our respect and gratitude for the protection received this month.
“As long as I can walk, I will continue to take part in this tradition,” he said.
Office clerk Lim Siew Ling, 45, brought her family there to seek blessings for safety and to ward off bad luck and illness.
“Even if the younger generation is less involved, I want them to understand our traditions,” she said.
According to Taoist belief, when the gates of hell open during the seventh lunar month, spirits get to go on a “vacation” to the mortal world while being watched by Tai Su Yeah.
Stages are set up in predominantly Chinese areas where performances are held to entertain the spirits.
