BUKIT MERTAJAM: Flames soared five storeys high in the night sky as an 8.9m-tall King of Hades (also known as Tai Su Yeah in Hokkien) paper effigy was set ablaze before thousands of visitors in Jalan Pasar here.
The intense heat radiated across the site during the annual celebration, which has been held for more than 130 years.
Saturday’s spectacular fiery ritual was said to be among the biggest Hungry Ghost Festival observances in the country.
Earlier, thousands of visitors clutched joss sticks while others stood with their palms clasped in prayer.
Volunteers spent about an hour forming a long human chain to carry paper paraphernalia and offerings to the site.
At about 9pm, the giant Tai Su Yeah effigy was carted to the site and placed atop the offerings.
Once the fire was lit, the effigy was quickly engulfed in flames and completely consumed within a minute, sending a huge burst of fire and heat into the night sky.
Volunteer firefighters surrounding the site swiftly moved in to control the blaze, spraying water high into the air from their fire engines to shield devotees from the intense heat and protect nearby heritage buildings.
Yu Lan Festival (Hungry Ghost Festival) Association chairman Datuk Seri Peh Weng Kim, who witnessed the burning, said the manner in which the effigy was consumed by the flames was a positive omen for businesses in the surrounding area.
“The effigy burned furiously and brightly. It then collapsed towards the centre, symbolising blessings gathering around the surrounding shops,” he said after the ceremony.
The Hungry Ghost Festival is observed during the seventh month of the lunar calendar, when Chinese folk beliefs hold that the gates of the underworld are opened and wandering spirits are allowed to return to the mortal realm.
Believers traditionally offer food, incense and joss papers to appease the spirits, while prayers and rituals are conducted to seek blessings and protection.
The month-long observance ends with rituals to send the spirits back to the underworld.
The burning of paper offerings and the Tai Su Yeah effigy symbolises the spirits’ return to the underworld and the conclusion of the festival.
