GEORGE TOWN: The month-long Phor Thor (Hungry Ghost Festival) will be a muted affair again this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
For the second year running, there will be no Chinese opera, puppet shows, or kotai (stage performances) in various parts of Penang during the festival, which begins today.
Penang Teong Guan Association chairman Datuk Heng Yak Hoi said according to the latest standard operating procedure, only 12 people, including the committee members, were allowed at places of worship at any given time.
“Since Penang is under Phase Two of the National Recovery Plan, the permitted operation time is from 6am to 2pm and from 4pm to 8pm.
“We will let some 460 Phor Thor committees decide if they want to continue with the festival.
“The Hungry Ghost Festival is a traditional event and we want to pass that on to future generations.
“If the committees decide to carry on with it, they must make sure that the SOP is strictly adhered to.
“However, there will be no live or virtual shows as Covid-19 infections are showing no signs of abating.
“We will not have any grand events this year and those who wish to conduct prayers and make offerings can do so at their homes,” he said.
For decades, Phor Thor has been one of the busiest periods for the local Chinese community.
In Penang, stages are set up in predominantly Chinese areas and evening performances are held to entertain both humans and “wandering spirits”.
Usually, each Phor Thor committee would host an appreciation dinner after the burning of paper effigies.
People from all backgrounds, from businessmen to roadside hawkers, would then sit together to feast.
Penang Non-Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Chong Eng said most Chinese communities would not observe the festival this year due to the rise in Covid-19 cases.
“We encourage the people to mark the festival individually at home.
“The festival is a tradition for descendants to perform filial piety that extends to their ancestors even after their deaths.
“This tradition has to be performed from the bottom of our hearts,” she added.
According to Chinese beliefs, the spirits enjoy a month-long vacation in the human world when the gates of hell open during the seventh lunar month.
It is an age-old tradition to have Chinese opera performances, puppet shows and kotai to entertain the community and wandering spirits during the annual festival to ensure a peaceful and prosperous year.
The festival is also known as Yu Lan in Mandarin.
