Hungry Ghost Festival Archives

Bukit Mertajam Hungry Ghost Festival 2025

Bukit Mertajam’s Hungry Ghost Festival, locally known as Phor Thor or Yu Lan, has been a deeply ingrained tradition in the town for over 130 years, blending spiritual reverence with community spirit. During the seventh lunar month, believed in Taoist lore to open the gates of hell, a towering effigy of the hell deity Tai Su Yeah (measuring nearly 9 meters tall) is constructed from bamboo and vibrant paper and placed under a tent for worship. Devotees lay out offerings of food, paper money, and prayers for ancestral spirits and wandering souls, as traditional Chinese opera troupes perform nightly to amuse both mortal attendees and supernatural guests.

On the 15th day (which is today), the highlight of the festival unfolds: the effigy is paraded through Jalan Pasar and ceremonially burned to send the deity and the spirits back to the underworld, a ritual witnessed by thousands of participants from across Malaysia and beyond. The event not only honors tradition but also teaches younger generations about filial piety, ancestor respect, and cultural continuity.

Hungry Ghost Festival Walk in George Town

During this year’s Hungry Ghost Month, a local artist called Kopi Soh transformed a pedestrian walkway along a section of Jalan Gurdwara (Gurdwara Road), into a charming “Hungry Ghost Festival Walk,” featuring 10 adorable, comic-style illustrations of wandering spirits and deities, along with bilingual information boards about the festival’s meaning and traditions.

The display—adorned with fairy lights, lanterns, and colorful windmills—invites viewers to step into the festival’s true spirit of compassion, remembrance, and empathy, showing that the rituals aren’t about fear, but about honoring restless souls and helping them find peace. The installation was carried out by the Menara Perdana Phor Tor Society, with blessings from a temple and a medium to ensure the sacred art offered respect, not mischief.

More info can be found here: https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2025/09/01/sharing-the-story-of-compassion-behind-the-hungry-ghost-festival-through-cute-art/189300

Hungry Ghost Festival at Bukit Mertajam

The Hungry Ghost Festival in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, has been celebrated for over 130 years. This festival, rooted in Taoist and Buddhist beliefs, honors the spirits of deceased ancestors who are believed to roam the earth during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar. The event features various rituals, including offerings of food, paper money, and entertainment like Chinese opera and puppet shows, to appease these spirits. The festival remains a vibrant cultural tradition, attracting both locals and tourists to experience its unique customs.

The festival also hosts the giant effigy of Tai Su Yeah (Chinese version of King of Hades) which will then be paraded in the middle of Jalan Pasar on the night of Aug 20, where it will be burned and “sent back to the other world”, a ritual witnessed by thousands.

The Hungry Ghost Festival (Seventh Lunar Month)

Annually during the 7th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (also known as the The Hungry Ghost Festival), the giant effigy of the King of Hades/Hell (or Tai Su Yeah) will be put on display at Bukit Mertajam town for devotees to offer prayers to. On the 15th day of the month (which happens to be today), the effigy will be transported to the street and then burned to mark the end of the festival.

The Hungry Ghost Festival

The 8.3 meters tall effigy of the King of Hades (or Tai Su Yeah) where devotees offered prayers to, during the 7th lunar month of the Chinese calendar in conjunction with The Hungry Ghost month.

This giant effigy was placed under a shelter beside a temple at Market Street of Bukit Mertajam old town, for 15 days until the annual Bukit Mertajam Phor Thor (Hungry Ghost Festival) celebration. The effigy will then be moved out to the street and burned on the festival day.

According to the Taoist belief, when the gates of hell open in the 7th lunar month, spirits would be freed to the living world while being watched by Tai Su Yeah. The Hungry Ghost Festival this year started from August 14 until September 12.