The Penang state government will be collecting data during this Hungry Ghost Festival to help Penang Teong Guan Association (PTGA) apply to join the Unesco list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
State Tourism, Heritage, Culture and Arts Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin told reporters at the State Assembly building today that all the data about the traditional shows would be collected during the festival from Aug 11 to Sept 9.
“We also want to encourage them to maintain these cultural shows instead of holding the modern shows. We want to preserve them,” said Yeoh, adding that the festival pamphlets would be distributed to hotels, Botanic Gardens and other places of interest.
During the month-long festival, beginning on the first day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, the “Phor Thor” committee will hold either Hokkien, Teochew and Cantonese opera and puppet shows, nightly at various locations, especially on streets where temples and market places are nearby.
According to traditional Chinese belief, the traditional shows and “kotai” (singing) performances is to entertain the “ghosts” or spirits of the deceased that are allowed to roam the earth during the seventh month of the lunar calendar. The spirits are said to be forced back to hell at the end of the celebration.
Also present at the press conference were PTGA president Heng Yak Hoi and several of his committee members.
“We realise that interest in the traditional shows has been declining in the past decade. We want to promote the culture and get the young to be involved,” said Heng.
Usually, public donations towards the shows would be distributed by PTGA to the schools which had applied for aid.
Story by K.H. Ong