Things to Take note during Hungry Ghost Festival

Do and Dont's during Hungry Ghost Festival

During this festival, the Chinese offer prayers to the deceased relatives by burning paper money, joss sticks and etc. We get to see Getai a stage performance for the spirits and also the people. I gona share some DOs and DONT's during this festival. It's up to individuals to believe it or not.

• Avoid swimming during the 7th month. It is believed that those previously drowned evil ghost might cause you to drown in the swimming pool. Such ghost need to find victims in order for them to be go for rebirth.

• Children and young adults are also advised to return home early and not to wander around alone at night. This belief is due to the reason that the wandering ghosts can possess children easily.

• Avoid getting married, going overseas trip or even moving of house in this month because this month is considered as inauspicious.

• Avoid going for jungle trekking and going on camping trips as chances of injuries, possession and death are high.

• Drive very carefully during this month to avoid accidents, as there may be many wandering spirits who died of accidents previously that are searching for next victims so that they could be reincarnated.

• Always address the hungry ghost as "Good Brothers". Never address them as ghosts.

• If you watching the Getai shows, do not sit at the 1st few row as they are meant for the hungry ghosts

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Russian boy dies during exorcism by Korean shaman

A four-year-old Russian boy with pneumonia died in the Primorye region during an exorcism after his parents told a Korean shaman to remove "evil spirits" from his body, multiple Russian news reports said Thursday.

The child, identified as Dmitry Kazachuk, stopped breathing during the ritual in the local village of Sergeyevka on Saturday, after the parents of the child asked So Dyavor and her Korean husband Kim Sende to perform a ritual to exorcise "evil spirits."

There was no trace of violence on the boy's body and that the cause of his death has not been found, according to news reports.

Police told a local tabloid Tvoi Den that the boy's pneumonia could be one of the possible reasons for his death.

News reports said the boy was left alone in the room when the shaman performed the exorcism.

The boy and his family had initially planned to request help for their grandmother for her diabetes but the shaman told them that the boy had put a curse on the entire family, they said.

[Source]

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Ghost tales underline Jakartan love for absurdities

It was the story of a headless pastor all over again-a headless pastor, carrying his own head with a black dog following him wherever he goes.

Legend has it that a watchman of the Jeruk Purut cemetery in South Jakarta encountered the decapitated pastor roaming amid tombs looking for his graveyard decades ago.

Much of the buzz on the Pastor sighting is still in the air, especially for those who easily buy into quixotic ghost tales passed around the city.

The bottom line is that such supernatural stories have become selling points in casual nocturnal chitchat among Jakartans, or for creative minds such as Koya Pagayo and Nanang Istiabudi, who have translated the myths into horror movies.

Indeed, the tale of the legendary headless Pastor of Jeruk Purut is one among the spine-tingling stories that have perpetuated myths, which are now entrenched in the minds of either non-believers or believers. But, the question is: How accurate are these stories?

"I have lived behind the Jeruk Purut cemetery since I was little, but that story is definitely a hoax," Umar, 40, a cemetery worker told The Jakarta Post.

Two middle-aged women working as graveyard mowers agreed with Umar's claim. "I don't know how that story became famous, but I have never encountered the so-called pastor," said one.

The eight-hectare cemetery has been expanding, with the most recent extension located at the northern part of the Jeruk Purut main road.

The old section of the cemetery, according to Umar, is facing space shortage, which means a burial space is sometimes forced to have up to three bodies from the same family.

Not that much farther from the cemetery is yet another sensational yet unproven Rumah Kentang (the Potato House) myth. The house gained its reputation because of the fried potato smell that the house emits.

The Rumah Kentang urban legend revolves around a story in which a toddler accidentally got into a large boiling cauldron full of frying potatoes. With that said, that was how the fried-potato smell arose, but some local vendors said they were unaware about the story.

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Getai fans alarmed when host suddenly wails and collapses at Hungry Ghost show

Stars performing at one of the biggest Getai shows of the Hungry Ghost season last night (August 12) found the show thrown into chaos when one-half of the famous Ming Zhu Sisters duo collapsed suddenly, wailing and sobbing incoherently.

STOMPer Ian was enjoying the Geylang Serai show from the side of the stage when he heard a woman wailing loudly and sobbing as if something terrible had happened.

He was shocked to see Zhu Li Li, younger sister of Getai duo Ming Zhu Sisters, sobbing uncontrollably as her stunned sister and colleagues tried to calm her down.

Despite he screams of protest, the getai veteran was carried out into the open field to get more air.

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China Girl Seeks Ghost Wedding with Boyfriend

The weather today in Chongqing was gloomy, and there was a light drizzle. Went to the Guanyin Bridge pedestrian street to check out some homes for rent. Just as my foot landed, I didn’t think I would see cupware – While walking, I suddenly discovered a group of people gathering not too far away, which definitely meant something was going on. I’m the kind of guy who loves to join the excitement, so naturally, I strode over to join the crowd.




Hoho, after a quick scan there was actually a pretty girl, my heart started to race~ While staring at this pretty girl, she was holding a sign asking for help. Surrounding her were quite a few people who were there for the excitement, so I carefully looked over her request, what I saw shocked me, marriage with the dead ["ghost marriage"]? Really want marriage with the dead? After looking at the contents of two-page letter that was stuck to the sign, I was very moved

When the pretty girl saw me taking pictures of her with my phone, she became embarrassed and switched to a different location to continue standing while holding up her sign. I followed [her] because I wanted to help her, I used to do stuff related to magazines, this should count as media. I thought here she is, all alone, standing on this cold street asking for help, it really is pitiful, I might as well help her put this on the internet to get help from even more friends! This allows the vast numbers of society’s friends to come help, right?

Also, while I was taking pictures, there was a passerby who saw the pretty girlshedding tears, standing in a place where the cold wind was blowing. Being unable to endure such a sight, decided to give the pretty girl 300 RMB and also said, “I’ll give you 300, I will buy you.” So depressing, she [the passerby] thought this was [an instance of] the old tradition of selling one’s body in order to bury one’s husband [i.e. in the case of a poor peasant girl].



I jotted down her QQ, since it started to rain heavily, it was really cold outside, and I came back directly to wait until the weather cleared up before going to look at [more] homes. I turned on the computer right after getting back, itching to write all this down. I think just my efforts are very tiny, but everyone’s efforts really will be very mighty. I haven’t been on Mop in a long time, but I wanted to make this post today, hope everyone will follow closely and be able to help this girl. Furthermore, invite kind-hearted wedding service companies to help this girl hold a ghost marriage ceremony!

All Moppers, let us use our sincerity to help this girl! Ding this post, and let even more people see this request for help! I thank all of you in advance!

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Soul of Girl Roams Around Jakarta's Ancol Bridge

Tales of girls becoming sexual targets have been retold since ancient Greek times. But the tale of a roaming soul of a rape victim is perhaps typical of Jakarta.

A female ghost in white is believed to occasionally come into view on the Ancol Bridge in North Jakarta, scaring pedestrians or drivers who cross the bridge at night. Eyewitnesses say that the ghost sometimes make a sudden appearance at the end of the 200-meter bridge and disappears into the darkness.

The appearance of the ghost, locally called Ariah, Si Manis Jembatan Ancol (Ariah, Pretty Girl of the Ancol Bridge) has been made into a popular TV series. In the TV version, the girl's name is Mariam and is clad in white outfit. Normally sexy and alluring, her face turns pace and demonic when men attempt to seduce her.

Ariah is an unfortunate Betawi girl known for her prettiness. She lives with her mother who was a widow. To survive, she was compelled to seek and sell vegetables and eggs at local traditional markets. Her mother, Mak Emper always advised her to be careful when seeking vegetables and hens' eggs. One day, to her mother's surprise, the girl did not return home, making her mother extremely worried. That night Mak Emper met Ariah in her dreams, and her daughter tried to calm her down, saying that she was alright and nothing happened to her. She even promised to help her sister who was about to get married. What Ariah said to her mother came true when Mak Emper found a basket of fresh fish and vegetables in front of a door of the house where she lived. Nobody claimed to be the senders of the fish and vegetables.

Folklore has it that Ariah was the victim of rape and murder, though the culprit was never found. After being killed, the soul of Ariah is believed to continue to roam around her kampong, making all those who see her petrified with fear.

According to eyewitnesses, Ariah looks calm but she will turn into pale and cold when men try to seduce her. She is burned up with fury at women-chasers attempting to seduce her, generally throwing them in the river.

And until today, drivers who pass the bridge often blow their horn or flash their lamps just to say hello to the soul of Ariah.

[Source]

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Sounds of Jupiter

By Joan Seth

This is a recording of radiowaves emitted by Jupiter. This are recorded by the Voyager spacecraft.

From the video: “The complex interactions of charged electromagnetic particles from the solar wind , planetary magnetosphere etc. create vibration ‘soundscapes’. The winds of Jupiter are a thousand metres per second relative to the rotating interior. Jupiter’s magnetic field is four thousand times stronger than Earth’s, and is tipped by 11° degrees of axis spin. This causes the magnetic field to wobble, which has a profound effect on trapped electronically charged particles. This plasma of charged particles is accelerated beyond the magnetosphere of Jupiter to speeds of tens of thousands of kilometres per second. It is these magnetic particle vibrations which generate some of the sound you hear on this recording.”

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Ghosts, Black Magic Involved in Papua Murder Case, Police Say

A man from Manokwari district, Papua, was shot dead on Sunday because he was believed to have kept an evil ghost, Indonesian police said.

Yacobus Yarpandu, 23, from Hangho village, Tanah Rubuh subdistrict, was allegedly involved in the practice of black magic. He was shot in the back with a homemade rifle and is believed to have died instantly, Papua Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Wachyono told the Jakarta Globe.

He added that a man from the neighboring village of Cuheyep, Alex Sayori, was the main suspect in the slaying and was being sought by police.

Wachyono said Yarpandu and Sayori suspected each other of keeping “suanggi,” ghosts that are said to perform evil deeds on behalf of their owners.

“Our preliminary findings, collected from several witnesses, show that the shooting was triggered by suspicion of black magic, although it isn’t clear who practiced the black magic,” he said.

Wachyono said Sayori fled into the jungle after the shooting and that officers from the Manokwari Police were searching for him.

Belief in black magic remains deeply rooted in the country. In 1998, more than 230 people in Banyuwangi and other areas of East Java were murdered because they were suspected of practicing black magic and casting spells.

In May, an elderly couple and their daughter were burned alive in North Tapanuli district, North Sumatra, by villagers who accused them of casting spells that could hurt or kill people.

[Source]

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Is this the world's creepiest robot?

Its pale torso is about the size of a small child, it has no legs and just stumps for arms.

Hiroshi Ishiguro and the Telenoid R1

For a man who has made his life's work coming up with increasingly creepy robots, Hiroshi Ishiguro has really outdone himself this time.

The Japanese roboticist has just unveiled his latest creation - a strange robotic creature called the Telenoid R1.

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Tokyo's 'oldest man' dead for 30 years

A man listed as the oldest living male in Tokyo died some 30 years ago, city officials said after his body was found mummified in his bed.

Police visited the home of Sogen Kato at the request of ward officials updating their list of centenarians ahead of Respect for the Elderly Day in September. Kato was born July 22, 1899, which would have made him 111.

Japanese welfare officials have tried to meet Kato since earlier this year, but his family members repeatedly chased them away, saying Kato was well but didn’t want to see anyone, said Tomoko Iwamatsu, an official at Tokyo’s downtown Adachi Ward, where Kato lived.

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Ancient Bone Found in Philippines, may change human history

MANILA (AFP) - – Archaeologists have found a foot bone that could prove the Philippines was first settled by humans 67,000 years ago, thousands of years earlier than previously thought, the National Museum said Tuesday.


Picture is (C) copyright to Yahoo News Asia Pacific

The bone, found in an extensive cave network, predates the 47,000-year-old Tabon Man that is previously known as the first human to have lived in the country, said Taj Vitales, a researcher with the museum's archaeology section.

"This would make it the oldest human remains ever found in the Philippines," Vitales told AFP.

Their report on what is now known as Callao Man was released in the latest editions of the Journal of Human Evolution after tests in France set the fossil's age, said professor Armand Mijares, the expedition leader.

"This individual was small-bodied. It's difficult to say whether he was male or female," he said.

Cut marks on deer and wild boar bones found around it suggest this individual could have hunted and was skilled with tools.

"It broke the barriers," Mijares said, explaining that previous evidence put the first human settlements in the Philippines and nearby islands around Tabon Man.

"It pushed that back to nearly 70,000 years."

However Mijares said the finding of it being a Homo sapien was still only provisional because some of the bone's features were similar to Homo habilis and Homo floresiensis -- which are distinct species from a human.

Existing evidence suggests modern man, or Homo sapiens, first appeared in Africa about 200,000 years ago.

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The Chinese Month of the Hungry Ghost Festival ( 7th Month) Part 1

This is a particular festival that is being praticed by all Chinese through out the world. As long as there is Chinese , the Chinese people there would follow, pratice and observed this particular festival.

Generally Speaking, Chinese are very superstitious people. They believe in many things since the ancient times even till present. Some of the things that they believe in are very true. Call it supertion or anysort you like but it really works for example, the Chinese FengShui (风水).

Another one of the very important festival to the Chinese would be this particular month, once every year. This is none other than the month of the Hungry Ghost festival ! It is also called as the Ghost festival or the 7th month by some.



A supposedly true picture of a "hungry" ghost

The Chinese Calendar is one month slower than the Western Gregorian Calendar. The Chinese's 7th month this year of 2010 would be from August 10 Tuesday to September 7 Tuesday.

In this month, the gates of Chinese's Hell would be Open! Those inside would be released into the living world of the Humans. To simplified it to the dead, they are given 1 month of holiday. It is something like their public holiday which is only once in a year.

Many of the dead would take this opportunity to visit their family, friends, relatives ,loved ones and decendents.

Members of the dead would take this opportunity to give offerings and prayers to them, seeking for blessings, well being and good luck etc..






Preparations and props for the festival

Business owners in particular would be most supertious during this month. They do not want any mishaps , accidents, misfortune etc...... to happen. In some cases, business owners can be rather extreme during this month in terms of things that they do. It will be very common to see Chinese who are working in the company to burn and give offerings to the dead during this month.

Chinese workers and employees as well as business owners would take a particular time off from thier working hour to fully focus and concentrate in the prayers, offering and buring of things to the dead during this month. This will be something that the whole company in the usual case will join especially in the case of Singapore.



on top of all these, there will be also performers who will do some performances for the entertain of the dead. typically we call it as GETAI.





It is a stage set up in the streets or some open space in the public where which performers will do various performance to dead such as songs, operas etc....
and if you were to notice, there will be some seats meant to be empty on purpose. The first few rows of seats are not meant for humans to sit. they are meant for the dead to sit. SO, NEVER EVER sit on the chairs of the first few rows. You are definately inviting trouble for youself if you do.



Children will be told to behave themselves during this month cause if they do not, they dead will make sure they learn to behave. So Children during this month would be best to be good boys and girls. Be Good children during this month!



Parents and grandparents and well as Employers will usually discourage their Children and grandchildren and employees not to stay up late, sleep early and it is very unadvicable to do so. Night activities are generally very much discouraged and unadviced to do so.



People are also adviced to be careful with things that you do and say during this month. Afterall, the ghosts are among us. Things can be sensitvie at times. Sometimes you may have done and said something you should not , but you are not aware of it and hence invited unneccssary troubles for yourself.

Not in every case, are cases of Friendly ghosts. some are not! You have no idea what sort of ghosts they are. better still, those who had died a wrong death, during this month it is really a month of revenge ! Good luck to you if are the one responsible for someone who died a very wrong death and they cannot rest in peace.

After the so called public holiday is over, they will all have to return back to where they have came from. If they think they want to try test the system, the guards, constables and keepers of hell will personally bring them back!

In fact, every year during this month, these dead will very suddenly be well behave as they do not want to be denied they opportunity to be released into the world of the living. Those who had not been behaving, will be denied the opportunity of this so called public holiday of theirs once every year.

Now that you have know what the Chinese Hungry ghost festival is, hope you had gain some new insight and know what to do. This Month to the Chinese , generally speaking is an important month. they take things very seriously.


An ancient painting of a hungry ghost

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