We’re not overly superstitious, but it is the Hungry Ghost Festival month after all.
For those of you who are not in the know, the Hungry Ghost Festival is a traditional Buddhist and Taoist festival held in Asian countries, on the 7th month in the Chinese lunar calendar. The peak of the Hungry Ghost month happens on the 15th day of the 7th month, when the realms of Heaven and Hell and the realm of the living are “open”. Both Taoists and Buddhists would perform rituals (food offerings, burning incense, burning joss paper, burning papier-mâché form of material items such as clothes, gold, and other fine goods) to transmute and absolve the sufferings of the deceased as during the Hungry Ghost month, the deceased are believed to visit the living.
In some East Asian countries, including Malaysia, concert-like live performances on temporary stages are held. The first row of seats are always empty as this is where people believe the ghosts sit. The shows, which include Chinese opera, dramas, and even burlesque shows, are always put on at night and at high volumes as the sound is believed to attract and please the ghosts.
This year, the Hungry Ghost month (22nd August 22nd – 19th September) culminated in the festival which was held on the night of 4th September. A netizen, who was videoing the Hungry Ghost festival prayers, is believed to have unintentionally caught a ghost walking amongst the living.
Watch closely:
It is not known where the video originated from or who was the person behind the camera, but the 10-second clip has since gone viral, garnering over 22,000 views and 249 shares – and counting. As expected, reactions from Malaysian Facebook users vary, with one commenting, “Why do people still believe in ghost? Wake up we are in 2017. No such thing lah” while another said, “I’m muslim and not celebrating hungry ghost.. but I do respect the festival and ceremony. It has happened many years ago to my uncle.”
Welp, what do y’all think? Legit ghost caught on camera or a human being? Or some sort of an illusion as a result of poor lighting? We’ll let you decide.
