Hungry Ghost Festival in Singapore
Every year at this time, on the 1st day of the lunar seventh month, we see joss sticks, fruits and other offerings being lined along the streets and side roads of many housing estates in Singapore. This is especially so for many older populated areas like Chinatown, Bugis, Toa Payoh and Bukit Merah.
Like many other youths my age, I seldom or should I say, never really treated this Chinese festival seriously or solemnly. Not until this year's, now that I have loved ones in BOTH the nether and in the human world. Seems like I have ripped off this line from some silly HK comedy yah ? It may seem silly but is is oh-so-real for myself.
Nah, I did not go buying the whole joss paper shop this time. I just bought 3 seemingly juicy mandarin oranges, 4 small Chinese prunes and four dragon fruits as offerings for my Ancestors' altar.
As tomorrow's a Saturday and Bright Hill Temple is closed by 4pm every day, I would have to rush there after work at one. No problem with that so far, as I had been doing this ever since I started work in my new office a couple of Saturdays ago. Just a bit rush coz I still have to buy some vegetarain meals and other offerings before making my way to the Temple.
Here are some tips for people who are going to get some offerings for their ancestors and loved ones this lunar 7th month (in Singapore) :
1) Get your fruits dirt cheap along Bugis Village's 2 fruit stalls. There are durians, mangoes, longans, dragonfruits, rambutans, fuji apples, mandarin and normal oranges, grapes and some other non-seasonal fruits going off cheaper than most fruiterers ! These fruits are rather fresh and sweet too !
2) There are many cheap vegetarian food stalls selling economical beehoon, Chinese hot and cold desserts, claypot rice, chicken rice, wanton mee etc, for those who have to buy vegetarian offerings for their ancestors.
3) I found an all-purely-no-eggs-used vegetarian cakery just behind Bugis MRT station, below a block of Rochor Street HDB flats ! Their in-house chocolate, raspberry and pumpkin seed muffins taste deliciously rich with flavour but are sweet too. They even have cute durian-shaped cakes there ! Interesting !
4) DO NOT BUY joss paper and other joss offerings around the Rochor and Bugis Village line of shophouses (near Sim Lim Square) as they charge rocket high prices ! I may be a bit too young for such papery offerings but I am definitely not a novice in this ok ! There are around 3 or 4 joss paper shops selling most paper items at double the usual prices for exactly the same items I see elsewhere ! :(
Hope the above tips may help you (if you do believe in this Chinese tradition) and happy shopping !
Yours truly,
little miss sacred
Like many other youths my age, I seldom or should I say, never really treated this Chinese festival seriously or solemnly. Not until this year's, now that I have loved ones in BOTH the nether and in the human world. Seems like I have ripped off this line from some silly HK comedy yah ? It may seem silly but is is oh-so-real for myself.
Nah, I did not go buying the whole joss paper shop this time. I just bought 3 seemingly juicy mandarin oranges, 4 small Chinese prunes and four dragon fruits as offerings for my Ancestors' altar.
As tomorrow's a Saturday and Bright Hill Temple is closed by 4pm every day, I would have to rush there after work at one. No problem with that so far, as I had been doing this ever since I started work in my new office a couple of Saturdays ago. Just a bit rush coz I still have to buy some vegetarain meals and other offerings before making my way to the Temple.
Here are some tips for people who are going to get some offerings for their ancestors and loved ones this lunar 7th month (in Singapore) :
1) Get your fruits dirt cheap along Bugis Village's 2 fruit stalls. There are durians, mangoes, longans, dragonfruits, rambutans, fuji apples, mandarin and normal oranges, grapes and some other non-seasonal fruits going off cheaper than most fruiterers ! These fruits are rather fresh and sweet too !
2) There are many cheap vegetarian food stalls selling economical beehoon, Chinese hot and cold desserts, claypot rice, chicken rice, wanton mee etc, for those who have to buy vegetarian offerings for their ancestors.
3) I found an all-purely-no-eggs-used vegetarian cakery just behind Bugis MRT station, below a block of Rochor Street HDB flats ! Their in-house chocolate, raspberry and pumpkin seed muffins taste deliciously rich with flavour but are sweet too. They even have cute durian-shaped cakes there ! Interesting !
4) DO NOT BUY joss paper and other joss offerings around the Rochor and Bugis Village line of shophouses (near Sim Lim Square) as they charge rocket high prices ! I may be a bit too young for such papery offerings but I am definitely not a novice in this ok ! There are around 3 or 4 joss paper shops selling most paper items at double the usual prices for exactly the same items I see elsewhere ! :(
Hope the above tips may help you (if you do believe in this Chinese tradition) and happy shopping !
Yours truly,
little miss sacred
posted by lonelychinesegal at
8/05/2005 11:00:00 PM
4 Comments:
this is a very interesting ceremony. here in the states we have Christianity crammed down our throats so much that we forget there are many different takes all on spirituality. Thank you for posting this. I love to learn something every single day.
By
Morgan, at 06 August, 2005 00:38
i only eat things that have been cooked by the sun
By
fatrobot, at 06 August, 2005 00:58
Is there a guide on the ge-tais (stage shows), saying which ones are the most entertaining?
And my, you're quite knowledgeable on these 7th month stuff!
By
Jayaxe, at 06 August, 2005 11:48
morgan : Glad u find my post interesting :) This are actually ancient Chinese traditions passed down from generations ago.
Most Chinese young people do not believe or even do such things like paying their respects to their deceased relatives and friends or burn them joss sticks and other paper offerings nowadays. This is quite sad actually, come to think of it. They will lose part of their Chinese heritage for the many years to come.
Anyway, I believe many Chinese in Hongkong, China, Taiwan, Malaysia and even Indonesia,Vietnam and Thailand may "celebrate" Hungry Ghost Festival too. I m not sure though, in Indonesia,Vietnam and Thailand !
fatrobot : What do ya mean ??
jayaxe : A ge-tai guide ?? Hmmmm...so far I am not in ge-tai research so I can't answer u on this. But I think I had came across such books in Toa Payoh national library b4. U can check them out.
I work around that area, hence my knowledge on those food and offerings sold there.
And when I am interested in something etc a culture or tradition, I will dig deep into it ! I m a 100% true blue Chinese girl ok ! :p
By
lonelychinesegal, at 06 August, 2005 18:48
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