Visit Singapore's Ghost-like festival
Thursday, 17 Aug 2006 15:33
Multicultural Singapore has festivals throughout the year
Singapore is known for its ultra-efficient city living and its perfect temperatures all year round, but the island has a more superstitious side to discover.
The smallest country in south-east Asia, Singapore is an island city-state where it is summer all year round thanks to being less than 100 miles from the equator.
With a holiday to Singapore in August or September you can witness the island’s local Chinese community taking part in the 'Hungry Ghosts' festival.
The festival is a tribute to ghosts they believe have been temporarily allowed to roam on earth, and involves outdoor music performances and festive foods.
A more superstitious side to the festivities are offerings the local Chinese people make to the spirits, where they burn paper versions of everyday items such as money, houses, cars or TVs to appease the spirits and ensure they do not get bad luck.
The musical festivities include a Chinese version of opera called a 'wayang' and Ge Tai, where performers sing on outdoor stages.
The events always take place at night time, mostly in residential neighbourhoods, with the front seats left empty to accommodate any ghosts that may be wandering by.
One of the key events during the celebration is a feast where the local Chinese community comes together, a fortnight after which the ghosts are believed to return to where they came from and the festival ends.
Grace Lu of the Singapore Tourism Board said: "The Hungry Ghost festival is a fascinating time to visit Singapore and get an insight into our Chinese cultural heritage.
"It is a lovely, noisy occasion infused with old and new beliefs."
Singapore is made up of four core ethnic groups – the Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian communities, which means there are further festivities throughout the year.
The 'Hungry Ghosts' festival runs until September 21st.
There are a number of companies that provide package deals to Singapore, including
EastTravel,
ITC Classics,
The Malaysia Experience,
Travel2, and
Pegasus Luxury Travel.
XXX