The God of Hell gives me the shivers

It's always exciting when the Gates of Hell are opened and its ghostly inhabitants are let loose for a month-long 'holiday' on earth.

Growing up, my elders would forbid my cousins and I to venture out of the house after dark. Ghosts were lurking everywhere waiting to pounce on little boys and girls, we were told.


A Taoist priest opening the Gates of Hell in the 'Por Tay Yuk" ceremony


Part of the ceremony includes jumping through fire

We were also banned from doing anything remotely dangerous. That meant no swimming, no climbing trees, no playing hide-and-seek.--- no to almost everything!

We were told not to heed any calls of our name unless the calls came on repeatedly.

"Itu antu panggil sama kau itu. Jaga kau," warned my grandma and grandaunts.

I don't know if I believe about antus roaming the earth but the only eerie encounter during the Hungry Ghost Festival was three years ago.

My best buddy Vig and I had gone to a Por Tor celebration at Jalan Pahang. The football field was covered with endless rows of table laden with offerings.

 There were one-metre high candy pyramids, life-sized pink turtle-shaped pau, whole roast pigs, goats, ducks and chickens and colourful Barbie jellies. It was Epicurean heaven!



But what caught our attention were the freshly slaughtered pigs and goats which were propped up on a wooden bench-like thing. The devotees had stuck joss sticks into the snouts/mouths of these carcasses.

Stupidly, I made a casual remark about how it was a 'Smoking pig'... Get it?

Anyway, it was bad luck for a whole week. I fell and cut my knee quite badly while trying to catch a train. To make it worse, I also ripped my brand new trousers. A planned holiday didn't happen.

I didn't think much of it until a friend came up to me and asked me where my sister was.... I do not have a sister!

She had been dreaming about me continuously for 7 days and in every one of them, there was a little girl- a younger twin- who would follow me around!


The child-god

I freaked out and went to the nearest temple and church and mumbled some prayer even though I'm a self-confessed atheist.


Towards the end of the night, devotees divide and give out the food offerings

Now, I just keep my mouth shut whenever I visit these Por Tor celebrations.

No more Mini-me!