Birthday and Celebrations | S. P.'s Space of 6 T's - Tastes, Theatre, Thoughts, Time, Travels, and Treatments ......

Twa Peh Kong’s Teochew Wayang starts

Our part of the Malaysia was badly hit by heavy rainfall a week ago with many low-lying places flooded. My house was unaffected as it is on slightly higher level. However, rain continued to fall on and off – sometimes heavy rains causing a lot of tension and anxiety.

So, last night of Friday, 22 September, 2017 I wrote on Facebook … ” Rain stopped for some time, so maybe go photo-shooting tonight … ” of which I did but quite late at 9.30 pm breaking the monotony of just staying at home and watching TV.

SP Lim

Twa Peh Kong’s Teochew Wayang starts

I was told and heard from the Manager of this leading Thai-originated Teochew Sai Yong Hong Wayang Troupe personally that it shall be performing for the last year in Penang due to economical reason/s. Owing to the low exchange rate of Malaysian Ringgit (RM) to Thailand’s Baht, it is grossly unprofitable to come to Penang to perform even at a higher rate of RM5,000.00 per night’s performance. It is furthermore more profitable to perform in Thailand as the Thai richer Wayang fans will give generous amount of cash to outstanding performers during the performance itself. As the Malaysian audience are usually wage-earners, such cash rewards were practically non-existent locally.

So what you are seeing of these photographs shall be the final few photographs of their performances in Penang as I shall try to catch more moments of their final performances in Penang.

SP Lim

Mid-Autumn Festival

The festival is intricately linked to legends of Chang E, the mythical Moon Goddess of Immortality. According to the Liji, an ancient Chinese book recording customs and ceremonies, the Chinese Emperor should offer sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. The 15th day of the 8th lunar month is the day called “Mid-Autumn”. The night on the 15th of the 8th lunar month is also called “Night of the Moon”. Under the Song Dynasty (420), the day was officially declared the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Because of its central role in the Mid-Autumn festival, mooncakes remained popular even in recent years. For many, they form a central part of the Mid-Autumn festival experience such that it is now commonly known as ‘Mooncake Festival’.

Today is the First Day of the 8th Moon – Twa Peh Kong’s Birthdays and Mooncake Festival thus the second round of Wayang Photo-shooting.

A mooncake (simplified Chinese: 月饼; traditional Chinese: 月餅; pinyin: yuè bĭng; Jyutping: jyut6 beng2; Yale: yuht béng) is a Chinese bakery product traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is for lunar appreciation and moon watching, when mooncakes are regarded as an indispensable delicacy. Mooncakes are offered between friends or on family gatherings while celebrating the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the four most important Chinese festivals.

Typical mooncakes are round pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 3–4 cm thick. This is the Cantonese mooncake, eaten in Southern China in Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macau. A rich thick filling usually made from red bean or lotus seed paste is surrounded by a thin (2–3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by tea. Today, it is customary for businessmen and families to present them to their clients or relatives as presents, helping to fuel a demand for high-end mooncakes. A considerable amount of waste is also produced. According to the Wall Street Journal’s China edition, as many as two million mooncakes are thrown away each year in Hong Kong alone, not to mention the often voluminous packaging.

Due to China’s influence, mooncakes and Mid-Autumn Festival are also enjoyed and celebrated in other parts of Asia. Mooncakes have also appeared in western countries as a form of delicacy.

Say Hong Chun or Boat of Sian Chye Tong ~ The Burning Ceremony II

Night of the Burning of the Say Hong Chun or Boat at Sian Chye Tong, Ayer Itam, Penang

Both of these joss paper images of the Tai Soo Yah and the Say Hong Chun (Boat) of Sian Chye Tong were burnt on the Saturday night of September 16, 2017.

SP Lim

Say Hong Chun or Boat of Sian Chye Tong ~ The Burning Ceremony II

Say Hong Chun or Boat of Sian Chye Tong ~ The Burning Ceremony II The Photographers

Hungry ghost is a concept in Chinese Buddhism and Chinese traditional religion representing beings who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way. The term 餓鬼 èguǐ, literally “hungry ghost“, is the Chinese translation of the term preta in Buddhism. “Hungry ghosts” play a role in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism as well as in Chinese folk religion. The term is not to be confused with the generic term for “ghost“, 鬼 guǐ (i.e. the spirit of a deceased ancestor). The understanding is that all people become such a regular ghost when they die, and would then slowly weaken and eventually die a second time. Hungry ghosts, by contrast, are a much more exceptional case, and would only occur in very unfortunate circumstances, such as if a whole family were killed or when a family no longer venerated their ancestors.

With the rise in popularity of Buddhism, the idea became popular that souls would live in space until reincarnation. In the Taoist tradition it is believed that hungry ghosts can arise from people whose deaths have been violent or unhappy. Both Buddhism and Taoism share the idea that hungry ghosts can emerge from neglect or desertion of ancestors. According to the Hua-yen Sutra evil deeds will cause a soul to be reborn in one of six different realms. The highest degree of evil deed will cause a soul to be reborn as a denizen of hell, a lower degree of evil will cause a soul to be reborn as an animal, and the lowest degree will cause a soul to be reborn as a hungry ghost. According to the tradition, evil deeds that lead to becoming a hungry ghost are killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. Desire, greed, anger and ignorance are all factors in causing a soul to be reborn as a hungry ghost because they are motives for people to perform evil deeds.

Inserted from Wikipedia by SP Lim

Say Hong Chun or Boat of Sian Chye Tong ~ The Burning Ceremony

Night of the Burning of the Say Hong Chun or Boat at Sian Chye Tong, Ayer Itam, Penang

Both of these joss paper images of the Tai Soo Yah and the Say Hong Chun (Boat) of Sian Chye Tong were burnt on the Saturday night of September 16, 2017.

SP Lim

Say Hong Chun or Boat of Sian Chye Tong ~ The Burning Ceremony I

Hungry ghost is a concept in Chinese Buddhism and Chinese traditional religion representing beings who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way. The term 餓鬼 èguǐ, literally “hungry ghost“, is the Chinese translation of the term preta in Buddhism. “Hungry ghosts” play a role in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism as well as in Chinese folk religion. The term is not to be confused with the generic term for “ghost“, 鬼 guǐ (i.e. the spirit of a deceased ancestor). The understanding is that all people become such a regular ghost when they die, and would then slowly weaken and eventually die a second time. Hungry ghosts, by contrast, are a much more exceptional case, and would only occur in very unfortunate circumstances, such as if a whole family were killed or when a family no longer venerated their ancestors.

With the rise in popularity of Buddhism, the idea became popular that souls would live in space until reincarnation. In the Taoist tradition it is believed that hungry ghosts can arise from people whose deaths have been violent or unhappy. Both Buddhism and Taoism share the idea that hungry ghosts can emerge from neglect or desertion of ancestors. According to the Hua-yen Sutra evil deeds will cause a soul to be reborn in one of six different realms. The highest degree of evil deed will cause a soul to be reborn as a denizen of hell, a lower degree of evil will cause a soul to be reborn as an animal, and the lowest degree will cause a soul to be reborn as a hungry ghost. According to the tradition, evil deeds that lead to becoming a hungry ghost are killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. Desire, greed, anger and ignorance are all factors in causing a soul to be reborn as a hungry ghost because they are motives for people to perform evil deeds.

Inserted from Wikipedia by SP Lim

Say Hong Chun or Boat of Sian Chye Tong ~ The Preparation of the Burning Ceremony

Night of the Burning of the Say Hong Chun or Boat at Sian Chye Tong, Ayer Itam, Penang

Both of these joss paper images of the Tai Soo Yah and the Say Hong Chun (Boat) of Sian Chye Tong were burnt on the Saturday night of September 16, 2017.

SP Lim

Night of the Burning of the Say Hong Chun or Boat at Sian Chye Tong, Ayer Itam, Penang

Say Hong Chun or Boat of Sian Chye Tong ~ The Preparation of the Burning Ceremony

Hungry ghost is a concept in Chinese Buddhism and Chinese traditional religion representing beings who are driven by intense emotional needs in an animalistic way. The term 餓鬼 èguǐ, literally “hungry ghost“, is the Chinese translation of the term preta in Buddhism. “Hungry ghosts” play a role in Chinese Buddhism and Taoism as well as in Chinese folk religion. The term is not to be confused with the generic term for “ghost“, 鬼 guǐ (i.e. the spirit of a deceased ancestor). The understanding is that all people become such a regular ghost when they die, and would then slowly weaken and eventually die a second time. Hungry ghosts, by contrast, are a much more exceptional case, and would only occur in very unfortunate circumstances, such as if a whole family were killed or when a family no longer venerated their ancestors.

With the rise in popularity of Buddhism, the idea became popular that souls would live in space until reincarnation. In the Taoist tradition it is believed that hungry ghosts can arise from people whose deaths have been violent or unhappy. Both Buddhism and Taoism share the idea that hungry ghosts can emerge from neglect or desertion of ancestors. According to the Hua-yen Sutra evil deeds will cause a soul to be reborn in one of six different realms. The highest degree of evil deed will cause a soul to be reborn as a denizen of hell, a lower degree of evil will cause a soul to be reborn as an animal, and the lowest degree will cause a soul to be reborn as a hungry ghost. According to the tradition, evil deeds that lead to becoming a hungry ghost are killing, stealing and sexual misconduct. Desire, greed, anger and ignorance are all factors in causing a soul to be reborn as a hungry ghost because they are motives for people to perform evil deeds.

Inserted from Wikipedia by SP Lim