I never really quite understood how in the last couple of years, the calendars have come to a complete change and we find two races / religions celebrating two different festivals at about the same time?
First we had Hari Raya. After 30 days of dawn-to-dusk fasting during Ramadan, the first three days of Hari Raya Aidilfitri are celebrated on a grand scale. The celebrations are colourful and fascinating. Muslim families often dress in the same colour to signify their unity. The men wear a loose shirt with trousers known as ‘baju Melayu’ and the women wear the quintessential ‘baju kurung’. And if you’re lucky enough, you might get an invite to a home-cooked Hari Raya Aidilfitri feast. A wide variety of spicy dishes are traditionally served during the three-day celebration, including spicy beef ‘rendang’, vegetable curry ‘sayur lodeh’ and Malay rice cakes called ‘ketupat’.
Then it is that time of the year again, when I come back home to see ashes flying around the void decks or around blocks and in my home since I live on the second level.
Hungry Ghost festival is an occasion that is taken very seriously by the Chinese. This festival falls on the 7th month of the lunar New Year so that's how they got the name 7th Month Hungry Ghost Festival. Although I am half Chinese I never understood much of this.
But it is believed by the Chinese that during this month, the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who then wander to seek food on Earth. Some even think that the ghosts would seek revenge on those who had wronged them in their lives. The reason why the Chinese celebrate this festival is to remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them. So does this mean they have evil dead and hungry ghost family? (I'm seriously scratching my head now).
I just want to know why is it ok for them to make a mess of the estates and nothing is being done about the fact it should be considered littering? Shouldn't they at least clean up after their rituals? Why can't all these be done at a temple or a place of worship to save the other races and religions the inconvenience? Why can't town council designate one area for them to carry out these rituals instead of right under someone's home?
I mean seriously, I dread the 7th Month because I wake up thinking my house is on fire! I dread it because the smoke and ashes causes my asthma to flare up and not to mention my kids having breathing problems. But that's just my family. How many other kids and elderly people are having this respiratory problems?
No I have nothing against any religion but I think this issue needs to be addressed and taken seriously.
First we had Hari Raya. After 30 days of dawn-to-dusk fasting during Ramadan, the first three days of Hari Raya Aidilfitri are celebrated on a grand scale. The celebrations are colourful and fascinating. Muslim families often dress in the same colour to signify their unity. The men wear a loose shirt with trousers known as ‘baju Melayu’ and the women wear the quintessential ‘baju kurung’. And if you’re lucky enough, you might get an invite to a home-cooked Hari Raya Aidilfitri feast. A wide variety of spicy dishes are traditionally served during the three-day celebration, including spicy beef ‘rendang’, vegetable curry ‘sayur lodeh’ and Malay rice cakes called ‘ketupat’.
Then it is that time of the year again, when I come back home to see ashes flying around the void decks or around blocks and in my home since I live on the second level.
Hungry Ghost festival is an occasion that is taken very seriously by the Chinese. This festival falls on the 7th month of the lunar New Year so that's how they got the name 7th Month Hungry Ghost Festival. Although I am half Chinese I never understood much of this.
But it is believed by the Chinese that during this month, the gates of hell are opened to free the hungry ghosts who then wander to seek food on Earth. Some even think that the ghosts would seek revenge on those who had wronged them in their lives. The reason why the Chinese celebrate this festival is to remember their dead family members and pay tribute to them. So does this mean they have evil dead and hungry ghost family? (I'm seriously scratching my head now).
I just want to know why is it ok for them to make a mess of the estates and nothing is being done about the fact it should be considered littering? Shouldn't they at least clean up after their rituals? Why can't all these be done at a temple or a place of worship to save the other races and religions the inconvenience? Why can't town council designate one area for them to carry out these rituals instead of right under someone's home?
I mean seriously, I dread the 7th Month because I wake up thinking my house is on fire! I dread it because the smoke and ashes causes my asthma to flare up and not to mention my kids having breathing problems. But that's just my family. How many other kids and elderly people are having this respiratory problems?
No I have nothing against any religion but I think this issue needs to be addressed and taken seriously.
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