GEORGE TOWN, Aug 15 — Temple committees organising the Hungry Ghost Festival (Phor Tor) celebrations in Penang this year have been advised to stage Chinese operas and puppet shows instead of performances by scantily-clad showgirls.

Penang Teong Guan Association chairman Khor Kai Keng said the Tai Su Yeah (King of Hades) deity "does not fancy scantily-dressed singers".

He said traditional Chinese operas would be more appropriate since George Town as a Unesco World Heritage Site attracted a lot of tourists annually.

"The traditional opera usually includes moral values in the storyline which is suitable for children, especially during the school holidays now," he told Bernama when contacted, here, today.

The festival, which started last Wednesday, is celebrated in the seventh lunar month of the Chinese calendar by Chinese communities mostly in southern China, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The association is the lead organiser of the Hungry Ghost Festival in Penang and oversees about 280 Phor Tor committees on the island.

Khor said instead of spending so much money for stage shows (Ko Tai) with singers singing until midnight, the organisers should opt for more economical yet educational shows such as opera and puppet shows.

He said the organisers should maintain the Chinese cultural heritage and pass it to the younger generation.

The Chinese believe that during this month, the "Gates of Hell" are opened to let out the hungry ghosts who then wander foraging for food on Earth.

At the middle of the festival, usually on the 14th or 15th night, food offerings and paper money and incense are burnt outside houses to placate the spirits of dead ancestors and to ensure good luck.

In Penang alone, over 200 Hungry Ghosts Festival or "Phor Tor" committees were formed this year among community leaders, traders and residents in various areas to celebrate the occasion. — Bernama