The Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival (中元節) is upon us. It descended on 19 August and will end on 17 September (2 September is the fifteenth day). Seventh Month. 七月. It just sounds more creepy in Chinese. I've recently binged all the Singaporean and Asian horror shows on Netflix, (most are cheesy and terrible) and one really got stuck in my head. As usual, the evil sides of humans are more horrifying than ghosts. That's 'The Maid' (2005) directed by Kelvin Tong, starring Alexandra De Rossi, Hong Huifang and Chen Shucheng.
As noisy as it is, I might actually miss the terribly cliched singing from the colorful getais that dot the island during this month. Teeehehhehe. It's not that I like the songs. They're rather... hair-raising, and I don't understand the Hokkien sung in Hokkien songs. I find the entire staging of getais quite a unique little phenomenon. I wonder when it will die off. It takes so much money to stage one getai in any venue in Singapore (shows are free for audiences but artists are paid) that I don't know how it's possible for the organizers to recoup anything without sponsorship. It hasn't been commercially viable for many years now. There're now e-getai shows (produced mainly by J Team Productions) to entertain mostly the elderly, and these virtual concerts will be extra popular this month.
I took a look at the dos and don'ts of the Seventh Month. Heh. Well, as much as I think it's damn messy and unfair to the cleaners (because nobody bothers to clear up after themselves), I respect the offerings placed on the streets, and that's about as much as I adhere to 'the rules'. There was one that I blinked at:- 'DO NOT HANG OUT LAUNDRY OUT OVERNIGHT' because the wandering spirits would try on the damp clothes and follow you back into the home. Okay, this isn't gonna work for me. Logic dictates that laundry is either done in the mornings or afternoons, and hopefully the weather helps it to dry in time in the nights. But not all pieces of clothing would, obviously. 😐
As a child, nobody told me anything about these 'rules' anyway, so......... you can see why I'm so fascinated with all these horror lore and folk myths. I see it in the neighborhood, but nobody at home practices any sort of burning of anything. I've broken a number of those 'rules' ever since, say swimming, going out at night (and now I have a dog!), wearing mostly black and some red. I probably won't stop now. It's got nothing to do with 'tempting fate'. It has everything to do with logistics and schedules.
I'm not superstitious. I've not had any encounter that I can claim as 'otherworldly'. I'll never know if dogs see ghosts and spirits. But what I want to flag is, this girl has a nervous disposition, has super hearing (hence canine noise aversion), and she's so sensitive to loud and sudden noises, barometric pressure and vibes humans exude that I wouldn't be surprised if she detects electromagnetic fields too. Our home is so wired up that electro-pollution (non-ionizing) is likely a thing. The double-coated dog likely has a build-up of static electricity in her fur during a thunderstorm that it freaks her out. This means that an anxiety wrap won't work for her. I might have to try out anti-static shirts. Placing a hand on her calms her more than me trying to hug her. Hahaha. I would really prefer her to chase the ghosts away if she feels any extra energy balls pulsating or if she sees them, or ask them to contribute to our monthly estate maintenance fees.
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