((( iPhone & iPad users CLICK HERE to LISTEN )))
Guests: Chha Ke Sai, Bo· Mo· Peh, Ah Boy, Ah Tau, Kari Mo· Chit Chhok.
A few of us who do not have much knowledge about the Ghost Month, talked to a few listeners with lots of knowledge. We learned that you should watch out on what you say if you’re there at the Hungry Ghost Festival celebration. Hope you have a safe celebration.
Im a part-time singer..Hungry Ghost month I can earn more as there are lots of KO-TAI… ^^
Great podcast as always.
BTW, you guys have heard of a Singapore horror movie called The Maid? Some scenes in it is quite informative as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxtCObMNGeg
*Forward to around the 6.00 minute mark
For my understanding, the “after died” concept in Chinese community as below.
1) “After died” concept come from Buddhism , and it had influenced Taoism.
2) After a human died , his spirit will be going to underworld or “ying gan” (阴间). He will receive judgment in the “ying gan” . If he did bad , he will be transfer to hell or “dei geik” (地狱) to received punishment. If he collect enough of good karma, he will be transfer to heaven. If he do so so, he will be reborn again as human when the timing is correct.
3) The god and goddess in the “ying gan” (阴间) as follows:
a) “giam loh ong” (阎罗王)or yamaraja (Sanskrit) are the god that rules the underworld. In Taoism, they believe that there are 10 “giam loh ongs” (十殿阎罗)and each “giam loh ong” in charge of different division.
b) “seng ong ya” (城隍爷) is a very powerful god who can travel between ying (ghost space) and yang space (human space & heaven). His role is to fight evil power. He is not the administrator in “ying gan” (阴间).
c) “dei chong ong” (地藏王菩萨) actually reaches nirvana and he should become Buddha. However he’d made a wish, “before the hell to be empty , he will not go to nirvana.” Hence he is staying in the hell to give Dhamma talk .
d) “dua pek”( 大伯, 黑无常, 七爺 ) he is the sheriff in the “ying gan” (阴间). In Taiwan , they call him “chit ya” (七爺 ). I guess he is “sambal belacan char kei pooi”’s god father.
e) “jee pek”( 二伯, 黑无常, 八爺 ) he is the sheriff in the “ying gan” (阴间). In Taiwan , they call him “bei ya” (八爺 ).
f) “gu tao” (牛头) &“beh bin” (马面) are police in the “ying gan” (阴间).
g) “dai su ya” (大士爺) is a ghost. He is the king of ghost. We prey him during “poh to” (普渡), because he is very fierce and all ghost fear on him. He keeps the discipline of ghost ‘s activity during “chit guek” (七月). Some people believe that he is one of the avatars of “Guan Yin”.
I hope my comments are correct, else please correct me 🙂
This is excellent material, thank you Keikakia. I’ve been wondering about the main deities known to most people in Penang and their names. A lot of it corresponds exactly to a book I have about Chinese gods. I’m writing a dictionary of Penang Hokkien and was wanting to include the most common gods and a bit of information about them. I was wondering, do people say “Ying gan” or “Yim gan”?
In Taichung there was an old temple to Seng Ong Ya that I used to visit. Very creepy, with lots of pictures of the ten tortures in hell, and had two statues of dua pek and ji pek at the gate. I have been wondering about the Penang names for these two gods for a long time. In Taiwan they are usually 黑無常 and 白無常 but I only learnt how to say these names in Mandarin, since my Hokkien was very limited back then. Gu Tao and Beh Bin were also in the temple a bit further back. Here are some pictures of the temple and the statues of 黑無常 and 白無常 I remember so well.
https://zinkou.pixnet.net/blog/post/27891655-台中城隍廟
I see they have their original names there too (General Huan (?) and General Cheah), but no mention of the names 黑無常 and 白無常
I think penang people say “yim gan”.
For the “seng ong ya” (城隍爷) there are few version depends on the legend and dynasty.
First version : He is god who is taking care of ford and country.
Second version : He is the god taking care of water.
Third version: He is a god judge to fight for justice , that is why he can travel between yin and yang space.
Fourth Version : “seng ong ya” (城隍爷) is a position. Wise man or hero in the ancient time will be promoted by the King as “seng ong ya” (城隍爷) after they died, and they believe he will “poh pee” the country.
Fifth Version : In Taiwan and HongKong there is a legend to say that “seng ong ya” (城隍爷) was a “chooi gui” ( 水鬼) before he become god. When he was “chooi gui” ( 水鬼) he not only never kill others to replace his identity as “chooi gui” ( 水鬼) , but he help people also.
紅毛Cathy , in the link you share I can see the original name of 白無常.
Besides, they also written there: 謝將軍即謝必安，俗稱”七爺”或”洛咖爺”
For 黑無常, they also written there: 范將軍即范無救，俗稱”八爺”或”矮仔爺”
But now i confuse which one is “Dua Pek” and ” ji pek ” liao. @_@
The elder one should be “Dua Pek” right?
Whoops…. I’m not sure why I wrote the last sentence like that. I should have written “No mention of their names “tua pek” and “ji pek” instead.
Dua Pek is the tall one and Ji Pek the short one.
The story I was told in Taiwan about their lives as generals is that General Hoan and General Cheah had agreed to meet again on a bridge after a year. General Hoan waited on the bridge but there was a flash flood and he died from drowning because he was short and the water went over his head as he was holding on to the pillar of the bridge. This is also why he has dark skin, it was supposed to be blue from having drowned. When his friend General Cheah came, he fund his friend dead, and blamed himself for not turning up in time, and then strangled himself. That is why his tongue sticks out. Seng Ong Ya heard of their devotion to each other and was moved to hire them both as his servants.
I found this story on the internet too, but in Penang I believe there is a completely different story of their origin.
Thank you ang moh cathy:)
You should come back and we will talk about Ko Tai!