The Hungry Ghost Festival is observed during the seventh month of the lunar calendar, drawing on Buddhist, Taoist and folk religious beliefs about the relationship between the living and the dead BUKIT MERTAJAM, Malaysia -- It’s that time of year when the living make room for the dead. Malaysia’s Hungry Ghost Festival is held during the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, which this year began in mid-August. The city is in Malaysia’s northern state of Penang, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) north of Kuala Lumpur.
The celebration culminates in the ceremonial burning of the effigy, symbolically sending the deity back to the spirit world. Lee estimated that more than 10,000 people attended the burning ceremony this year, with crowds sometimes reaching 20,000. Devotees travel to Bukit Mertajam from across Malaysia as well as Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand.
The Da Shi Ye effigy in Bukit Mertajam is traditionally made about five centimeters (two inches) taller each year. In 2026, it reached 8.9 meters (about 29 feet). Ng Chi Wong, 69, has spent more than four decades crafting the figures.
He said completing the towering effigy takes about a month and a half, with a team of seven or eight people working on it. The outer layers are then added and painted. Ng said that the process has undergone some small improvements over time.
Yet the craft requires more than technical skill. Lim Han Cong, a University of Malaya master’s graduate in Chinese studies, described the Hungry Ghost Festival as a counterpart to another traditional Chinese observance: Qingming, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, when families honor their ancestors at their graves. While Qingming focuses primarily on one’s own ancestors, the Hungry Ghost Festival extends offerings to wandering spirits and the unclaimed dead.
In Taoist ceremonies during the festival, priests recite sacred scriptures and perform rites to help the deceased find peace and salvation. Such practices are intended to provide comfort, nourishment and liberation to those who have no descendants to care for them. Starting in the 1970s, Malaysian Chinese celebrations incorporated charitable activities such as auctions of blessed offerings and fundraising campaigns for schools.
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