It's finally HERE... 7th MONTH..

Tonight the NOISE Level is up again... Not our next door neighbour having their usual Karaoke session... but it came within the open space across the streets... the amplifier was blasting through the few void decks of our housing estates... BIG Commotion there , Must be an interesting event going on to create the crowd puller...

Aiyyyaaahhhh... it's the time of the year again... 7th Month.... Tomoro marks the 1st day of the 7th month.. and they have chose to kick start the "celebration" with a loud "bang"

Also known as Ghost Month (鬼月), in which ghosts and spirits, including those of the deceased ancestors, come out from "the below" to visit earth. Buddhists, Taoists and believers of Chinese folk religions believe that, during the "Ghost Month", the spirits of the dead wander the earth. During this dangerous time they suspend all important activities and decisions. It's the time of the year many Chinese businesses dread -- families avoid moving house, couples postpone their wedding plans and tourists shy away from beach resorts...

Only thing is i'm not sure why they also called it the Hungry Ghost Month.. unless they assume these ghosts are always hunger for food??!!

Every year at this time, the Gates of Hell are flung open on the 1st day to allow the ghosts and spirits of the nether world into the world of the living for a month of bacchanal of food and wine... at the same time, let loose to party and create mischief. This earthly party comes to an end on the 30th day of the month with the "closing of the Gates of Hades"-- the portals to the spirit world are shut once again on this day. On the 15th day of Ghost Month, many people stay at home to avoid an unlucky encounter with a ghost out enjoying the Ghost Festival; and special care is taken to avoid walking near riverbanks where a water spirit may easily steal the body of the living...

Traditionally, the festival represents a connection between the ancestors and the descendants, the living and the dead, earth and heaven, as well as body and soul. Therefore, ancestor worshiping was an important part of the festival. The living supposed to prepare ritualistic offering food, and burning incense on paper money / Hell money and paper effigies of homes, maids and other daily items for spirits to use in the after-life to appease the "visiting" ghosts and spirits of the ancestors, as well as other deities. Other activities include, burying and releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns on water, which signifies "giving directions to the lost ghosts and spirits of the ancestors and other deities.

While it should be a very solemn festival of ancestor worshiping, it is an important opportunity for some Singapore gamblers to hunt for lucky numbers to play the "4-Digits" (4D) lottery.

I know, it sound so silly but all human being has a greed nauture and when they are desperate, they are geared up to try anything including asking the lucky numbers from these potential poltergeists.... Sometimes they go to the extent that they will pray infront of graveyards with talismans, burning offerings asking for numbers.



Another activity that is widely arranged would be the getai...Basically, ‘ge tai’ is a like a live talent concert or wayang... I think how getai come about would be because in order to keep the "spirits"of the dead busy and not create any unnecessary havoc... the Chinese business associations often run these street performances/ mini pop concerts to entertain them and make them happy...

However, it turned out that the ge-tai entertained the living more than these homeless spirits... The Performers usually dressed in glitzy costumes, and big hair and they would sing in dialects like Hokkien or Cantonese... The hosts are also full of tongue-in-cheek humour, occasionally teasing the audience to lighten the atmosphere.... Occasionally, when the organiser has bigger budget, they may invitepopular singers from overseas to perform....The stage is often makeshift and can be easily dissembled. Most of the audience are male, as u might have guess it, the singers are usually females, sashaying in their micro-mini dresses, if not in their stunning boobs-spilling outfits that the men can only drool abt it.. I wonder how the singers can still sing and dance at ease when these "chi-kolr peh" ogling at them from head to toe and back to head again all the way...

Most of the time these "getai" shows also include auctions for auspicious items such as oranges, pineapples and charcoal -- which are associated with wealth in Chinese, and which are stacked on gold-tinted plates and elaborately wrapped in red ribbons. Some people are actually willing to bid up to S$10,000 for these items... hmmmm do they really believe that it will bring them good luck ??? !! I heard these items are usually packed with a slip of paper with several sets of four numbers, so that winners of the bid can use those numbers to bet in the 4D lottery.....

uuuhhuuuhh I think if the luck is so easy to come by like dropping from the sky, or so easy to strike 4D...then there will be plenty of millionaires around liao... haaahaaa... but frankly speaking... i have spotted quite a few new models of BMWs and Mercedes driving on the road lately...

Anyway, Its about time that someone decided to make a movie about Ge-tai.. cos i think this is largely one of the unique "culture performances" u can find nowadays that the Singaporean still practises, and very well-received. Singapore's first local ‘ge tai’ movie here, 881, produced by our talented Singapore director’s Royston Tan.. Young chap with big ambition... we should look up to this local boy... The producers are so confident with this chap that they invested $1 million for this film... i think it's gonna be a good performance.... AND IT BETTER BE... cos he needs to make this money invested worthwhile...guess this new show is more of a musical set against the colourful and unique backdrop...

881 tells the story of The Papaya Sisters, two childhood friends who grew up mesmerised by the glitter and glamour of ‘getai’ (song stage). Think there should be lots of glitzy costumes and interesting choreography, with the actors breaking out into songs to express their emotions.

Quite a nice way to surprise people with this way of storytelling, the beauty of Hokkien songs even if most of the time i have no clue wat they sing about.. simply feels like those american song and dance theme like GREASE and The BROADWAY or the SOUND of MUSIC... In fact it feels like another Singapore version of Indian movies where they always have breakout session of the male lead singing to the female lead to express their feelings.. perhaps this one is alittle different.. i don't think that they change different backdrop scenery every other chorus they sing and perhaps the costume changes are lesser...I don't know.. i have not watched the movie.. can't comment it.. But surely this is not another standup act like BROADWAY BENG... that was one hilarious act i cannot forget.. Tears hole was leaking...i nearly roll myself along the walkway back and fro... too bad i missed the Part 2... I wish it had come back another time..

ok.. i will try to make it a point to catch it @ the movie theatre.. cos i know my DaDDy will be too lazy to sit still in that theatre... perhaps i should tempt him with FREE movie tix... see how...

Uuhh.. finally... the estate has returned to its peace state...

-- irritated gal -- Aug 12.07