Baba's thought for today.
"The same current activates all"
All man are born equal. I think this what the quote means.
The 'Phor Thor' ceremony during the seventh lunar month is observed by many people who believe that by making bountiful offerings for the 'wandering souls', they will be richly rewarded.
I've been told that the main diety is the 'God of Hades' who acts as the patron and there is always an effigy of a horse which is to transport these offerings to the other world. Picture one shows, besides other prayer items a pair of pyramid shaped clusters of buns called'moh hor'.
Picture two shows the full view of the altar and the paper horse is clearly visible beside the altar.
Picture three is very interesting for these are the food offerings, consisting of roast pig, dried noodles, many types of fruits, sweets and cakes. But the most important part of the ceremony is the burning of joss paper,'money' and other things made of paper which will appease the wandering spirits.
I think the observance of such rituals and festivals among the Chinese are significant for the believers and they are to be respected as such. Besides such activities are good for fostering community spirit among the different clans, trades groups and companies. It's like a 'muhibbah' thing!!
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