limmk
30-08-2004, 10:09 PM
GHOSTS IN THE AIR: 7TH MONTH, HALLOWEEN AND YEAR-ROUND GHOST STORIES
SINGAPORE is a scary place, if folklore is to be believed. Whether it's personal experience, hearsay, or a friend's encounter, almost everyone has a ghost story or urban legend to share.
Yes, many of us question the credibility of these tales, but that doesn't stop us from being fascinated by the supernatural.
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-08-29/pcghost-184929.jpg
We read about it - Russell Lee's series of True Singapore Ghost Stories remain on best-seller lists, and there have been 11 such books.
We watch (and scream about) it in the cinemas - think The Ring, The Eye and Sixth Sense.
For a month each year, we pay big money to appease the spirits and ghosts - if the elaborate getais in the ongoing Hungry Ghost Festival are anything to go by.
We even have specialised ghost-busters with a virtual presence - Singapore Paranormal Investigators (www.spi.com.sg).
While this fascination isn't desirable if taken to extremes, some say that not having ghostly legends and supernatural practices can be seen as an erosion of culture.
Why are we so fixated by the unknown?
ESCAPE FROM REAL WORLD
'Well, it could be a form of escapism. In a highly stressed society, perhaps we like to think that there's something bigger than us out there,'said Dr Danny Ng, a psychologist at Raffles Hospital.
'Sometimes, it's easier to put happenings down as bad luck, instead of saying 'it's my fault'.'
'For some, this strong belief in the supernatural could also stem from childhood experiences and lessons. Supernatural beliefs that are passed on to us by our parents tend to linger even in adulthood,' he added.
'For example, one can be a successful person, with a logical and practical mind, but he will still avoid placing his bed in front of a mirror if he has been taught not to.'
The Chinese commonly believe that if one dies in a bed facing a mirror, the spirit of the dead will go into that mirror and be lost.
Writer Jonathan Lim, a director in Channel U's horror series, The Seventh Month, agrees: 'Being a meeting point of different cultures opens us up to the fascination of other people's ghosts. For example, the Chinese fascination with Malay spirits.'
But really, how healthy is this fascination with the other realm?
Mr Lim, who's writing and researching his own book on the supernatural, said: 'I think it's not only healthy, but vital. Ghost stories and superstitions are part of a people's culture, like our unique recipes, and our rare folk-crafts and songs.
'If we lose the stories, we lose a part of our values, our moral code - especially aspects that deal with life and death.'
There's a flip side to everything though, cautions Dr Ng: 'As with violent movies, a deep interest in ghostly phenomenons could signal a subconscious leaning towards the darker side of things.'
'Fascination with the supernatural is harmless enough, but people should not let it consume them.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL SPIRITS?
HERE'S a selection of spooky tales and supernatural beliefs:
RED FOR REVENGE
Taoists believe that dressing a corpse in red will summon it to seek revenge for its death.
Some say that those who commit suicide dressed in red or have a red string tied to their wrists will also return to haunt their enemies.
While its origins are unclear, reported sightings of vengeful ghosts dressed in red could have started this myth.
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-08-29/pcghost-213438.jpg
THE PONTIANAK
A whiff of something sweet and floral, followed by an awful stench, means the Pontianak is nearby.
Said to be a still-born child, or a woman who dies while giving birth, it's perhaps the most famous ghost in Malay culture.
It can appear as a pretty woman or an ugly crone. If you are brave enough, so legend goes, plunge a nail into its neck and it will turn into a living beauty.
BLOCK 611
In the early 1990s, it was the only block in the area left unoccupied.
For years, the doors and windows in Block 611 at Bedok Reservoir were boarded up. Why would no-one live there?
Many people, and even a chapter in the book, Souls, claimed it was occupied by spirits.
The 'ghosts' turned out to be noisy teenagers hanging out there.
NO PICTURE PLEASE
The Chinese believe no pictures should be taken of a sleeping person or a corpse.
The camera will capture their souls which would then not make it to the after-life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HANTU HUNTING IN JOHOR
YOU better not laugh when I tell you that what this country needs perhaps is a good $4 ghost.
Yesterday I made friends - I also not stupid, okay? - with two part-time ghosts.
They have no names, but will respond to 'Momok!' 'Mummeeee!' and 'Hahaha'.
In reality, they are the mascots for the Exploring Ghost Exhibition - Mystery and Culture.
Where and how to find them is a long story. (The traffic jam at the Causeway is the scary part.)
First, find some company to go with, so everyone can point in the wrong direction when you get lost together. You know, Blair Which?
This rather well-researched exhibition of all our worst fears given papier-mache shape is on at Stadium Perbadanan (Indoor Stadium) in Pasir Gudang, Johor, until Sep 30.
Pasir Gudang is 40km from JB (Johor Baru). The drive seems to last forever and the sight of industrial factories is no relief.
As the stadium is not easy to find, stop and ask people. Be mindful you don't ask a person whose feet do not touch the ground (according to legend, pontianak).
Adults pay RM8 ($3.60) and children RM2 for a turn in this house of horrors, displaying collections of ghost stories from the Malay archipelago as well as global beliefs of today's society.
Some 17 ghouls are on show, including Hantu Pisang (Banana Ghost), Hantu Bukit (Hill), Hantu Tinggi (Tall), Hantu Lapar (Hungry), Hantu Kubur (Cemetery).
In short, a hungry ghost would leave his cemetery to climb a tall hill for a banana.
The artifacts are not of Disneyland's Haunted House standards, but the exhibition is a first, and supported by Malaysia's Museum of Antiquities.
Dim lighting and noisy sound effects try to effect an eerie setting for the 'invisible' made 'visible.' It's creepy enough for the cowardly.
One of the first figures you notice is a long-haired lady in a red cheongsam. She is not a visitor, she's the 'cheongsam ghost' (long story).
What's interesting is, you never knew there were so many ghosts and ghouls in Malay folklore. And not all end with a moral.
I asked the pair of occasional ghosts (they double as security) if they were ever scared of anything or had encountered anything scary.
One conceded he was afraid of snakes and the other cited nothing more extravagant than the shockingly-attired visitor.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
URBAN LEGENDS THAT SOOTHE AND SCARE
ONE of the unparalleled joys of growing up in an estate or kampung was the existence of the storyteller among your gang of friends.
There was always one born with a genuine talent for scary tales to frighten even the spots off the neighbourhood dalmatian.
Hannah was self-elected for her maniacal laughter and other side effects. Her telling of the folkloric pontianak story, involving blood-sucking and unborn babies, would send Chivers jelly shudders down our spines.
Our early environments of abandoned houses and overgrown trees made fertile ground for urban legends, as scary stories are called today. This tree was haunted, that house was spooked...
Much of the childhood chill has since been lost, not because the older you are, the less hair you have left to stand on end, but because the storyteller has gone electronic.
What is an urban legend but a widely circulated story said to be true? Daily you receive them via e-mail, and forward on.
At least when we told them verbally, with each retelling details were changed or embellished, making the tales weirder, funnier, more horrific.
Plus, there was instant gratification from all-round reaction to your storytelling skills.
WHERE'S THE SHRIEK FACTOR?
While I would give my undivided attention to someone who begins the day with, 'Eh, I HAVE to tell you this story...' I without exception delete all e-mailed tales.
Got no personal sound effects lah.
We all enjoy hearing an urban legend because we all need a good scare now and then. In my case it reminds me I'm alive.
Also, the fact that you are listening means it is something that's happened to somebody else - heng ah - not you.
It comforts you that the gerbil didn't crawl up your backside, you didn't give a lift to a vanishing hitchhiker, the foreign maid didn't put your baby in the microwave, you woke up with your kidneys intact after a party.
Of course you could still bite into a ratburger and drink cola from a factory where they found a body floating in the fizz.
More terrifying are stories of haunted places, from Changi Prison to Fort Canning to Sentosa to army camps - is no where sacrosanct from unfriendly Caspers?
The more I dwell on it, the more my nocturnal thoughts stray to emigration.
Maybe Papua New Guinea, where they shrink heads only...
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/top/story/0,4136,71550,00.html?
SINGAPORE is a scary place, if folklore is to be believed. Whether it's personal experience, hearsay, or a friend's encounter, almost everyone has a ghost story or urban legend to share.
Yes, many of us question the credibility of these tales, but that doesn't stop us from being fascinated by the supernatural.
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-08-29/pcghost-184929.jpg
We read about it - Russell Lee's series of True Singapore Ghost Stories remain on best-seller lists, and there have been 11 such books.
We watch (and scream about) it in the cinemas - think The Ring, The Eye and Sixth Sense.
For a month each year, we pay big money to appease the spirits and ghosts - if the elaborate getais in the ongoing Hungry Ghost Festival are anything to go by.
We even have specialised ghost-busters with a virtual presence - Singapore Paranormal Investigators (www.spi.com.sg).
While this fascination isn't desirable if taken to extremes, some say that not having ghostly legends and supernatural practices can be seen as an erosion of culture.
Why are we so fixated by the unknown?
ESCAPE FROM REAL WORLD
'Well, it could be a form of escapism. In a highly stressed society, perhaps we like to think that there's something bigger than us out there,'said Dr Danny Ng, a psychologist at Raffles Hospital.
'Sometimes, it's easier to put happenings down as bad luck, instead of saying 'it's my fault'.'
'For some, this strong belief in the supernatural could also stem from childhood experiences and lessons. Supernatural beliefs that are passed on to us by our parents tend to linger even in adulthood,' he added.
'For example, one can be a successful person, with a logical and practical mind, but he will still avoid placing his bed in front of a mirror if he has been taught not to.'
The Chinese commonly believe that if one dies in a bed facing a mirror, the spirit of the dead will go into that mirror and be lost.
Writer Jonathan Lim, a director in Channel U's horror series, The Seventh Month, agrees: 'Being a meeting point of different cultures opens us up to the fascination of other people's ghosts. For example, the Chinese fascination with Malay spirits.'
But really, how healthy is this fascination with the other realm?
Mr Lim, who's writing and researching his own book on the supernatural, said: 'I think it's not only healthy, but vital. Ghost stories and superstitions are part of a people's culture, like our unique recipes, and our rare folk-crafts and songs.
'If we lose the stories, we lose a part of our values, our moral code - especially aspects that deal with life and death.'
There's a flip side to everything though, cautions Dr Ng: 'As with violent movies, a deep interest in ghostly phenomenons could signal a subconscious leaning towards the darker side of things.'
'Fascination with the supernatural is harmless enough, but people should not let it consume them.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL SPIRITS?
HERE'S a selection of spooky tales and supernatural beliefs:
RED FOR REVENGE
Taoists believe that dressing a corpse in red will summon it to seek revenge for its death.
Some say that those who commit suicide dressed in red or have a red string tied to their wrists will also return to haunt their enemies.
While its origins are unclear, reported sightings of vengeful ghosts dressed in red could have started this myth.
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/mnt/media/image/launched/2004-08-29/pcghost-213438.jpg
THE PONTIANAK
A whiff of something sweet and floral, followed by an awful stench, means the Pontianak is nearby.
Said to be a still-born child, or a woman who dies while giving birth, it's perhaps the most famous ghost in Malay culture.
It can appear as a pretty woman or an ugly crone. If you are brave enough, so legend goes, plunge a nail into its neck and it will turn into a living beauty.
BLOCK 611
In the early 1990s, it was the only block in the area left unoccupied.
For years, the doors and windows in Block 611 at Bedok Reservoir were boarded up. Why would no-one live there?
Many people, and even a chapter in the book, Souls, claimed it was occupied by spirits.
The 'ghosts' turned out to be noisy teenagers hanging out there.
NO PICTURE PLEASE
The Chinese believe no pictures should be taken of a sleeping person or a corpse.
The camera will capture their souls which would then not make it to the after-life.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HANTU HUNTING IN JOHOR
YOU better not laugh when I tell you that what this country needs perhaps is a good $4 ghost.
Yesterday I made friends - I also not stupid, okay? - with two part-time ghosts.
They have no names, but will respond to 'Momok!' 'Mummeeee!' and 'Hahaha'.
In reality, they are the mascots for the Exploring Ghost Exhibition - Mystery and Culture.
Where and how to find them is a long story. (The traffic jam at the Causeway is the scary part.)
First, find some company to go with, so everyone can point in the wrong direction when you get lost together. You know, Blair Which?
This rather well-researched exhibition of all our worst fears given papier-mache shape is on at Stadium Perbadanan (Indoor Stadium) in Pasir Gudang, Johor, until Sep 30.
Pasir Gudang is 40km from JB (Johor Baru). The drive seems to last forever and the sight of industrial factories is no relief.
As the stadium is not easy to find, stop and ask people. Be mindful you don't ask a person whose feet do not touch the ground (according to legend, pontianak).
Adults pay RM8 ($3.60) and children RM2 for a turn in this house of horrors, displaying collections of ghost stories from the Malay archipelago as well as global beliefs of today's society.
Some 17 ghouls are on show, including Hantu Pisang (Banana Ghost), Hantu Bukit (Hill), Hantu Tinggi (Tall), Hantu Lapar (Hungry), Hantu Kubur (Cemetery).
In short, a hungry ghost would leave his cemetery to climb a tall hill for a banana.
The artifacts are not of Disneyland's Haunted House standards, but the exhibition is a first, and supported by Malaysia's Museum of Antiquities.
Dim lighting and noisy sound effects try to effect an eerie setting for the 'invisible' made 'visible.' It's creepy enough for the cowardly.
One of the first figures you notice is a long-haired lady in a red cheongsam. She is not a visitor, she's the 'cheongsam ghost' (long story).
What's interesting is, you never knew there were so many ghosts and ghouls in Malay folklore. And not all end with a moral.
I asked the pair of occasional ghosts (they double as security) if they were ever scared of anything or had encountered anything scary.
One conceded he was afraid of snakes and the other cited nothing more extravagant than the shockingly-attired visitor.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
URBAN LEGENDS THAT SOOTHE AND SCARE
ONE of the unparalleled joys of growing up in an estate or kampung was the existence of the storyteller among your gang of friends.
There was always one born with a genuine talent for scary tales to frighten even the spots off the neighbourhood dalmatian.
Hannah was self-elected for her maniacal laughter and other side effects. Her telling of the folkloric pontianak story, involving blood-sucking and unborn babies, would send Chivers jelly shudders down our spines.
Our early environments of abandoned houses and overgrown trees made fertile ground for urban legends, as scary stories are called today. This tree was haunted, that house was spooked...
Much of the childhood chill has since been lost, not because the older you are, the less hair you have left to stand on end, but because the storyteller has gone electronic.
What is an urban legend but a widely circulated story said to be true? Daily you receive them via e-mail, and forward on.
At least when we told them verbally, with each retelling details were changed or embellished, making the tales weirder, funnier, more horrific.
Plus, there was instant gratification from all-round reaction to your storytelling skills.
WHERE'S THE SHRIEK FACTOR?
While I would give my undivided attention to someone who begins the day with, 'Eh, I HAVE to tell you this story...' I without exception delete all e-mailed tales.
Got no personal sound effects lah.
We all enjoy hearing an urban legend because we all need a good scare now and then. In my case it reminds me I'm alive.
Also, the fact that you are listening means it is something that's happened to somebody else - heng ah - not you.
It comforts you that the gerbil didn't crawl up your backside, you didn't give a lift to a vanishing hitchhiker, the foreign maid didn't put your baby in the microwave, you woke up with your kidneys intact after a party.
Of course you could still bite into a ratburger and drink cola from a factory where they found a body floating in the fizz.
More terrifying are stories of haunted places, from Changi Prison to Fort Canning to Sentosa to army camps - is no where sacrosanct from unfriendly Caspers?
The more I dwell on it, the more my nocturnal thoughts stray to emigration.
Maybe Papua New Guinea, where they shrink heads only...
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/top/story/0,4136,71550,00.html?