Hungry Ghosts do not scare Malaysian couples

August 22, 2010 by Webmaster

PETALING JAYA, MALAYSIA - The month-long Hungry Ghost Festival isn't usually the most popular time for those who want to get married.

But some are throwing caution the wind and going ahead with their nuptial vows.

In Penang, the Che Hoon Khor Moral Uplifting Society, saw 10 couples getting married last Sunday. For the next three weeks, we only have two or three couples each week, said its secretary Cher Yeong How.

However, those numbers are smaller than usual. The society conducts marriage registrations for about 20 couples every Sunday.

At the Penang Chinese Town Hall next to the Kuan Yin temple, the couples seem to be unperturbed by the "roaming ghosts".

Its assistant registrar Chong Kim Seong said they conducted marriage registration for 10 to 20 couples every Saturday and the number was the same during this period.

In Kuala Lumpur, the Selangor and Federal Territory Hainan Association (Thean Hou Temple) only has 117 couples who have made plans to register their marriages during the festival, compared to an average of 350 registrations a month since the start of the year.

"Some people are still conservative about the date of their marriage," said Goh Hiau Lee, assistant executive secretary to the temple's marriage registrar.

In Klang, the Klang Hokkien Asso?ciation assistant registrar of marriage Chew Kim Swee said 40 couples had their marriage registration ceremony conducted in the association between Aug 10 and yesterday.

Some couples who register their marriage there yesterday indicated that they had their personal reason for opting for the date.

Yesterday's date was meaningful for Jasmine Low, 29, and Benny Ng.

"We started dating six years ago on this day," Low said.

It is a double celebration for Jess Yip, 26, and her husband as they celebrated her birthday as well yesterday.

Others had more practical reasons, saying that they could fit the date into their hectic work schedule.

In Ipoh, assistant registrar of marriages Datuk Ooi Foh Sing said the current generation was not so tied up by tradional practices.

Ooi, also the deputy president of Ipoh Chinese Chin Woo Athletic Association, said 60 couples had decided to have their marriage registration conducted in the association in the sixth and seventh month of the lunar calendar although both months were deemed unauspicious.

The sixth month equates to a "half-year marriage."

Sun, Aug 22, 2010
The Star/Asia News Network

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SOURCE: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story201008...