Dave Ray Photo - Malaysia

Chingay Flagpole Catching

dave-admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 09:37:48 +0000

Chingay Flagpole Catching

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The flagpole approaches!

For probably more than 100 years an exotic artform & traditional sport has thrived in Penang, Malaysia. Approaching the Chinese New Year teams from across the country practice & compete in Chingay flagpole throwing & catching. One teammember uses his foot to launch a 30-foot long bamboo flagpole , with a large traditional Chinese flag flying from it, into the air. Another teammate mounted on a ladder, or jumping up on the shoulders of a third member, or even riding piggyback on someone on a moving motorcycle (!) quickly maneuvers under the flying flagpole & catches it on his forehead (padded by a headband), or on his lower teeth. If he feels really good about his catch, he sometimes then squats down & then thrusts upward launching the flagpole again so that another teammate behind him can catch it on his head.

Teams form up in front of Georgetown's City Hall at dusk to do some last minute practice. Once night comes, the annual national compitetion begins with several teams advancing to the competiton square to the stirring sounds of the theme song from "The Battle of Britain" movie. Five judges seated at tables surrounding a cordened-off square observe teams performing as many amazing tricks as they can possibly pull off for ten minutes. Then they score the teams in the same manner that Olympic figure skating judges hold up score cards.

One can't help but wonder if Penang's dentists are very excited about this sport. You'd think it would bring them a lot of business fixing people's bottom teeth!

The amazing thing is that whereas this was once purely a Chinese sport, now one can see Malays exelling at it as well.

Location:

Malaysia

Malaysia Street & Village

dave-admin — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:22:32 +0000

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Malaysia Street & Village

Malaysia--positioned at the convergence of multiple civilizations--is one of the world's richest locales for etho-photography. A sampling.

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Slugger for Penang Free School's softball team
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Some Chinese influence, some Indian, the fascinating Malay of Malaysia
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Malay girlfriends

Location:

Malaysia

Chinese Lucky Temple

dave-admin — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 09:17:41 +0000

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Chinese Lucky Temple

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Good Luck Central
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The sound of beating wings; the smell of joss sticks burning
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Bright new lanterns hang from a ceiling thickly smoked by decades of joss smoke
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Chinese woman genuflects before the altar
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Entrepreneur seeking to get ahead
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Multiple generations praying together
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A revival in traditional Chinese religions among young people in Penang

Among Penang's Chinese, this temple has the reputation for the place to go to be blessed with luck & properity. Always a lively place.

Location:

Malaysia

Sikh Vasakhi Open House

dave-admin — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 08:57:23 +0000

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Sikh Vasakhi Open House

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Welcoming committee
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Spectator at Vasakhi Open House
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Drum troupe member preparing to go onstage
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Directing guests to exotic tasting buffet
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The next generation of Indian dancers
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Some viewer always exclaims, "That guy is so hitting on that girl!"
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Light moment before the performance
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Performance begins
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Special moment between dancers
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The satisfied look after a performance well done
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That subtle smile

Every year Penang's Sikh community displays amazing generosity by hosting an open house--complete with free food--at Penang's Fort Cornwallis. Aside from knock-you-on-your-tail-delicious food, it's one of the most photogenic events on the Penang calendar.

Location:

Malaysia

Malay Wedding

dave-admin — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 08:35:08 +0000

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Malay Wedding

A young Malay man from Penang marries a beautiful bride from Johor Bahru, Malaysia

Location:

Malaysia

Malay Family Holiday Evening

admin — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:14:05 +0000

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Malay Family Holiday Evening

One of the most festive occasions celebrated by Malay families is making ketupat together at the time of their Muslim holidays. The children play with sparklers while adults light kerosene torches & gather the ingredients & implements to cook. The men cook up the delicious spicy peanut sauce, while women weave banana leaves into little cubes that will contain rice for boiling. Malays love to teach foreigners the skill of how to weave ketupat. There's two basic shapes for the woven ketupat--called male & female. Sometimes Westerners find it a bit challenging to learn the right method & come up with ketupat that Malays can't figure out--are they were male or female!

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Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival

Anonymous — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 13:23:54 +0000

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Chinese Hungry Ghost Festival

Each year traditional Chinese religionists believe that spirits in the underworld are released up to where the rest of us live. It's very important to keep these ghosts happy . . .

Each year traditional Chinese religionists believe that spirits in the underworld are released up to where the rest of us live. It's very important to keep these ghosts happy & to give them incentives to go back where they came from & feeling well taken care of at the end of the month. So, every year during the month-long Hungry Ghost Festival there are widespread Chinese opera performances, usually performed by actors from Bangkok, in a dialect that only of a few of the elderly fully understand. Attendance varies, but that doesn't matter as it's ultimately to keep the ghosts entertained. The climax is at the end of the month when money from hell is generously provided & burned up with a paper idol to encourage the ghosts to return to the only place where the money is honored. Trustees of the local temple--chosen every year--sculp the ashes from the fire into decrotive pots that they then take home & put on the family's altar. Finally, the opera gear is crated up & loaded on the truck back to Bangkok.

Location:

Malaysia

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