Sketching Ghost Festival Chiu Chau Opera in Yau Tong 油塘盂蘭勝會

I watched quite a bit of the opera but I didn't understand a bit of it as it was sung in the Chiu Chau dialect. Obviously it was a tragedy as the music had a strong sadness and the last scene was set in the underworld. It's difficult to capture a particular scene there but since there were many interesting items around so I decided to put together a collage of the site. 

Ghost Festival in Orthodox Chinese Culture (A tradition well-preserved in Hong Kong)

It's believed that on the 1st of July of the Lunar Calendar, the gate of the underworld opens and for one whole month, ghosts wander on the face of the earth. During this month, people burn offerings and place food on streets so that hungry ghosts can be fed. Different village associations also construct temporary temples and street theatres which host special Chiu Chau Opera performances both for the public and and for the ghosts as well.

速寫帶我第一次睇潮州神功戲。聽唔明但演員同現場音樂充滿悲傷，最後以地府一幕完結。想畫嘅東西好多，但又難捕捉一景，於是就畫一張拼合速寫。

盂蘭勝會

盂蘭勝會中的“盂蘭”由梵文「Ullambana」譯來的，意為“救倒懸”，即救度亡魂倒懸之苦，是來自民間《目蓮救母》的故事；“勝會”是指一大群人舉行活動的意思，在香港亦稱為盂蘭節、中元節或鬼節。相傳陰司地府在七月初一大開鬼門關，直到七月三十日才再次關閉，七月十五日佛教定為「盂蘭盆會」，而道教則稱為「中元普渡」。

(華文資料來自維基百科）