Malay ghost myths

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There are many Malay ghost myths, remnants of old animist beliefs that have been shaped by later Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim influences in the modern states of Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Some ghost concepts such as the female vampires Pontianak and Penanggal are shared throughout the region. Ghosts are a popular theme in modern Malaysian and Indonesian movies.

Contents

 History

Traditional ghost beliefs are rooted in prehistoric animist beliefs. However, the area has long had extensive contact with other cultures, and these have affected the form of some of the legends.^[1] Trade links with Indian kingdoms and with China were established several centuries BCE.^[2] The Hindu Majapahit kingdom was founded in eastern Java in the late 13th century, and its influence stretched over much of Indonesia.^[3] Islam had become the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra by the end of the 16th century. For the most part, Islam also overlaid and mixed with existing cultural and religious influences.^[4] For example, the festival of Mandi Safar, in which the people bathe in the sea or river and perform ceremonies that purify and protect against misfortune, and which also serves to introduce marriageable young people, has Tamil Hindu origins, although after the introduction of Islam it was given new meaning as a festival to celebrate the recovery of Mohammed from an illness.^[5] The festival has long been banned in Malaysia on the grounds that it contravenes the teaching of Islam, but continues to be celebrated in Malaysia and Indonesia.^[6]

 Traditional beliefs

In traditional religions, still held by some isolated groups, Semangat is the general word for "soul", which can leave the person's body temporarily in dreams and finally at death. When the soul leaves the body it assumes the form of a homunculus, and in this form can feed on the souls of others. At death, the soul either returns to the creator passes, directly or indirectly, into another person, animal or plant. The spirit or ghost, usually called the anitu, continues to linger and may be harmful to its survivors.^[7]
An old Malay belief is that a person's ghost the haunts their grave for seven days before departing to the underworld. Ghosts may also return and take possession of a living person, causing madness.^[8] Ghosts are generally are believed to be active only at night time, especially during a full moon.^[9] Ghosts may torment the living, causing illness and misfortune. One way to evade such a ghost is for all the victims to formally change their name, so that when the ghost returns it will not recognize them. Another is to tempt the ghost with a meal. When the ghost turns into an animal such as a chicken so that it can eat, it may be killed and destroyed.^[10]
Ghosts traditionally were blamed for some illnesses. To cure them, the shaman in a village would burn incense, recite incantations, and in some cases sacrifice a goat and wash its blood into the river to appease the ghost. The Ulik Mayang dance might be performed to heal the person by driving out the ghost.<sup>[citation needed]


Article Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantu</sup>