30S 



FESTIVALS. 



Lord William Benttnck on Jus arrival at Penang. 



CHE-WOA, OR THE SEVENTH MONTH 



Is one of peculiar sacredneas to the Chinese, 

 wbo believe, that from the tirst to the last day of it, 

 the souls of the deceased are hoverh»g abroad, and 

 revisiting- their ancient haunts. Viands are therefore 

 spread out for (heir use. 



The Toa-so is the chief of the Kooee, or spirits. 

 In Penang he is annually represented, in this month, 

 by a figure ahnut twenty feet in height. It is con- 

 structed with split bamboos ; the « hole is then co- 

 vered with paper, which having been painted, the 

 dress is put on. IJr will be found seated giant-like, 

 during two or three da*s, under a efied, elose to the 

 principal tokong-honse in George Town. At night, a 

 table, at which thirty or forty persons might sit down, 

 is laid out before Toa-so, and it is covered with a 

 costly profusion of viands and liquors, of which whole 

 boiled pigs form a prominent parr. When this ghost- 

 ly guest has, it is supposed, satisfied his appetite, the 

 contents of the table, sometimes even to the dishes, 

 plates, glasses, &c. are given to the poor. At the 

 sound of a gong, there is a general rush and scram- 

 ble for these good things. One night's entertainment 

 of Toa-so will cost from two to three hundred dollars. 

 The expenses attending this festival, and indeed of 

 all the rest of their festivals, are disbursed out of the 

 religious funds, belonging to each tokong. Some of 

 these are said to be rich, and they are readily sup- 

 plied by voluntary contributions ; for as these festi- 

 vals resemble carnivals or saturnalia, the poorest Chi- 

 nese grudges not bis mite, but looks forward 16 them 

 as to recreations, and days of unfettered enjoyment. 

 Whi n sufficient honors have been paid to Toa-so, a 

 chest made of paper is filled with models, also 

 in paper, of various articles of dress, for his use. The 



