Ghostly Lady in a Red Cheongsam

Ghostly Lady in a Red Cheongsam

Mei Foong just came back from with her family to Seremban, about 2 hours from Kuala Lumpur, after spending a tiring day visiting her in-laws. She was with her 4 year old son and her husband who was driving.  As it was already 9 pm, she was hurrying to go back to her home as her son was feeling a bit sick from their journey from Seremban.

Partial map of Cheras, Kuala Lumpur

She was travelling on a side road near Cheras when their car had to stop abruptly due a maze of cars blocking her way. Actually the parked cars were parked in a haphazard manner near a neighborhood house. Her husband said that they must be having a Chinese wake. A Chinese wake with the hearse on a stand was placed in the courtyard. There was a row of plastic chairs for people come to pay their respects when a person dies. They are provided with drinks and naturally (like Chinese) they get the opportunity to gamble.

Mei Foong abruptly yelled, “Gostang” (meaning to reverse) the car and to look for an alternative route.  They eventually found another side road and it was about 10.30 pm and getting dark. Suddenly with the car headlamps on Mei Foong saw a lady in a red Cheongsam (a formal Chinese dress) walking in the same direction as their car.

 She screamed at her husband to stop the car. Frustrated he asked her the reason for stopping the car and she replied there was a woman walking by the street. Her husband then shook his head and claimed that he did not see anybody. She rolled her eyes tiredly and she peered at her rear mirror and saw the woman in her red cheongsam in the darkness. Before she got to say anything…the lady in red cheongsam disappeared!!!

She had a high fever for 3 days after that eerie incident.

Hopping Ghost (Hantu Pocong) in Kuala Lumpur

Hopping Ghost (Hantu Pocong) in Kuala Lumpur

A ‘hopping ghost’, a rough translation in English, which in the Malay culture, is called “hantu pocong”.

My colleague told me of his personal experience of a sighting of a ‘pocong’ in an incident about 15 years ago. One of his neighbour, was a migrant Indonesian young lady, who was working as a construction worker on a Telekom project at Jalan Pantai Baru in Kuala Lumpur. She unfortunately and slipped and fell to her death on the 13^th or 14^th floor.

 

Menara Telekom – the construction worker fell to her death

After her burial ritual, a number of his friends, went for drinks after dinner. When they had finished, they adjourned to their apartments in Taman Keramat. As they were walking back to their apartments they suddenly saw clearly a semi-translucent whitish entity hopping as if the arms and both legs were joined together, jumping in the direction of a row of wooden houses (illegal housing). The friends were scared shitless and dumbfounded until one of their friend, so terrified with fear, shouted, “Hantu! Hantu!..” (translated ‘Ghost! Ghost!..’). The eerie entity seemed to have heard the shout and it stopped and was motionless…..and then slowly it disappeared completely!

The friends were so shocked they were speechless and just decided to go their homes. The next day the friends informed the dead lady’s relatives about what they saw. The distraught relatives were told that her corpse probably was not properly tied. They went to get a grave digger and together they proceeded to the burial site to remove the recent corpse. True enough the corpse was not probably tied up, the strip of white cloth next to the neck was still strung up. Together the dead woman’s relatives promptly untied the strip of cloth and they reburied the corpse of the dead lady. After some prayers they all left. There were no unnatural acts and scary incidents from the hopping spirit after that.

Note :

A pocong is an Indonesian/Malaysian ghost that is said to be the soul of a dead person trapped in their suit. The pocong suit (shroud, in Indonesia/Malaysia also known as kain kafan) is used by Muslims to cover the body of the dead person. They cover the dead body with white fabric and tie the clothing over the head, under the feet, and on the neck. According to the native beliefs, the soul of a dead person will stay on the earth for 40 days after the death. When the ties aren't released after 40 days, the body is said to jump out from the grave to warn people that the soul need the bonds to be released. After the ties are released, the soul will leave the earth and never show up anymore. Because of the tie under the feet, the ghost can't walk. This causes the pocong to hop.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My understanding is that the corpse must be untied (neck, hands and legs) during the burial ceremony. Otherwise the corpse will hop or jump with their body tied together.

Any comments on the Muslim religious or native beliefs on the burial rituals?

A Ghostly Swing in Shah Alam

A Ghostly Swing in Shah Alam

 

Ghost Moves A Swing - YouTube

I came across a video clip titled “Ghost Moves A Swift” – by  Youtube which best describe a particular event that I personally witness an incident three years ago in a condominium at Shah Alam, Selangor. That night, I had a dinner with some friends after dinner talk and drinks, I had to leave as it was getting. It was about 11am when I left, I had to use the playground on the way to my car.

The night was dimly lit and it and there was absolutely no wind in the playground. There was a row of swings in the playground. I was shock that one of the swing was moving to and fro, the other swings did were still and unmoving. I was mesmerized by the constant rhythm of the swing and yet I knew it was impossible for this phenomenon to occur naturally. All of a sudden, I heard a very young girl singing a lullaby and coming from the moving swing.

I looked around the playground to see where the sound of singing was coming for but the playground was empty. I asked repeatedly who was there but there was no answer.  I quietly said some prayers, that I did not mean to trouble or bother her. I also prayed that she will find peace so that she can go back to the spirit world. After I finished my prayers I quickly left.

 

Map of Shah Alam