Adrian Cheah loves Penang. He brings you interesting insights into the UNESCO heritage city of George Town where he calls home.
On Saturday, 6 September 2025, I had the privilege of attending "Dinner with Emily" at JEN Penang Georgetown by Shangri-La. This was the first time the musical adaptation of Emily of Emerald Hill was performed in Penang, bringing together food, theatre and music in a joyous celebration of Chinese Peranakan culture.
Once again, Ramadhan, the holiest of months for Muslims, is almost upon us. The ninth month of the Muslim year is strictly observed by all Muslims as a month of fasting (and abstinence) during which they would abstain from the pleasures of eating, drinking and carnal desires and actions from sunrise to sunset. Ramadhan usually lasts from 29 to 30 days, after which Muslims celebrate Id-al-Fitr (Hari Raya Puasa in the local language). Fasting is one of the five basic duties of Islam.
A charming Chap Goh Meh tale tells of a lonely young bachelor who, on a moonlit outing, was spellbound by a fleeting glimpse of the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Radiant in her finery, she passed before him like a vision, leaving him breathless and desperate to know her name. Heart pounding, he hastily noted the number of her car.
At first light, buoyed by hope, he traced her address and implored his mother to dispatch a matchmaker to the home of the girl he was certain he would marry.
The Chinese community observes various festivals, encompassing both religious and secular occasions. Among these, a particularly significant celebration is the Spring Festival, commonly referred to in Penang as Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year.
The ninth day of the first lunar month holds deep significance for the Hokkien people, a subgroup of the Chinese community. Some traditionalists even regard it as more important than the first day of Chinese New Year, as it marks the day their ancestors were spared from massacre. According to legend, the Jade Emperor, also known as the God of Heaven, provided them with divine protection. As a result, Hokkien communities, especially in Penang, observe this occasion with even greater reverence and festivity.
From the top of the green hill, the endless string of devotees dotting its way up the concrete steps seemed like a sacred procession of silence.
Carrying milk-pots of brass and silver, and harnessed in colourful kavadis, the worshippers inched their way to the great temple overhead with sweet hypnotic resolve. The children, the elders, even the disabled ones, scaled slowly with their ceremonial burdens, ascending with a mission to the call of the good Lord Muruga above.
About 100 years ago, large clans of sea-faring migrants from China settled along the foreshores of Penang island, building pier houses on the fringes of George Town.
Many of these humble coastal plank settlements, like the old Bang Liaw jetty in Weld Quay, still exist today, housing scores of fisher-folk families just as they did many decades before.
During the early period, every year on the fifth day of the fifth moon of the lunar calendar, the settlers would push out to sea lengthy specially built boats for a passionate day of racing. It was one of the great traditions they had proudly brought along from China.
All Souls' Day is a solemn way to remember those who have passed, to keep their memory alive in our hearts and to offer prayers for their souls. This day gently calls us to extend our compassion beyond the familiar, not only for those we have loved deeply but also for the "neglected souls" – those who may have been forgotten over time. Such prayers are seen as acts of charity, offerings made in the spirit of hope, that all souls may find peace on their journey to heaven.
Images of St. Joseph from the Roman Catholic Penang Diocesan Museum, Farquhar Street, Penang.
Can you name five saints, even if you are not Catholic? Perhaps the first name that comes to mind is St. Anne, honoured in Christian tradition as the mother of Mary and grandmother of Jesus. Her legacy endures in the Minor Basilica of St. Anne in Bukit Mertajam. Beside her stands her daughter Mary, the mother of Jesus, two figures whose stories continue to inspire and move people across generations.
How far would you go to uphold your faith? Would you, with unwavering conviction, embrace a strict vegetarian diet for nine days straight? Could you walk barefoot across burning embers or pierce your cheeks with a long steel rod, enduring pain as an offering of devotion? Or would you rather remain an armchair devotee, watching from afar, content in the safety of your comfort zone?
Squatting at a corner of King Street amid the human bustle of Penang's Little India, Manickam P. sorts through a giant pile of fresh green banana leaves.
Clad in baggy khaki shorts and a sweat-soaked singlet, he seems to take no notice of either the automobiles that incessantly purr past or the hundreds of human apparitions that mill by him. The elderly odd-job worker certainly has his work cut out for him nowadays.
"The Chinese people have never demanded a clear separation of the worlds of myth and reality – indeed, they are so closely bound up that it is hard to say where one begins and the other ends." – An Introduction to Oriental Mythology, Clio Whittaker et al
"The moon, along with fine wine and beautiful women, is a favourite topic for the Chinese poets." – Chinese proverb
Every year, the streets of George Town in Penang come alive, not just with the living but with the hungry ghosts of the underworld. This is no ordinary celebration. The Hungry Ghost Festival, or Phor Thor as it is locally known, is a month-long festivities observed by Chinese communities not only in Penang but also throughout Malaysia, Singapore and Phuket.
In 1956, the then Prime Minister of Malaysia Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj led a delegation to London to hold talks with the British Government concerning independence for Malaya.
The Malayan delegation, comprising of four representatives of the Malay Rulers and four Alliance representatives, convinced the British Government to set a date for independence: 31 August 1957.
One of the largest and most extraordinary religious mass gatherings in Southeast Asia is the St Anne Novena and Feast in the town of Bukit Mertajam in Penang.
Introduction
Hari Raya Haji (or Hari Raya Korban) falls on the 10th day of Zulhijah, the last month of the Muslim calendar. It is a major Islamic festival and of particular significance for pilgrims who have returned from performing the Haj or umrah (pilgrimage) in Mecca. It may not be as grand as Hari Raya Aidil Fitri (or Hari Raya Puasa) in terms of joyous celebrations, but is important nonetheless for Muslims the world over.
Traditional Bak Chang, a steamed glutinous rice delicacy, is seasoned with dark soy sauce and wrapped in bamboo leaves. It features a filling of pork belly, shiitake mushrooms, dried prawns, salted egg yolk, and chestnuts, while some variations opt for just white beans and a slice of pork belly.
"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." – Buddha.
Vesak Day falls on the full moon of the lunar month of Vesākha (either in April, May or June). Also known as Buddha Purnima, it is considered as a holy celebration for the Buddhists as the day commemorates Gautama Buddha's birth, enlightenment (nirvāna) and death (parinirvāna).
As 21st century Malaysia hurtles deeper into the recesses of globalisation, an urban rat-race and the 'kiasu' syndrome, does Buddhist culture still bear relevance in preserving traditional values?
The beggar readily sees a bare floor as a place for a good sleep. The rich man, on the other hand, will have nothing else but the softest bed in a 5-star hotel.
Both men, poor and rich, have one similar need - to sleep. But they have completely different levels of craving, different heights of desire.
Yes, I am a Nikon D750 and would like to invite you to stop, pause and discover wonderful things I see through my lens. I am a brilliant engineering wonder that has evolved through the passage of photography. Having said that, the man who decides how much light goes through me, how fast the shutter speed is and when to capture that magical moment makes all the difference in the outcome of a photograph.
The Star, Saturday, 29 July 2017
BY AFTER 11 LONG YEARS BEING A VIBRANT, INTERESTING BAZAAR, AND THE FINAL CURTAIN WILL FALL ON THE LITTLE PENANG STREET MARKET (LPSM).
(From right) LPSM committee members Khoo, Cheah, Ong and MBPP assistant administrative officer Amir Ali showing the press release on the last Little Penang Street Market and its 11th anniversary celebration.
For all the stakeholders, tomorrow will surely be a special occasion as the LPSM will also be celebrating its 11th anniversary.
“This will be the last Little Penang Street Market for us. We do not know what will happen next.