HARI Moyang Puja Pantai is the last of the traditional rituals still being practiced by the Mah Meri. The ritual appeases the spirits of the sea and was started many years ago when, according to legends, a junk ship carrying passengers and goods was caught in a big storm off Pulau Carey, near Tanjung Rhu, in the Straits of Malacca.
None of the islanders thought the ship would survive the storm, but to their surprise, it was dragged to the shore by some unknown force. Villagers believe that Moyang Getah (Spirit of the rubber) had saved the ship and its passengers.
At sunrise, a day before ritual starts, villagers would gather on the beach and take their boats out to the sea near the mouth of the river. There, they would throw popped rice into the water while villagers still on the beach would offer prayers to the spirit houses along the river mouth. The boats then moved towards the sea about 2km to a site where they believed that another junk boat, which was not saved by Moyang Getah, had sunk.
At sunset the villagers would seek audience with their love ones that have passed on at the sanggar altars near their houses. They would offer the favourite food and drinks of the deceased and verbally communicate with them.
Throughout the night, the shaman and his helpers would engage with the Moyang Getah in a trance. The whole village would then march to the shore where a grand altar had stood for many years, to offer a grand feast. The grand altar was almost submerged during the high-tide, so the celebration will only start when the water had completely subsided. Dances and songs of praise accompany the shaman as he goes into a trance, possessed by the Moyang Getah and other spirits. Food and drinks brought by the villagers were shared at the end of the festival. – February 21, 2018.
Mah Meri tribespeople walking towards a beach to begin the Hari Moyang Puja Pantai festival to celebrate the spirits of their ancestors. This indigenous group is one of 18 in Peninsular Malaysia. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, February 21, 2018.An altar or mahligai (sanggar) erected during low tide for the Puja Pantai ritual at a beach in Pulau Carey, Selangor. In the background is the Straits of Malacca which is one of the busiest straits in the world. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, February 21, 2018.Mah Meri tribespeople walking towards a beach to begin the Hari Moyang Puja Pantai festival to celebrate the spirits of their ancestors. This indigenous group is one of 18 in Peninsular Malaysia. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, February 21, 2018.Mah Meri tribespeople walking through a oil palm plantation towards a beach to begin the Hari Moyang Puja Pantai festival to celebrate the spirits of their ancestors. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, February 21, 2018.The 'Tok Sidang' (in yellow) of the Mah Meri tribe waiting for the low tide before beginning the Hari Moyang Puja Pantai festival to celebrate the spirit of their ancestors. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, February 21, 2018.Young women of the Mah Meri tribe apply make-up to dancers before the ceremony begins. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, February 21, 2018.The mahligai (sanggar) or the grand altar had stood for many years. It is where the main feast will be offered. The grand altar is almost submerged during the high tide, so the celebration will only start when the water has completely subsided. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari on February 21, 2018.A shaman from the Mah Meri tribe in a trance during the Puja Pantai ceremony at Pantai Tanjung Rhu in Pulau Carey, Selangor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, February 21, 2018.A shaman at the mahligai (sanggar) or the grand altar starts the Puja Pantai by asking for the blessings of their ancestors and spirits. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, February 21, 2018Music, dancing and songs of praise accompany the Puja Pantai ceremony. Food and drinks brought by the villagers were shared at the end of the festival. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari on February 21, 2018.Mah Meri tribespeople dancing together at the end of the festival. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, February 21, 2018.The night before the Puja Pantai festival, the villagers would seek an audience with their love ones that have passed on at the sanggar altars near their houses. They offer food and drinks to the deceased and communicate verbally with them. -The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, February 21, 2018.An old man offering his prayer to his ancestor a night before the Puja Pantai festival. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, February 21, 2018.A Mah Meri family offering prayers to their ancestors the night before the Puja Pantai festival. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari on February 21, 2018.
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