Email Page 13

Q. errrm...maybe i should start like this, do ghost scared of god(statue that chinese put at home)?
do ghost like pontianak and pochong(malay ghost) haunt chinese?

do ghost haunt cemetery?why?

do nenek grasi(malay ghost)really so scary that people say?

do ghost haunt reservoir?

are there ghost around us all day long?

hope you wont find me silly by sending silly question that i would like to know.

A. A Pochong ia a Malay ghost that is seen wrapped up in its burial robes. When a Malay Muslim dies he is wrapped up in 3 layers of white sheet (5 sheets for female), the end corner being tied in a knot just on top of the head, and the white sheets removed just before burial. It is believed that by placing an object i.e., an egg in the armpit, the corpse will not rise as it will not want to drop that egg.  Pochongs move about by jumping. Pochongs are not known to attack people. Pochongs are ghosts believed by the Malays, and other cultures do not believe in them.

A Pontianak  is a Malay woman ghost who was pregnant at time of death and not given the proper burial rites. In fact, any malay woman who at the point of death was not happy, or had 'unfinished' business, may become a Pontianak. The general description of the Pontianak is a lady with long hair and white clothes. There are differing views from some that they are also bloodsuckers, though many others also refute that fact. But being a spirit non-flesh creature, of what good is blood?

The term Pontianak has cross cultural boundaries and now not only the malays, the indians as well as the Chinese now also called any sightings of long-haired-white-clothes-woman-wandering-in-the-night as Pontianaks. This is true for the Chinese living in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. But not China, Hong Kong or Taiwan. This is because of the minority Malay/Muslim population residing in these countries.

Nenek Grasi is the term for ghost derived from Indonesia. Indonesia being a big country of many islands, has many names created by the many islands' people who wanted to give names to the many ghosts which they believe existed.

Nenek Grasi is thus a Indonesian word.  'Nenek' literally means Grandmother, or old lady. and 'Grasi' ,means literally Enormous. So it is actually not a malay ghost. The Nenek Grasi is believed to be a ugly old hag, who when encountered, can grow from its small size to an enormous fiercesome creature. It is believed that the more afraid you are, the bigger, uglier and fiercer it becomes.

Well, the Chinese believed in many gods. The main religion are either Buddhism or Taoism. The main Protectors are the Door Gods and Zhong Kui, the Ghost Catcher.  There are also many saintly or holy men, whom the Chinese believed, when they die, would be immortalized. These 'gods' are either cast in statue figurines, or drawn onto cloth or paper.

So it makes sense that Chinese spirits or ghosts would not want to go into a home 'guarded' by such powerful gods.. However, going along this line of thought, Malay spirits or ghosts, being born (and died) under different belief systems, would not be deterred by such statutes. To these creatures, these statues mean nothing more than the material in which they are made of. It is also accepted that possessions and hauntings by the different ghosts of different religions can be exorcised only by similar Priest or Master of the same faith.

Hope this helps,
Anne

Q. hi this kirsty and jennifer.
Now this may sound like a stupid question but when you accendently put your hand through a ghost (if you can acctually do that). What happens do you  just go through it or doe it feel icey cold or does it get stuck?! Now we do know that this sounds stupid as we have already said but we would  really like to know.
This is not a joke because I (Jennifer) would like to become a  paraphycoligest in my later life. We hope you can answere our question.
Yours sencirly,
Kirsty Wright and Jennifer Riach
 

A  Many  people say it feels like cold air. Some people say they don't  feel it at all. Your hand will not get stuck:-)

Q. when  you  go  past  a  cemetery   do  you  half to  hold  your  breath?
 

A   Nope...you don't have to hold your breath when walking by a cemetery. This is just an old superstition. A superstition is something that lots of people believe even though it is not true at all. Some of the superstitions  about holding your breath in a cemetery are:

You must hold your breath while going past a cemetery or you will breathe in the spirit of someone who has recently died.
If you don't hold your breath while going by a graveyard you will not be buried when you die.

If you don't hold your breath when passing a graveyard the evil spirits in the graveyard will go into your body and possess you.

The truth is that NOT  holding your breath in a cemetery is great! Cemeteries are full of fresh air and trees and sweet smelling flowers!

Anne
 

Q. Hi! Our names are Brea and Taryn and we are interested in ghosts! We have tried a Séance before but it didn't work! What were we doing wrong? Thanks bye!

            Brea and Taryn

A. Having a seance is not safe. I would not try to contact ghosts. Sometimes you may contact a nasty spirit. Please do not try to do this. You may get stuck with a mean one who you can't get rid of!

Q. Dear Anne:
I often feel as if I am being watched. Two years ago, I moved into a  new house and have had dreams of a women of about 20 in an old wedding dress standing in my back yard. I'm just wondering if there could be any connection between what I feel and what I have dreamt. Could you tell me what the feeling could be or what it could be caused by?
    Thank you for your time.
                        Wondering

A. Sometimes spirits do try to tell us something while we are asleep. This is because sleep is a time when your mind is open to all suggestions. Sometiimes when a person is awake they will brush off a vision or a thought as being their imagination. The spirit may be able to create a stronger image while you are sleeping because your concious mind isn't pushing it away and it can get through to your subconcious. There may have been a wedding in your yard at one time and the bride just wants to tell you about it. Of course it may also be just a dream!

Q. I wrote to you before about my sister. She sleeps on my floor and says she sees stuf. Well at christmas, my sister, wouldn't sit with Santa even though they said she woudln't get her presents if she didn't. so I sat with santa to show her it was ok but she still wouldnt. My mom took some pictures and in the first one there is stuff, looks like a white ball to me by santa. In the second one you can see my sister sitting on the fireplace and that is as close as she would get to Santa. It doesn't make since to me cause she sat on Santa's lap at the mall but wouldn't at the house. Anway just thought you might like to see these and let me know what you think.
Micah

A. Looks like therea re some orbs there! I put your photos on the photo page:-)


Q. I have been walking everywhere and I felt that some one has been following me everywhere. Since I moved in I was afraid of going to dark places alone.
 ~ Chew Chong Foon ~

A. No need to be afraid of dark places. Try a little flash light if you need to go into a dark place. You can get one that is on a key chain and keep it in your pocket in case you ever need it.  And don't be afraid to turn around if you think someone is behind you. This is epecially important if you are walking somewhere alone outside. You should always be aware of who is around you. I would worry more about being followed by a stranger than by a ghost. A ghost won't hurt you but a stranger may. Don't ever talk to strangers!!