History of Malay Ghosts
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| Image of Malay Ghosts |
Traditional ghost beliefs are rooted in prehistoric animist beliefs. However, the area has long had extensive contact with other cultures, and these have affected the form of some of the legends. Trade links with Indian kingdoms and with China were established several centuries BCE. The Hindu Majapahit kingdom was founded in eastern Java in the late 13th century, and its influence stretched over much of Indonesia. Islam had become the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra by the end of the 16th century.
For the most part, Islam also overlaid and mixed with existing cultural and religious influences. For example, the festival of Mandi Safar, in which the people bathe in the sea or river and perform ceremonies that purify and protect against misfortune, and which also serves to introduce marriageable young people, has Tamil Hindu origins, although after the introduction of Islam it was given new meaning as a festival to celebrate the recovery of Mohammed from an illness. The festival has long been banned in Malaysia on the grounds that it contravenes the teaching of Islam, but continues to be celebrated in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Category: History
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