Hungry Ghosts May Spook Property Boom

Hungry Ghosts May Spook Property Boom




August- the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival, typically signals a slow month for property sales in countries like Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Since all the factors signal towards a quiet month(see excerpt from Reuters below),

"Hungry Ghost" month deals double blow to Asian business

By Fayen Wong | August 4, 2006

In Singapore, where 75 percent of the population is ethnic Chinese, business associations often run street performances, known as "getai," to entertain the living and the dead.

Apart from inviting popular singers from overseas to perform, these "getai" shows also include auctions for auspicious items such as oranges, pineapples and charcoal -- which are associated with wealth in Chinese, and which are stacked on gold-tinted plates and elaborately wrapped in red ribbons.


this month will be all about getai. From Rosyton Tan's 881 to the actual shows at your nearest spot of public assembly, the tradition of getai would be a fun distraction in a month otherwise characterised by slow sales and tumbling stock markets.

And since I was recently quoted in a local magazine saying that the job alternatives available to graduates of my batch were : real estate agents, taxi drivers and hawkers, please add getai singer to my list.

Photo below is of the winsome Mindy Ong in a very luxe getai costume. Both photos are from Royston Tan's blog