Halloween is right around the corner and if you're looking to get spooked, well look no further.
Malaysian artist Kopi Soh recently released an anthology of spooky Malaysian stories in her first debut fiction book, Looking After The Ashes: Old Wives’ Tales, Taboos, Supernatural And Childhood Superstitions.
Kopi Soh had cold submitted the manuscript of the book to several publishers before agreeing to go with Penguin Random House SEA.
Taking inspiration from spooky Malaysian stories.
The book takes inspiration from some of the supernatural events of the artist-turned-writer's childhood.
"I think our belief in ghosts and the supernatural is closely tied to ancestral worship," Kopi Soh tells Mashable Southeast Asia.
She explains that in Taoism, it is believed that the spirits of deceased loved ones or ancestors can be contacted through a medium.
"These spirits are believed to be able to help us if they were properly respected. Anyway, I think most Chinese religions believe in the continued existence after death."
Due to this, Kopi Soh explains that ghost stories in folklore also sometimes have a strong moral message.
"It can serve as a reminder for people to live an ethical life or they may have to bear the consequences in the afterlife. I believe ghosts also generally haunt for good reasons, maybe to avenge an injustice, or perhaps a forced suicide, murder, or a preventable tragedy."
Based on personal supernatural experiences.
Kopi Soh, a pseudonym to the Malaysian artist and writer who prefers to keep her identity a secret, recalls a spooky moment from her childhood which served as inspiration for one of the stories in her book.
"I think it was when I was about 10 years old and we (the neighborhood kids, and I) were playing spirit of the coin. We had closed all the curtains, windows, and doors to create a quiet atmosphere to call on the spirit.
"There were four of us altogether, we each placed our finger on the coin and the eldest girl in the group started calling the spirit. The spirit came and we asked him who he was and how he died."
Through the session, Kopi Soh and her friends found out that the ghost was a young boy who apparently died in a car crash.
"When it was time for him to go home, he refused to, for the longest time the coin kept circling around the board. One of the girls panicked and yelled for someone to bring sugar to lure the spirit home. I remember feeling so extremely afraid because I thought if he refused to go home that would mean he might attach himself to one of us. Till today I don't really know if the movement of the coin was due to one of us moving it or perhaps it was a prank cooked up by one of the older girls in the group."
Keeping the Penang Peranakan culture alive.
While her book focuses on the supernatural elements, Kopi Soh, who is of Peranakan descent, has a much bigger aim than scaring her readers.
"Through this book, I wish to create a worldwide awareness of the existence of my people, the Peranakans. Especially the Penang Peranakans, we are slightly different from the other Peranakans."
"For me, Swee Lian’s tale is an important one to tell because the Baba-Nyonya culture is slowly fading; as generations pass we become more and more diluted. This sub-culture has lost itself, even among its own people. I guess you could call us the “Brigadoonians” of Southeast Asia. People who find themselves keepers of ancient customs and traditions that were long discarded, even in Mainland China."
Kopi Soh reveals that her community started declining during the Japanese Occupation.
"In the ravages of war, many families fell into poverty and debt, forcing them to sell off the majority of their family heirlooms. During this time, daughters were also hurriedly married off to non-Peranakans thus eroding our identity. Today, the future of our language and culture hangs in the balance. To ensure the continued existence of these people, I need to tell their stories – my story through this book."
While her book is peppered with references to the Penang Peranakan culture, Kopi Soh cautions that it is strictly for entertainment purposes and is not a guide book to her culture.
However, the book can shed light on her dying culture.
"Recently, I was alerted by a reader to a possible side effect when children read the book. It seems that one 10-year-old reader's curiosity was sparked when she read the book and she even asked her parents if they had practiced the "chicken" ritual during their wedding.
"Perhaps this can be the book that bridges our generation gap by reviving old stories and superstitions just like fairy tales," Kopi Soh says.
Kopi Soh's book is now available in all major bookstores in Malaysia and can be bought online on Shopee.
Read more:
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Cover image sourced from Kopi Soh / Facebook.
