Between the Bookends of Birth and Death
2 min read
We fear death, but when it does appear, we find that we do accept it, simply because there is no choice.
October 2025
This October, Penang Monthly explores death rituals across Malaysia. From Muslim burials to Taoist and Hindu traditions, we reflect on how communities honour the departed with dignity.
Marking the End of Life: Rituals Across Malaysia
10 min read
Death may arrive suddenly, but it is never endured in isolation. What follows depends on your race, religion and family background.
Realising the Morbid Overtones of Blue and Green in Chinese and Nyonya Culture
5 min read
When mourning, wearing gold or diamonds is considered inauspicious. Instead, the Nyonyas wear pearls to symbolise tears, and jewellery made of silver and jade to represent solemnity and respect.
From Fortress to Frolic: The Tragic Fable of Fort Batu Maung
11 min read
With the fort’s history now tangled in commercial entertainment, its actual story has become increasingly unclear. Using declassified top-secret British and Australian military reports, this article reconstructs what really happened.
What Death Can Teach Children (And Us) about Life
5 min read
Most research around grief is related to human death; however, the death of a pet can trigger the same depth of grief. For many families, a pet’s passing feels no less heartbreaking than losing another human who is close to them.
Art Continues to Communicate in Different Realms and in Difficult Times
7 min read
In “residues: hinging on my insanity”, an open studio by Arundhati Kartik, Wang Xi Jie and Hendra Selamat, the three artists engaged with the space as a site for reflection and change, where dislocation and transplantation of works and ideas take place from Singapore to Penang.
Exploring Bukit Batu Itam: Penang National Park’s Highest Peak
6 min read
While most visitors opt for the trails leading to Pantai Kerachut and Teluk Kampi, one path excites hikers seeking a challenge— the Bukit Batu Itam trail. Rising to 460m above sea level, Bukit Batu Itam is the tallest peak within PNP.
The Living Legacy of Penang’s Chinese Cemeteries
5 min read
Penang is home to many such public cemeteries. With the earliest ones dating back to the early 19th century, these sites are the result of the rapid growth of the early Chinese community, and more significantly, indicates the settling down of Chinese immigrants in Penang.
Brewing Connections: Penang’s AeroPress Community in Bloom
4 min read
2025 marks the third year Nine Lives Coffee Roasters (NLCR) has hosted the Malaysia Aeropress Championship in the northern region. This time, it was held at Moonshine Bakehouse on Andaman Island, Penang.
Teochew Gong Tek Funeral Rituals: Staging the Yulanpen Sutra
7 min read
It is believed that the performance of the story from the Yulanpen Sutra or Mulian Saves His Mother from Hell during the gong tek ritual helps the soul of the dead to journey safely and quickly towards rebirth, or to Western Paradise, the auspicious and heavenly world where Amitabha Buddha resides.
Threads of Change: Weaving Waste Into Art
7 min read
Kelsey Merreck Wagner was trained in printmaking and ceramics. Since the very beginning, her art has been deeply tied to environmental concerns close to her heart. It wasn’t until 2017 that she decided she wanted to weave.
Dignity, Despair and Decision: The Ethics of Euthanasia
8 min read
In contemporary bioethics, euthanasia is commonly defined as a deliberate intervention undertaken with the intention of ending life to relieve intractable suffering, a definition that may mask the deep human anguish at its centre.
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