Just to keep the peace

There were those years before we started to practice this annual ceremony during this month (seventh month of the Chinese Luna calendar).  We had for several years, an annual affair when the management had to deal with mass hysteria within the factory premises around this time of the year, during the 2^nd or 3^rd shift.  Night guards also told of seeing strange looking figures and were afraid of going on their rounds alone. 

 

One night while the managers and executives were attending a farewell dinner for a colleague at Penang’s E&O Hotel, they were rudely interrupted by a phone call to inform that there was another upheaval at the plant.  The plant manager and several executives had to cut short the dinner and rush back to the factory. 

 

That was when a production manager suggested holding this annual ceremony to “appease” the wandering spirits that are allegedly creating mischief among the operators. 

Most Chinese owned companies practice this annual ceremony.  The only difference is, local owned factories have these annual affairs paid for by the management.  Ours being a multinational, I guess we can’t put this into the budget.  So they passed the hat around. 

 

Eventually it became an official affair whereby a “Lor-Chu” (keeper of the urn) or chairman, and a committee is elected each year to organize the preparations and ceremony for the next year.

 

Well the first ceremony was started more than 12 years ago.  Until today, we haven’t lost even a minute of production time due to ‘unnatural’ occurrences.