Why Is the First Row Always Empty at Hong Kong Theaters

Hong Kong's kung fu operas, also known as temple fair operas, have a custom: the seats in the first row are not for sale, and no one is allowed to sit there.

Because those seats are reserved for ghosts to watch the opera.

Kung fu operas were originally performed to celebrate the birthdays of deities or fulfill vows. A bamboo shed is erected beside a temple, and the opera runs for several days. During Ghost Month, such operas are performed to "entertain" lonely souls and wandering ghosts, so the first row is their seats.

Everyone in the opera troupe knows that before the gong sounds, they must first "worship the stage": burn incense on stage, pray to the gods, and invite all the deities and these "good brothers" to take their seats before the actors can begin performing. The audience will not take the seats in the front, even if the seats behind are already full.

Some say that someone actually tried to sit there, felt uncomfortable halfway through, and when they stood up, someone told them they had taken someone else's seat. Others say it's just a custom to leave a seat empty, and it's not that sinister.

Singapore has a similar practice. Every year in the seventh lunar month, a singing stage is erected on the street, where songs and dances are performed for the "good brothers" to watch. The front row seats are often painted red, left empty, and no one is allowed to sit there. Some stages even have the host specifically say: "Please leave the first few rows for the good brothers."

To this day, especially during Ghost Month, if you go to watch a kung fu opera, there are still many empty seats in the front row.

#Ghosts #网络转载 #香港