Singapore: Modern and Also Superstitous

I realized that I had celebrated with rituals the Seventh Month, the unluckiest month of the year, it is the Festival of the Hungry Ghosts, which Singaporeans will not fail to celebrate. Honestly, no matter what they are, Buddhist, Christian, whatever, they will not fail to be careful during this month. Despite the island’s modernity, tradition and especially superstition is strong in the blood of the people. Chinese people are the ultimate pragmatists. So you will still find people who will take this chance to ask the departed for winning lottery numbers. However, if you win, you will have to make big . offerings to the respective ghosts or suffer the consequences. The traditions are passed from grandmother to mother to daughter. I find that in traditional beliefs, it always passes through the maternal line.  My grandmother taught me, my mother before she became “Christian”, my cousin and all the women in my life.

This video explains the Singaporean attitude to the Hungry Ghost Festival. And shows how some things are done, like sending ur departed loved ones clothes, accessories and how the Hell Postal Service works.

If you think about it, Chinese pagan beliefs in Southeast Asia are probably a modernized form of the Egyptian-style pagan beliefs, of which I am an adherent. I will not be mummified (there is simply no one that can do it right) but I do believe in Ma’at and needing to live one’s True Purpose. And yes, I do believe in Ra and the cult of the sun god. I have opted for cremation because of pragmatic reasons. I and my sister are the last of our family. When we die, there will be no one to do our offerings. I might have my name tablet placed in a Buddhist temple so I can get offerings from random monks and worshhippers on festival days. Its how things are. With luck, I will likely reincarnate in a few decades or I will wander around eating offerings made by Buddhist/Taoist people for the wandering spirits.

Does food offered to the spirits taste different? The answer is .. Yes. The fruits are often dry on the inside (especially oranges) and somehow the food seems bland. Its just my perception, so you are free to disagree. However, if you come over to Singapore during this time, you are free to try it for yourself.

There are many superstitions surrounding the seventh month, one is that you have to get home before dark to avoid wandering ghosts. And you should try not to urinate outdoors in case you might accidentally tinkle on a passing ghost. Amongst other things. If you do encounter a strange floral smell at night, especially in an area without jasmine or frangipani plants, it might indicate the presence of a spirit.

Also, people have reported seeing strange people roaming about the neighbourhood at night. However, since there are now so many people on the island of Singapore, it is hard to know every single new neighbour. However, ghosts do look like normal folk and it is impossible to tell the ghost from normal folks without physically interacting with them.

Ghosts can take the form of ANYONE. Even someone you know well. There are tales of how in the middle of the night, a night watchman will encounter his friend going to the toilet and later encountering the same person at another spot where he cannot have got there based on where he was last seen, The person in the tale often cannot tell the difference between the spirit and his actual friend.

Most cops in Singapore and Malaysia also have their own personal tales of encountering strange things on night duty. I knew a Malaysian cop who had his own strange ghostly tale from his personal experience.

Singaporeans are in fact the biggest fans of ghost stories, this is based on the fact that the locally published True Singapore Ghost Stories anthology collections have been on local bestseller lists for 10 years straight! I do not think that any book can topple its position at no. 1 spot. Not even 50 Shades of …..

So do not be afraid of sharing ur own ghost experience at work, likely you will find sympathic listeners or Christians who will tell you to wear big ptominant crosses or crucifixes, or muslims who will tell you which koranic verses to recite aloud in scary circumstances.