Every year, Taoists and Buddhists in Singapore observe the seventh month of the lunar calendar — also commonly known as the period of the Hungry Ghost Festival.
Devotees have recently started their worship this year by burning joss paper and making offerings to the deceased.
In Tampines, however, some devotees failed to clean up after themselves and drew the ire of some netizens.
They accused the devotees of littering and failing to be considerate to those around them.
On Thursday (17 Aug), a Facebook user posted a picture of the scene at a grass patch in Tampines.
It showed a mess of joss paper scattered around the designated burner.
Source: Facebook
Apart from the joss paper, the devotees appeared to have discarded a plastic wrapper and some rafia string.
They also haphazardly left the joss sticks in between the concrete drainage covers.
Accompanying the photo was the caption, “Pity the cleaners this morning, even the plastic they didn’t throw.”
The post has since drawn the ire of many netizens who were unimpressed by the mess.
One Facebook user commented that their six-year-old child — full of child-like innocence — asked them why things were so messy.
Source: Facebook
Meanwhile, another commenter called the behaviour “irresponsible” and said that the mess in their neighbourhood, Sengkang, was even worse.
Source: Facebook
Another user questioned how the devotees’ actions aren’t considered to be littering.
Source: Facebook
They also included a hashtag for the National Environment Agency (NEA) in the comment.
As it turns out, littering surfaces is a problem every time the seventh month comes around.
Photos from two years ago show estates across Singapore littered badly with scattered joss paper and offerings — with some cleaners seen working to tidy up the mess.
The latest incident comes even after town councils released advisories calling for responsible joss paper burning.
Source: Sembawang Town Council
In one poster by Sembawang Town Council, devotees were encouraged to burn joss paper in burners instead of scattering them.
A similar poster by Nee Soon Town Council in 2020 also advised against scattering joss paper.
Unfortunately, it appears that some devotees continue to act without heeding the recommendation.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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