Chinatown resident spots joss paper burning at HDB walkway
An individual in Singapore has raised some safety concerns regarding the burning of joss paper at their housing estate in Chinatown.
In a post shared on the Complaint Singapore Facebook page on Wednesday (25 Feb), a large pile of ashes could be seen surrounding a live flame.
The fire, which had been lit on a tiled pedestrian walkway, also appeared to be unattended.
Source: Complaint Singapore on Facebook
According to the resident, the incident occurred at Block 536 Upper Cross Street. It is unclear when the image was taken.
Joss paper burning on void deck
In the post, the Original Poster (OP) asked what their next steps should be.
They were particularly unsure of which authorities they should report the act to.
“There’s a dedicated bin one block away to burn, but whoever still decided to do it here,” alleged the OP, who also considered putting out the fire.
“Will I have any bad karma if I dump water?” they asked.
MS News has reached out to the OP and the Jalan Besar Town Council for comment.
Netizens say no bad karma to put out fire
Other netizens encouraged the OP to extinguish the fire.
One assured that there will not be any bad karma for doing so, as they’d be preventing an accident from occurring.
Source: Complaint Singapore on Facebook
Another commenter said that they would have put out the fire, suggesting the possibility of the fire spreading.
Source: Complaint Singapore on Facebook
Others presumed that the elderly were responsible for the act, suggesting that they are used to older customs of burning.
Source: Complaint Singapore on Facebook
Religious federations urge responsible burning of joss papers
According to OneService, the Taoist Federation (Singapore), the Singapore Buddhist Federation, and the Wat Ananda Metyarama monastery advise all devotees to be considerate when burning their joss papers and sticks.
They remind devotees to use the available burners and not to burn “directly on the ground” as doing so poses fire hazards.
Additionally, it may damage ground surfaces which are common public property.
The religious federations add that they are liaising with “relevant stakeholders” to ensure cleanliness in public spaces and prevent haphazard burning of joss paper.
They appeal to all devotees to be responsible in keeping their environment clean and safe.
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Featured image adapted from Complaint Singapore on Facebook and 8PROP.
