The Hungry Ghost Festival is here, which means families will be busy making the necessary preparations to let their ancestors know they are missed.
Usually, we’d see people quietly lighting candles and burning paper offerings.
But in a TikTok video, joss papers were seen swirling in a vortex behind Textile Centre as several individuals appeared to be burning paper offerings.
With strong gusts of wind tossing the papers around, one could say that the weather was almost like a paid actor that day.
On Friday (29 Jul), which happened to be the first day of the Seventh Lunar Month, TikTok user @lemonsg69 uploaded a clip showing the gale that swept through the area as staff from her company carried out some prayers.
Judging by the surroundings, the scene likely occurred at the open-air area behind Textile Centre in Bugis.
Source: Google Maps
In the clip, several individuals are seen gathering around a large joss paper burner.
As they set about trying to burn paper offerings, the strong wind made the task impossible as it swept the joss papers into the air, sending them twirling in a vortex.
A man in a black shirt who was standing in the midst of it all even looked like he was in ‘the eye of the storm’.
He seemingly tried to resist the winds while gripping onto the papers, moving momentarily to the side to seek respite.
The video later cuts to another scene of a mini whirlwind picking up joss papers next to the burner.
Source: TikTok
The TikTok clip has since gone viral with nearly 180,000 views at the time of writing. Some netizens have since speculated about what could have caused the strong winds.
Since the clip was posted on the first day of the Seventh Lunar Month, this user hinted that the wind could be the work of supernatural forces.
Source: TikTok
Referring to the popular Genshin Impact game, this netizen joked that the wind was the result of someone’s Kazuha using his elemental skill.
Others sympathised with the cleaners who had to clear the mess up.
Source: TikTok
The joss paper vortex likely left a huge mess.
We hope the cleaners, or whoever eventually cleared it up, received some help doing so.
Did you face similarly strong winds yesterday? Share your experience with us in the comments.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from TikTok and Salty on YouTube.
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