The annual Hungry Ghost Festival kickstarted on Sunday (4 Aug), and that means devotees have started presenting paper offerings and burning joss paper to honour the memories of their dearly departed.
One netizen has come up with a unique way of paying respects — through an online incense paper burner.
A user with the handle u/flameooo shared the game on r/Singapore. It is relatively straightforward, allowing users to burn virtual joss paper for their ancestors.
“E-incense is free and eco-friendly!” said the introduction page of the game.
Using their mouse or touchpad, users can drag and “throw” the virtual joss paper into the incense burner.
Source: burnincenseonline
This is similar to how devotees throw pieces of joss paper into a burner.
Speaking to MS News, the Redditor, who would like to be known as Ethan, said the idea came to him because he was “growing tired of the smoke from joss paper burning every year”.
“I thought, why not encourage people to make their offerings online instead? This way, everyone can still pay their respects to their ancestors, but in a more environmentally friendly way,” said the 27-year-old software engineer
Ethan had previously shared the same game last year, but has improved on the version this time by adding a new feature — every five consecutive throws into the incense burner generates a random 4-digit number.
The creator jested that players can use this 4-digit number to buy 4D at Singapore Pools.
It is a tongue-in-cheek representation of a set of lucky numbers that devotees believe some ancestors bless them with when they show filial piety during this period.
The post received a positive reception, with most commenters praising it for being enjoyable or cute. According to Ethan, the game has had around 1,000 visitors in the past 24 hours.
He added that he hoped the new 4D feature would engage players and encourage them to spend more time burning incense online.
The Hungry Ghost Festival — colloquially referred to as Ghost Month here — is a traditional Chinese festival where the spirits of the dead are believed to wander around the living as the gates of hell open on the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
During this month, it is a tradition for people to pay respects to the “good brothers”, a euphemism for spirits.
Source: MS News
A common way of doing this is through burning joss paper or paper effigies.
This show of gratitude is seen as a way to provide for the ancestors so that they can enjoy a comfortable afterlife.
However, while this is a tradition important to the Chinese culture, burning joss paper does have its side effects.
The smoke can result in eye or respiratory irritation, and environmental groups have been increasingly vocal regarding the air pollution resulting from this practice.
There were growing complaints between 2015 and 2020 on cleanliness and health-related concerns during the Hungry Ghost Festival month.
A 2015 Nanyang Technological University study found that the amount of joss paper burned in this period can spike the Pollutant Standards Index between 18% and 60%.
An Alliance for Action (AfA) on Norms for Joss Paper Burning was then established to educate people on being socially responsible while burning offerings.
Also read: 7th Month Devotees Leave Joss Paper Strewn On Tampines Grass Patch, Called Out For Littering
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Featured image adapted from Burn Incense Online.
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