TL;DR – Be careful not to step on the roadside offerings. It’s for “them”.
Every year on the first day of the Lunar 7th month, my mum would call to remind me to stay in at night, and if you “absolutely need to be out”, be careful not to step on the roadside offerings. It’s for “them”, she’d cautioned.
Superstitious? Well, earlier this week, a follower of Instagram profile @sgfollowsall recounted a strange tale. The post has since garnered more than 17k likes. In his post, the boy claims of a spooky encounter with a “lady” after stepping on some offerings. He also shared a photo of the ghost…
The follower shared how he was harrassed by a “lady” dressed in white, with black eyes and pale complexion after he had accidentally stepped on some offerings placed by the roadside.
The scary episode started when he left his place in Marsiling and stepped onto some candles, rice and red powder. Now, the Chinese believe that offerings placed by the roadsides should never be disturbed, or else… The 15-year-old boy said that after stepping into it, he immediately sensed something “perched on top of him” and could make out what felt like fingernails digging into his skin. He didn’t think much of it as he headed off to meet a friend. But as he was walking with his friend, a “lady” in white rode past them, humming a strange song. She then suddenly turned to smile at them.
Shortly after the encounter, both he and his friend heard the sound of bells behind them. When they turned, they saw a black figure.
The spookiness continues. When they were having their meals at McDonald’s they noticed black fingerprints all over their receipt.
Later the same night, as he took the same route home, the boy decided to look up the dark hill and true enough, he saw a white figure walking around. The same lady who rode past them. True Singapore Ghost Stories much?!
While some were skeptical about his story, other spooked netizens chided him for his carelessness and advised him to “go home and pray”. Many also reminded him that it’s the lunar 7th month and not to “play-play, sure kena”.
For the rest of us, superstitious or not, you might want to keep this taboo, among others, in mind…