“If you come to Singapore during the ghost festival, you’ll smell a lot of things burning. Basically it’s this celebration in late august where superstitious traditional families in Singapore pay respects to the dead. They believe that during this time, the dead roam around the earth. People will present offerings and burn a bunch of fake money to send to the world of the dead. They believe that the more money they burn, the more their family is protected from harm. I think they’re in a way paying the souls of the dead so they won’t come bother them. This festival goes on for awhile, and there are different religious ceremonies throughout it. Oh, also people burn incense on their doors. The most thing I remember from this time is the smell of everything burning.”

I find it a bit amusing and interesting that people are so superstitious all over the world. Many big festivals contain these types of rituals. Especially in Asia, honoring the dead and ancestors is often a very important thing.