WE are in the midst of the hungry ghost festival and there really is no need for a reminder.
Along the road, food offerings and incense could be seen burning. The living offer all these up willingly so that the hungry dead do not disturb them.
But there appears to be a plot twist on this event lately as can be seen in a video post on X by netizen @mynewshub.
Apparently in Indonesia, the hungry ghost festival also caters to hungry humans, and a lot of them too.
In the video, the “gates of hell” was opened and a good number of people started to rush in, grabbing as much food and items within reach like the hungry dead.
Perayaan hantu lapar di Indonesia…..nampak siapa hantu nya… pic.twitter.com/lbPvaWxHCH
— MYNEWSHUB (@mynewshub) August 28, 2026
“We can see who the ghosts are,” @mynewshub said sarcastically.
In the comment section, others could be seen condemning the Indonesians for their lack of civility.
“These are the B10 category,” claimed @AzaharulAzwan while @wowwwgenetic thinks the behaviour is very shameful.
“Is the economy in Indonesia that bad?” wondered @DuriaanBasi.
Netizen @izzura202 even likened them to a bunch of zombies.
Perhaps the situation could have been better, in terms of safety and public order, if everyone just queued up and wait for their turn.
A philosophical @zaaibear added that those who died will see the living suffer. And in every comment section, we will also find a handful of religious netizen.
Take for example @apeinhd who thinks it is haram to eat the food used by the Chinese for worshipping.
Then there was @PutriIwana claiming that such behaviour could be seen among the Malaysians too, especially during a feast.
But it appears there is more to the story behind this riot-like attitude among the masses.
Netizen @razgrizero pointed out that this was actually a Ciong Si Ku event, claiming that the scramble for food and sustenance was a symbol of blessing.
His comment was validated by the blog Hi!Pontianak in a post regarding the tradition of Ciong Si Ku, better known as Sembahyang Rampas.
It has become an annual tradition among the Chinese community, particularly in Singkawang, West Kalimantan.
Sembahyang Rampas is a ritual that involves people scrambling to collect various offerings. These include items such as durians, pineapples, snacks, canned drinks, instant noodles and many others.
The large quantity of offerings prepared as part of the ritual draws crowds, with people flocking to temples where Sembahyang Rampas ceremonies are held to take part in the scramble.
So, perhaps the lesson here is simple: during the Hungry Ghost Festival, the dead may be hungry, but the living apparently are not willing to take any chances.
After all, when free food is involved, some humans can become scarier than the ghosts themselves.—Aug 28, 2026
Main image: @mynewshub
