Chaos ensued as dozens of devotees scrambled to get their hands on worship hampers being tossed into a crowd in Kuching, Malaysia, on August 30 as part of the Hungry Ghost Festival.

Hungry Ghost Festival Praying Ceremony at Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo Island Malaysia.

After praying and burning joss papers, the community members of the event started to distribute the worship food (hampers) for the prayers and visitors by giving number tag. Each hampers are labeled with number. If one gets the number with the labeled hamper, then they could get the hamper away. At 2.56 started the scene of prayers and visitors grabbing numbers for worship hampers. A little chaos when people grabbing for the numbers.

Ancestor worship is still a major part of Chinese culture – though the term is a bit of a misnomer, because this concept is closer to paying respects rather than a deified worship. It is believed that the gates of the underworld open during the Hungry Ghost Festival, and spirits are able to reenter the world of the living and visit their loved ones during this period. Chinese people will therefore burn joss paper offerings so their deceased relatives can receive otherworldly material goods and enjoy a comfortable afterlife.


Chaos Scene of Prayers and Visitors Grab Numbers for Worship Hampers during Hungry ghost Festival at Borneo Island